Bellwether Magazine Volume 1 Number 54 Fall 2002 Article 1 Fall 2002 Bellwether 54, Fall 2002 Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/bellwether Part of the Veterinary Medicine Commons Recommended Citation (2002) "Bellwether 54, Fall 2002," Bellwether Magazine: Vol. 1 : No. 54 , Article 1. Available at: https://repository.upenn.edu/bellwether/vol1/iss54/1 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/bellwether/vol1/iss54/1 For more information, please contact [email protected]. No.54 • Fall 2002 ® School of Veterinary Medicine UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA BellwetherTHE NEWSMAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE The New Animal Bloodmobile Page 4 Inside 2From the Dean 6 Scott Building Dedicated 11 V.M.D.Notes 25 Feline Symposium 31 Dr.Deubler’s Birthday 12 Alumni Weekend 16 Commencement A Message from the Dean Despite the awful tragedy of September 11, new gifts and pledges with $13.4 million raised $3 million grant from the Ellison Foundation 2001, anthrax threats to homeland security, by June 30, 2002. In cash receipts, we had our for studying gene manipulation in nematode Osama bin Laden, the down turn in the econ- second best year ever at $8.1 million. We were parasites, and Dr. Narayan Avadhani received a omy, Enron, WorldCom, and ImClone, it is especially fortunate to attract significant new $500,000 grant from NIH to purchase state-of- nice to be in support for the Teaching and Research Build- the-art equipment for proteomics. the position ing, securing $7.5 million in new commit- Finally, I am very pleased to share with you of reporting ments from individuals and private founda- that we are at last making progress in revising some very tions. I am also very pleased to share with you the curriculum and have started phasing in the positive that we raised more than $1 million in new revisions this September for the freshman class. news: the current use and endowed scholarship support The number of hours students sit in class, pas- School had a and thank the many donors who made these sively listening to lectures in the first year is remarkably generous contributions to the School. reduced. With the time made available, stu- successful We were blessed with a beautiful day on dents have new opportunities for supervised year. June 29th for the dedication of the Scott training in the clinics to better understand the We did Equine Sports Medicine Building at New relevance of the basic sciences to clinical medi- exceptionally Bolton Center. This is a magnificent addition cine. Changes with similar objectives will be well in the of which our benefactors, the late Almira and phased into the second and third year curricula State budget signed into law by the Governor Hardie Scott, would be proud. The building as the program evolves in late June, ending up with an appropriation also holds some of the most distinguished Now we have the challenge of doing as well that was 5% above the amount appropriated in names in horse racing and we are grateful for in this new academic year. July 2001. Few other institutions of higher their great generosity to the School. In the Alan M. Kelly learning in the State were so blessed and I evening, the School celebrated the 50th The Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine thank the Governor and General Assembly for anniversary of New Bolton Center with a their support and wonderful recognition of the dinner followed by an excellent new video, importance of the School to Pennsylvania, On Any Given Day,that depicts “a day in the especially to Pennsylvania agriculture. Now, we life of New Bolton Center.” Annual SCAVMA must do all we can to fulfill the expectations At the close of the evening I was very happy that accompany the State’s support; this to have Betty Moran join me to make the Auction includes advancing our programs in Global announcement that Dr. Virginia Reef has been The annual Student Chapter of the Information System mapping of the livestock appointed to a newly endowed chair, The Lila American Veterinary Medical Association and poultry industries in the Commonwealth, Griswold and Mark Whittier Allam Chair in (SCAVMA) Auction will be held on Friday, food safety, biosecurity, infectious disease Medicine at New Bolton Center. Some 20 years December 6, 2002 in the E.R. Marookian, research, and public health. ago, Betty gave the School funds that were V.M.D. Auditorium at the Veterinary The School was also successful with its invested and grew. Now they permit us to Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. application for capital support from the establish the new Chair. The appointment is The event begins with a silent auction at National Center for Research Resources at NIH especially fitting