Dr. Holly Bender is a veterinary clinical pathologist who is focused on creating tools and methods to improve higher education, especially in the areas of diagnostic skills and problem solving. She is also the Interim Director of the Iowa State University Preparing Future Faculty program at the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.  She has received 28 teaching awards and 10 teaching honors including those on the College, University, State and National level. She is dedicated to the improvement of medical education through scholarly research and software development and brings together experts from a wide range of disciplines including instructional design and evaluation, veterinary medical informatics, computer science and clinical pathology.  She led the design, development and implementation of a cognitive tool named the Diagnostic Pathfinder.  The Pathfinder is in use in 20 veterinary schools in the US, Canada, Australia, South America and Europe.  Recently, she has been collaborating with faculty who are motivated to engage their students actively in the fields of toxicology, pharmacology, parasitology, internal medicine, anatomic pathology, microbiology, physics, English, statistics and engineering.  

 VPth 425 Clinical Pathology

Gr. St. 585 Preparing Future Faculty Introductory Seminar

Gr. St. 586 Preparing Future Faculty Intermediate Seminar

Gr. St. 587 Preparing Future Faculty Teaching Practicum

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Pathology
• 1987 Doctor of Philosophy, Clinical Pathology, Virginia Tech
• 1987 Clinical Pathology Residency VMRCVM and the University of Georgia
• 1979 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University
• 1976 Bachelor of Science, Microbiology, Michigan State University

Bender HS, Danielson, JA. A Novel Educational Tool for Teaching Diagnostic Reasoning and Laboratory Data Interpretation to Veterinary (and Medical) Students. Clinics in Laboratory Medicine. 2011 Mar; 31(1): 201-215.

Sponseller BA, Strait E, Jergens A, Trujillo J, Harmon K, Koster L, Jenkins-Moore M, Killian M, Swenson S, Bender HS, Waller K, Miles K, Pearce T, Yoon KJ, and Nara P. Influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection in domestic cat. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 Mar; 16(3):534-7.

Danielson, JA, Mills, EM, Vermeer, PJ, and Bender, HS (2008). The Diagnostic Pathfinder: Ten years of using technology to teach diagnostic problem solving In F. Columbus (Ed.), Educational Technology Research Advances: Nova Science Publishers

Danielson JA, Fales-Williams AJ, Sorden SD, Myers RK, Bender HS, Mills EM. Peer Assessment of a Final-Year Capstone Experience for Formative Evaluation of a Pathology Curriculum. J Vet Med Educ, September 2008; 35: 466 - 474.

Danielson J.A., Mills, E.M, Vermeer, P.J., Preast, V.A., Young, K.M., Christopher, M.M., George, J.W., Wood, D.R. and Bender, H.S. Characteristics of a Cognitive Tool that Helps Students Learn Diagnostic Problem Solving. Educational Technology Research and Development 55, 499-520, 2007.

Preast, V.A., Danielson, J.A., Bender, H.S. and Bousson, M.. Effectiveness of a computer-based tutorial for teaching how to make a blood smear. Vet Clin Pathol. 2007 Sep ;36 (3):245-52.

A Fales-Williams, JA Danielson, R Myers, S Sorden, HS Bender. The Case Correlation Assignment: Connecting Antemortem and Postmortem Data in the Senior Year at Iowa State University. J Vet Med Educ, Spring 2007; 34: 183 - 193.

Bender, H.S., Young, K. M., Danielson, J. A., Mills, E.M., Vermeer, P.J., Development and Implementation of the Diagnostic Pathfinder, A Mind Tool Used to Teach Clinical Pathology. Conference Proceedings of the Association of American Medical Colleges Central Group on Educational Affairs. University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, Wisconsin, April 8, 2005.

Danielson JA, Bender HS, Mills EM, Vermeer PJ, Preast VA: Helping Learners Gain Diagnostic Problem Solving Skills: Specific Aspects of the Diagnostic Pathfinder Software Tied to Learning Outcomes. Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2004

HS Bender, KM Young, JW George, MM Christopher, JA Danielson, PJ Vermeer, EM Mills, RD Wood, PD Pion, VA Preast, CB Andreasen. Implementation of the Diagnostic Pathfinder, an Internet-Based Tool to Teach Clinical Pathology in Diverse Educational Settings. Conference Proceedings of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology 346-359, 2003.

