Dame Receives McElroy Award

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

The Dean Clarence H. McElroy Award is the highest honor an OSU veterinary student can achieve. Named after the first dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, the award is voted on by fourth year classmates and clinical faculty. The 2020 recipient is Dr. Josiah Dame of Shawnee, Oklahoma.

“When they announced my name for the Dean Clarence McElroy Award, I was really shocked,” said Dame. “I didn’t really know what to think. I am really honored and thankful. Winning this award means a lot to me. I know the legacy that it comes with – all the veterinarians that have won it before me. I just hope to live up to that legacy.”

Dame decided he wanted to become a veterinarian while working at the Oklahoma City Zoo as a junior curator.

“Veterinarians that inspired me to pursue veterinary medicine include Dr. Jennifer D’Agostino and Dr. Gretchen Cole at the Oklahoma City Zoo, which is where I was first introduced to veterinary medicine. After that I started working at a small animal practice in Shawnee with Dr. Natalie Keith (OSU CVM ’10) and Dr. Tracy Trussell (OSU CVM ’04). They both inspired me to keep continuing and pushing towards my degree.”

Dame attended Oklahoma State University for his undergraduate degree and fell in love with OSU, the traditions and the campus. It also had the benefit of being very close to home, which was important to him.

“My favorite memory from veterinary college probably wasn’t a favorite memory at the time—sitting in Old Phys and studying for hours on end. The benefit of that was my classmates were always around. We got to build a community that way. We were studying together, laughing together. I have a lot of great memories in Old Phys. My biggest challenge during veterinary school was probably finding time for myself. It’s easy to get wrapped up in school and forget to have fun at the same time. The advice I would offer someone considering a degree in veterinary medicine would be to persevere. Push through those hard classes in undergrad and push through the hard times that you will come to in vet school. It’s all worth it in the end. It will pay off.”

Following graduation, Dr. Dame moved to Dallas, Texas, where he is working in a small animal general practice at City Vet, their White Rock location.

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