On Saturday, May 16, the School of Veterinary Medicine held its semiannual awards ceremony, welcoming students across all terms to a virtual event celebrating the highest-achieving veterinary students and faculty members.
The ceremony has long been a customary sendoff of sorts for Term 6 students, a final farewell before they advance to their fourth-year clinical studies. However, with students participating in distance education curriculum as a result of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the SVM held the ceremony online.
“We are so proud of the strides that these students have made toward their careers and the way they have responded to challenges that have arisen,” said Dr. Neil Olson, dean of the SVM. “It was only right that we came together to acknowledge their achievements and wish them the best of luck as they enter their clinical year.”
To honor the exiting class, Dr. Olson, Dr. Anne Marie Corrigan, associate dean of academics and professor; Dr. Tara Paterson, associate professor and president of the school’s alumni association; and Dr. Inga Karasek, assistant professor, addressed the online crowd, which averaged about 150 attendees. In addition to a wide range of traditional awards acknowledging the best students in all classes, student organizations were welcome to nominate one outstanding sixth-term student for an award.
“Term 6 is really an important time for faculty and students,” said Dr. Paterson, a 2003 SGU graduate herself. “It’s always a little sad because we form these strong connections with our students, but at the same time, it’s exciting to see them move on. They’re one step closer to becoming a veterinarian.”
In addition, the SVM acknowledged two retiring faculty members—Drs. Diana Stone and Ulrike Zieger—with SVM Recognition of Service Awards. Dr. Stone has been a professor in the Department of Pathobiology since 2006, with a stint as its chair from 2014-2017, while Dr. Zieger has served the Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology in several capacities since 2000, including most recently as a professor of veterinary physiology and coordinator of the DVM/MSc Wildlife Conservation Medicine program.
They, like all SVM faculty members, have formed a strong bond with each class of students who calls Grenada home for the first three years of study, a bond that lasts into their time as practicing veterinarians.
“One of the advantages of being at SGU that we have a relatively small faculty, and it’s a very family-oriented type of feel when you’re a member of the vet school,” Dr. Paterson said. “It’s a tight-knit community. The students obviously make very close connections with each other, and they also make connections with the faculty.
“Term 6 is exciting and terrifying at the same time,” she continued. “They’ve finally finished their three years of studies in Grenada and are moving on to their clinical year. For a faculty member, it’s almost like a mama bird watching a baby bird fly away from the nest.”
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180 students graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine on Saturday, June 6.
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The Class of 2020 joins a network of more than 1,800 veterinarians who have earned their degree at St. George’s University
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The PAWS Team
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Outstanding Colleague Awards: Term 1 – Perry Jacob
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Outstanding Colleague Awards: Term 2 – Ireny Barsoum
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Outstanding Colleague Awards: Term 4 – Maria Coppola
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Outstanding Colleague Awards: Term 5 – Jennifer Kirk
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Zoetis Revolution Awards: Small Animal Surgery – Kelsey Atamanchuk
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Zoetis Revolution Awards: Small Animal Internal Medicine – Teresa Monroe
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Zoetis Revolution Awards: Student Research – Arielle Bierman
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Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative: WVLDI Warrior – Kaylene Passione
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Feral Cat Project: Most Valuable Trapper – Erin Pedone
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SGA: SGU SVM Outstanding Staff – Liz Peach
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SGU SVM Outstanding Faculty: Dr. Arno Werners (Terms 1-3) and Dr. Talia Guttin (Terms 4-6)
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SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE SPRING 2020 AWARDS
Outstanding Colleague Awards
Term 1: Perry Jacobs
Term 2: Ireny Barsoum
Term 3: Adriana Kalaska
Term 4: Maria Coppola
Term 5: Jennifer Kirk
Term 6: Carley Jones, Jaclyn Gremley
Adrienne Lotton Memorial Award: Carley Jones
Zoetis Revolution Awards
Small Animal Internal Medicine: Teresa Munro
Small Animal Surgery: Kelsey Atamanchuk
Equine Medicine: Kari Schultz
Large Animal Internal Medicine: Tiffany McElroy
Scholarship of Service: Carley Jones
Student Research: Arielle Bierman
SVM Alumni Scholarship award: Brittnee Frizzol
SVM Alumni Award: Michael Gonzales
GPGH Hercules Award: Marissa Turner
PAWS Recognition – 6th Term Facilitators
Kailah Buchanan, Collin Hummel, Sibel Catto, Amanda James, AJ Fruges, Cate Wadman, Maria Barandica, Carley Jones, Kelly Larabee
SCAVMA: Student Chapter of the AVMA
SAVMA Award: Carley Jones, Sloane Hoffman, Ashley Schimshock
Feral Cat Project
Most Valuable Trapper: Erin Pedone
Veterinary Public Health Committee
One Health One Medicine Community Leader Award: Mariana Reyes
SGUSVM Large Animal Society
Most Valuable LAS Member: Katie Murray
IVSA: International Veterinary Student Association
Officer Extraordinaire: Kayla Mochizuki
SVM Wellness Committee
Wellness MVP Award: Rebekah DesMarteau, Alexis Garbarino
SCACVIM: Student Chapter of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Internal Medicine MVP Award: Jaclyn Turturro
SVECCS: Student Chapter of the Emergency and Critical Care Society
Outstanding 6th Termer: Marissa Turner
SCASV: Student Chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians
Shelter Scholar: Lauren Kiebler
SCACVP: Student Chapter of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists
The MVP (Most Valuable Pathologist): Maria Barahona
EWS: Exotics and Wildlife Society
Most Valuable Primate Award: Kaitlynn Samborsky
WVLDI: Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative
WVLDI Warrior: Kaylene Passione
VBMA: Veterinary Business Management Association
Impact Award: Rachel Painter
Green Consortium
Green Medal Award: Deborah Murphy
SGA: Student Government Association
George B. Daniel Award: Jaclyn Gremley
SGU SVM Outstanding Faculty Term 1-3: Dr. Arno Werners
SGU SVM Outstanding Faculty Term 4-6: Dr. Talia Guttin
SGU SVM Outstanding Staff: Elizabeth Peach
Diana Stone Public Health Award: May Yu Wang
SGUSVM Recognition of Service
Diana Stone, Ulrike Zieger