Standing (left to right): Debosree Pathak, Stephanie Vivies, Rebekah Spainhour, Andrea Popken, Brandy Lawrence, Nicole Koons, Bailey Hendrickson, William Womble, Lydia Chang and Rachel Maranville. Sitting (left to right): Michelle Ientile, Cara Croft, Marisa Litherland, and Haley Hahn. Also participating but not pictured were Laura Edwards and Avery Melton, who conducted their research in India.

Veterinary students participate in Summer Research Program

Friday, August 9, 2019

Sixteen veterinary students participated in Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences’ Summer Research Training Program. Designed to identify talented and highly motivated veterinary students interested in exploring a career in veterinary research, the program provides them with an outstanding biomedical research experience.

The 12-week summer program gives first and second year veterinary students the opportunity to conduct a mentored research project. Mentors guide students through all aspects of a research project including experimental design, methodology, data collection and analysis, and drawing conclusions. Students also receive specific instruction on a number of research-related topics, present the results of their research at the center, and have the opportunity to travel and present their research at a national research meeting.

This year’s participants, mentors and research topics are:

Lydia Chang (’22) mentored by Dr. Mason Reichard – Molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii in North American river otters (Lontra Canadensis) from Michigan
Cara Croft (’22) mentored by Drs. Todd Holbrook and Megan Williams – Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic evaluation of a cannabidiol supplement in lame horses
Laura Edwards (’21) mentored by Dr. Madhan Subramanian – Vagal nerve stimulation attenuates central inflammation in a rat model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Haley Hahn (’22) mentored by Drs. Joao Brandao and Bruce Noden – Ectoparasites crawling on a host near you: A case series of ectoparasites in Central Oklahoma
Bailey Hendrickson (’22) mentored by Dr. Clint Jones – Stress-induced activation of herpes simplex virus 1 promoters
Michelle Ientile (’22) mentored by Dr. Todd Holbrook – In vitro effect of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 on hemostasis in horses
Nicole Koons (’22) mentored by Drs. Kathryn Duncan and Yoko Nagamori – Prevalence of intestinal parasites in canine fecal samples from dog parks in North Central Oklahoma
Brandy Lawrence (’22) mentored by Dr. Rheal Towner – Effect of OKN-007 on long-term neuroinflammation in a rat model
Marisa Litherland (’22) mentored by Drs. Yoko Nagamori and Akhilesh Ramachandran – Survey of zoonotic parasites and bacteria in feces of Canada geese (Branta Canadensis) in North Central Oklahoma
Rachel Maranville (’21) mentored by Drs. Nicola Di Girolamo and Joao Brandao – Effects of prokinetic and orexigenic drugs on selected gastrointestinal physiological parameters in rabbits
Avery Melton (’22) mentored by Dr. Madhan Subramanian – Vagal nerve stimulation attenuates central inflammation in a rat model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Debosree Pathak (’22) mentored by Dr. Joao Brandao – Effects of injectable analgesics on selected gastrointestinal physiological parameters in rabbits
Andrea Popken (’21) mentored by Dr. Michael Davis – Effect of hyperthermia and acidosis on equine skeletal mitochondrial function
Rebekah Spainhour (’22) mentored by Dr. Craig Miller – A novel multiplex immunoassay to detect acute cytauxzoonosis in domestic cats
Stephanie Vivies (’22) mentored by Dr. Veronique Lacombe – Novel mechanisms regulating glucose transport in the lung of influenza-infected and non-infected diabetic mice
William Womble (’21) mentored by Drs. Andrew Hanzlicek and Joao Brandao – Effects of resting temperature and sodium citrate on dynamic viscoelastic coagulometry in New Zealand white rabbits

Special thanks to this year’s sponsors who make this remarkable learning experience possible for OSU’s veterinary students: Boehringer Ingelheim, PetSmart Charities and the veterinary center’s Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Office of the Dean and Office of Research and Graduate Education.

If you would like to read more about these research projects, the summer scholar program posters can be viewed at Summer Research Training Posters 2019.

MEDIA CONTACT: Taylor Bacon | Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator | 405-744-6728 | taylor.bacon@okstate.edu