for Ginny is a world renowned 3:00 p.m., followed by the live auction at and has been awarded nearly $2 million equine cardiologist and Betty Moran has had 5:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to support the towards the cost of the vivarium in the new an abiding interest in the topic, giving the auction! Teaching and Research building. As a result of funds to establish not only the original heart The annual SCAVMA auction is a this infusion of funds, the School now has station in 1963, but the cardiology suite in the popular event for the entire School commu- $39,850,000 in gifts and pledges towards the Moran Family Wing of the new Scott Building. nity. Proceeds from the silent auction help $48 million cost of the Teaching and Research In research, the School also had an out- to fund student travel expenses to the annu- Building; this is outstanding. It reaches a mile- standing year. To mention a few of the faculty’s al National Student AVMA Symposium. stone that has gained the President’s and many accomplishments: Dr. Ralph Brinster’s Proceeds from the live auction help to fund Provost’s approval to start the process of select- work on male germ cell transplantation was SCAVMA events and the new SCAVMA ing an architect and commencing schematic reviewed in June in Science and was featured Scholarship Program. design. This seems to me to be the fun part of on the cover of this edition. Dr. Hans Scholer’s The mission of SCAVMA is to increase the whole project. It will be orchestrated by a work published in Genes and Development, the quality of veterinary student life faculty Building Committee chaired by Dr. R. showing why cloning in animals is so unpre- through educational, social and cultural O. Davies. With the architect, the Committee dictable received world wide publicity, as did extracurricular activities. For more infor- must now come up with a design that is both Dr. Ina Dobrinski’s recent paper in Nature on mation on the auction or to donate auction functional and beautiful. growing testicular tissue from pigs and goats items, contact Ian J. Driben, V’05, Auction In terms of our fund-raising, this past year on the back of immuno-compromised mice. Co-Chairperson, via e-mail at was a banner year. We set another record for Drs. James Lok and Edward Pearce received a <[email protected]>. 2 BELLWETHER 54 CHARTING THE FUTURE Teaching and Research Building News $48 million goal Since the last time we reported on on the School’s Board of Overseers the funds for the Teaching and and has always been very supportive of Research Building, we have raised our students. She established the Mrs. $4.75 million for a total of Jack L. Billhardt Dean’s Scholarship $39,850,000. fund which supports several students Some gifts of note include at least each year. $1.75 million from the National John D. McCullough, V’43 and his Center for Research Resources at NIH. wife, Dorothy,contributed $150,000 to $39.9 million raised The National Center for Research name a public space in the new build- Resources (NCRR) was established in ing. Dr. McCullough is one of the 1990 to advance biomedical research School’s most generous alumni and and improve human health through has supported the McCullough research projects and shared resources Research Fund at New Bolton Center. that create, develop, and provide a Ms. Beverly R. Steinman con- comprehensive range of human, ani- tributed $100,000 through the James mal, technological, and other Hale Steinman Foundation for general resources. NCRR's support is concen- support of the building. Ms. Steinman trated in four areas: biomedical tech- is a client at VHUP and is a generous nology, clinical research, comparative supporter of the School’s activities medicine, and research infrastructure. each August at Saratoga, N.Y. Mrs. Patricia Billhardt contributed The dean has appointed a faculty an additional gift of $250,000 for sup- building committee and the University port of the 150-seat classroom that has begun the process of selecting an will bear her name. Pat Billhardt serves architect. Veterinary School Buildings in Philadelphia Quadrangle Building Gladys Hall Rosenthal Building Veterinary Hospital of the Site of Teaching & Research Building The Teaching and Research Building University of Pennsylvania Planned Groundbreaking site is bounded by University,Woodland and Baltimore Avenues. BELLWETHER 54 3 Cover Story New Animal Bloodmobile Unveiled The new Animal Bloodmobile was unveiled at VHUP on May 7. It was made possible by a generous gift from the Wurster Family Foun- dation. Bogie, a Labrador retriever owned by members of the Wurster family, was a VHUP patient whose life was saved by numerous blood transfusions. The new vehicle is impressive with a length of 24 ft., a width of 8 ft.