A Look Back at 2023
As 2023 comes to an end, here’s a look back at what happened last year in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
January
Gov. Kim Reynolds on Jan. 17 announced $40 million in funding for Phase 2 of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL). The $40 million state investment in Phase 2 is available from funds directed to Iowa in the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the U.S. Congress’ third major pandemic recovery package.
February
Stella, a two-year-old cat from the Animal Rescue of Carroll, was patient number 4,000 in the Community Outreach Program. Third-year students Amanda Stuart, Sara Crim and Melissa Svoboda were Stella’s surgical team.
March
The College of Veterinary Medicine hosted a Mock Site Visit for the AVMA-COE accreditation process in March. Dr. Emma Read, associate dean for the professional programs at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Susan Tornquist, dean of the Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine, were member of the site visit team and met with faculty, staff and students while touring the College facilities.
April
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) established a new annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion honor, the Frederick Douglass Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award, named after the trailblazing veterinarian, academic administrator and 1923 graduate of Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
May
The College of Veterinary Medicine moved up in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings of veterinary colleges. The 2023 rankings, which are updated every three years, lists Iowa State as 11th of out 33 veterinary schools that were ranked. In the last rankings, CVM came in at 14th overall.
June
One hundred years after his graduation from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson’s name has been bestowed upon the college’s main academic building. “Dr. Patterson is one of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Iowa State University’s most influential and celebrated alumni,” said Dr. Dan Grooms, the Dr. Stephen G. Juelsgaard Dena of Veterinary Medicine. “He was a champion for human rights, equality, and opportunity during his lifetime.”
July
The College of Veterinary Medicine hosted an alumni reception during the AVMA Convention in Denver.
August
Many Ukrainian farmers are raising hogs for the first time and Dr. Justin Brown, assistant teaching professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, helped those farmers safely navigate the war-driven pivot to pork with a series of online workshops that covered the basics of biosecurity along with disease identification, treatment and prevention.
September
Dr. Dan Grooms, the Dr. Stephen G. Juelsgaard Dean of Veterinary Medicine, has been appointed to a second five-year term. Since he began his tenure as dean in 2018, Grooms has significantly grown the college’s revenue, including a 50% increase in research funding, doubling private funding for student scholarships, and securing financial support for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the VDL.
October
Naming ceremonies were held for Frederick Douglass Patterson Hall. The naming culminated the College of Veterinary Medicine’s yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of Patterson’s graduation from the DVM program.
A joint program between the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Animal Science has been established with the goal of educating more veterinarians who wish to practice production animal medicine. Production Animal – Veterinary Early Acceptance Program will recruit and retain future veterinarians to practice production animal medicine primarily in underserved areas in Iowa and throughout the United States.
November
Five graduates were recognized by the College of Veterinary Medicine with alumni awards.
December
The Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital is exploring Phase 2 of the Pet Cancer Clinic, expanding oncology treatment options for dog and cat owners.