Maggie Cronk’s passion for bovine veterinary medicine began growing up on a small dairy farm in west central Minnesota.
A summer internship opportunity in the College of Veterinary Medicine has reinforced that passion for the third-year veterinary medicine student.
This summer Cronk has participated in the college’s Bovine Veterinary Internship Program (BVIP). BVIP offers veterinary students the chance to collaborate with leading veterinarians in the bovine veterinary medicine industry. Students, including Cronk, not only learn the principles of beef and dairy herd health and management but also design and execute bovine field trials.
Cronk’s internship this summer was through Boehringer Ingelheim and was supervised by Dr. Pat Gorden, professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine. During the internship, she enrolled cows as they qualified for a mastitis research trial.
Mastitis is a common and costly mammary gland inflammation in dairy cows, often caused by bacterial infections. It leads to reduced milk production, potential milk contamination and can negatively impact a cow’s health and welfare.
“My responsibilities included going to the ISU Dairy Teaching Farm to examine new mastitis cases identified by the staff to determine if enrollment criteria were met and then collecting samples and data for each cow enrolled,” Cronk said.
Cronk assisted Gorden and the dairy research team on other trials. She also went on service calls conducted by Veterinary Field Services.
“The internship provided me with a great opportunity to learn and improve upon several clinical skills that I will utilize as a practicing veterinarian,” Cronk said. “The opportunity to work with such brilliant clinicians and great teachers was amazing.
“While some days have been long, I’ve genuinely enjoyed my experience and have learned so much. It’s been very valuable to take everything I’ve learned in the classroom and make meaningful connections – like assembling the pieces of a puzzle.”
And more than anything, the internship has reinforced Cronk’s passion for bovine veterinary medicine.
“I’m passionate about helping farmers keep their animals healthy and finding solutions to the challenges they face,” she said. “Working through different cases and complex problems has reinforced my belief that veterinarians play a vital role beyond just emergency care.
“Veterinarians are essential partners working towards long-term animal health and farm success.”
August 2025
