College of Veterinary Medicine

Second year veterinary student Sarah Husseini will be attending this year’s ACVB-AVSAB Veterinary Behavior Symposium in San Diego this August. She will also be presenting her paper, Effects of Pre-adoption Counseling for Owners on Separation Anxiety in Shelter Dogs, won second place among student submissions for the symposium. Dr. Meghan Herron, clinical assistant professor in Behavioral Medicine, and Dr. Linda Lord, associate professor and associate dean for Student Affairs, advised Husseini on her research, which she conducted at the Franklin County Dog Shelter this past summer.

The Companion Animal Listening Line (CALL) at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine was one of the first pet loss support lines offered in the country. The service offered counseling to people who were grieving the loss of a pet and provided training to veterinary students who wanted to learn more about communication with clients during difficult times in their lives. Improved communication classes are now a required part of the DVM curriculum in the college. As a result, fewer students are taking the class.

The 5^th Annual “Pink Week” will take place in the College of Veterinary from Monday, May 14 to Friday, May 18, 2012. Since 2008, “Pink Week” has recognized breast cancer awareness and fundraising through a series of events planned for the week prior to the Komen Columbus Race for the Cure. Once again, the steering committee has planned bake sales, raffles, and other activities to raise money for Komen. In addition, guest speakers – from survivors to oncologists - will be at the college throughout the week discussing breast cancer from different perspectives.

Congratulations to Dr. Yasuko Rikihisa, professor in the Department of Veterinary Biosciences, who has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. This is one of the highest honors bestowed upon a U.S. scientist and is a reflection of Dr. Rikihisa’s outstanding research career.