Auburn Onward

Fall is a great time to be on the Auburn University campus. The enthusiasm created by fall classes and football season complement a full calendar of events in the College of Veterinary Medicine. We hope that you are planning to join us from Oct. 18-21 for the 111th Annual Conference and the J.T. Vaughan Equine Conference. I believe that you will be very pleased by the program and many unique opportunities to engage with colleagues, alumni, and current students. The Annual Conference Committee has done an amazing job in reinvigorating this annual tradition for the veterinary community and for the Auburn veterinary family.

Annual Conference is only one of many exciting activities in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Last week, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions spent two hours in the Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital meeting with the college’s leadership team to discuss the Canine Performance Sciences program and its value to national security initiatives. During those meetings, Sessions emphasized that Auburn’s program was the preeminent canine detection program in the country—prestigious recognition from the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.

The college’s research programs are diverse and multidisciplinary. This issue of Auburn Veterinarian highlights an ambitious NIH-funded cancer research initiative led by Dr. Renee Chambers (DVM/MD), an Auburn veterinarian (’86) and human neurosurgeon at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

In cooperation with two other colleges of veterinary medicine, Auburn’s canine glioma patients will be offered the opportunity to enroll in a clinical trial using a tumor-killing genetically modified virus. This innovative treatment will target aggressive types of brain cancer, similarto the one that recently claimed the life of Senator John McCain. This is a classic example of One Health research, which bridges the disciplines of human medicine and veterinary medicine.

We continue to elevate Auburn’s stature as a national leader in cancer research and clinical oncology through our faculty’s growing recognition, and the college’s investment in next-generation imaging and radiation oncology facilities. Such advances would not have been possible without the truly generous support of alumni, grateful clients, and friends of Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

In recognition of the tremendous impact of our donors, the college will host a grand event on Friday evening, Oct. 19, 2018 to culminate the Because This is Auburn campaign. We look forward to celebrating the campaign’s resounding success in placing the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in a position to inspire students, innovate in every aspect of our mission, and transform society through excellence in veterinary medicine.

Dean Calvin Johnson '86