June 3, 2020
Dr. Jessica Ward, associate professor of veterinary clinical sciences, has been named the holder of the Phyllis M. Clark Professorship in Veterinary Cardiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
The professorship was established through the estate of Phyllis Clark, a Des Moines resident who passed away in 2014. Clark created the endowed faculty position after her cat received care from the cardiology department in the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital at Iowa State.
A faculty member at Iowa State since 2015, Ward is board certified in cardiology from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. In addition to being an outstanding clinician, Ward is an award-winning classroom instructor. Since arriving at Iowa State, she has received the ISU Award for Early Achievement in Teaching, the SAVMA Award for Teaching Excellence in Clinical Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine Award for Early Achievement in Teaching.
Ward has also recently become part of an Iowa State initiative to introduce a basic ultrasound training curriculum in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The program is led by a multidisciplinary team of faculty and is currently supported through a CVM education grant and contributions from Hill’s Pet Nutrition and the Iowa State SAVMA chapter.
“I am excited that funds from this professorship can be combined with other funding sources to ensure the long-term viability and success of this program while supporting teaching-related research in the area of basic ultrasound skills,” Ward said.
Ward earned her DVM degree from North Carolina State University and completed an internship at The Ohio State University before returning to North Carolina State for her cardiology residency.
“The Clark Professorship is an amazing opportunity to honor not only an incredibly generous donor, but also the previous holder of this professorship, my predecessor and mentor, Dr. Wendy Ware,” Ward said. “Dr. Ware truly blazed the trail to establish the clinical cardiology service and cardiology education at Iowa State, and I will strive to honor her legacy.”