AVC celebrates achievements of graduate students and researchers

The Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI will celebrate the achievements of its graduate students and researchers at its 24th annual Graduate Studies and Research Days (GS&R Days) event on Thursday, May 12, and Friday, May 13, in Lecture Theatre A.

During the two-day celebration, 20 graduate students and six post-doctoral fellows at AVC will present their research findings. New students will present their research plans. Their presentations cover research topics ranging from terrestrial and aquatic animal health to environmental health and biomedical sciences.

GS&R Days will open on Thursday at 9 a.m., with welcoming remarks from UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, Minister of Workforce and Advanced Learning Richard Brown, and AVC Dean Greg Keefe.

Immediately following the opening remarks will be the annual R.G. Thomson Lecture, an endowed lecture honouring AVC’s founding dean, Dr. Reginald Thomson. This year’s R.G. Thomson lecturer, Dr. Dorothee Bienzle will present “Researcher, clinician and teacher: How best to move the veterinary profession forward.” Dr. Bienzle is an internationally recognized professor of pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph.

Dr. Bienzle will speak about the current state of academic veterinary medicine, and contributions she has made as a veterinary pathologist to research, teaching, clinical practice and the professional organization. Dr. Bienzle is a veterinary researcher funded by NSERC and numerous other sources for over 15 years and a Canada Research Chair holder for 10 years, and has been the principal advisor for 20 graduate theses. Her research pertains to immunity in cats and inflammatory lung disease in horses. She also teaches in multiple veterinary and graduate courses and chairs the redesign of the certification examination of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

On Friday, May 13, at 9 a.m., Dr. J Trenton McClure, professor of large animal medicine at AVC, will be presented with the 2016 Zoetis Research Excellence Award. He will give a presentation called “So many interests, too little time: A veterinary clinician’s experience in research.”

“This is our showcase event where we get to appreciate the great research and clinical pursuits of our graduate students and early career scientists,” says Dr. Larry Hammell, associate dean, Graduate Studies and Research at AVC. “We are proud of their contributions and eager to hear about the experiences of Dr. Bienzle and Dr. McClure, two researchers recognized for being at the top of their professions.”

AVC’s GS&R Days will conclude on Friday with an awards presentation in The McCain Foundation Learning Commons, starting at 12:45 p.m. Click here to view the AVC GS&R program.

All are invited to attend this celebration of AVC’s graduate studies and research program.