Danielson JA, Bender HS, Mills EM, Vermeer PJ, Lockee BB: A Tool for Helping Veterinary Students Learn Diagnostic Problem Solving. Educational Technology Research and Development 52: 63-81, 2003

Bender HS, Lockee BB, Danielson JA, Mills EM, Boon GD, Burton JK, Vermeer PJ, Zimmerman KL, Hilmer KM: Mechanism-based diagnostic reasoning: thoughts on teaching introductory clinical pathology. Vet Clin Pathol 29: 77-83, 2000

Zimmerman KL, Bender HS, Boon GD, Prater MR, Thorn CE, Prater D, Robertson JL, Saunders GK, Sponenberg DP, Inzana KD, Lanz OI, Wright E: A comparison of the cytologic and histologic features of meningiomas in four dogs. Vet Clin Pathol 29: 29-34, 2000

BB Lockee, HS Bender, DI Bounous. Clinical Chemistry Through Distance Education: Resource Sharing for Effective Program Development. Spring 1999 Volume 25 (1) Journal of Veterinary Medical Education.

• 2011 ISU SCAVMA Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Clinical Sciences
• 2009 William O. Reece Award for Outstanding Academic Advising
• 2008 Norden Distinguished Teacher Award- Iowa State University CVM
• 2007 Iowa State University Sesquicentennial Hubbard Award for Teaching Excellence
• 2007 ISU SCAVMA Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Clinical Sciences
• 2004 National Carl J. Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teacher Award - Outstanding Veterinary Medical Educator of the Year
• 2004 National SAVMA Teaching Excellence Award
• 2004 Norden Distinguished Teacher Award- Iowa State University CVM
• 2004 VEISHEA Faculty/Staff Member of the Year-ISU CVM
• 2003 ISU SCAVMA Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Basic Sciences
• 2002 VMRCVM Teacher of the Year Award, Class of 2004
• 2002 XCaliber Award for Excellence in Teaching with Technology
• 2002 Clifton Garvin Fellowship Award for Research Excellence
• 2001 VMRCVM Teacher of the Year Award, Class of 2003
• 2001 W.E. Wine Award for Teaching Excellence at Virginia Tech
• 2000 VMRCVM Teaching Excellence Award
• 2000 Virginia Tech Certificate of Teaching Excellence
• 1999 VMRCVM Teacher of the Year Award, Class of 2001
• 1997 VMRCVM Teacher of the Year Award, Class of 1999
• 1996 Merck Creative Teaching Award
• 1993 VMRCVM Teacher of the Year Award, Class of 1995
• 1992 VMRCVM Teacher of the Year Award, Class of 1994
• 1991 Merck Creative Teaching Award
• 1991 Norden Distinguished Teacher Award VMRCVM
• 1988 VMRCVM Teacher of the Year Award, Class of 1991
• 1988 VMRCVM Teaching Excellence Award
• 1985 VMRCVM Teacher of the Year Award, Class of 1988
• 1984 Young Investigator Award, American Diabetes Association
• 1983 VMRCVM Teacher of the Year Award, Class of 1986

Honors

• 2010 Marshal for ISU CVM Class of 2010 Graduation
• Featured Speaker for Senior Banquet, Class of 2010
• 2009 Marshal for ISU CVM Class of 2009 Graduation
• 2007 Marshal for ISU CVM Class of 2007 Graduation
• 2006 Fellowship, Wakonse Conference on College Teaching, Camp Miniwanca, MI
• 2006 “Hooder” for ISU CVM Class of 2006 Graduation
• 2005 Senate Resolution 29-recognition by the State of Iowa General Assembly for Teaching Excellence
• 2005 “Hooder” for ISU CVM Class of 2005 Graduation
• 2004 Marshal for ISU CVM Class of 2004 Graduation
• 2001 Induction into the Academy of Teaching Excellence Virginia Tech

• American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) 1982-present
• American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) 1995-present
• American Veterinary Medical Society (AVMA) 1979-present
• Phi Zeta Veterinary Honor Society 1979-present, President of Chi chapter 1988-91