Recognitions and Awards

• Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig, a zoological medicine resident with an aquatic focus, received a first-place award at the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine convention for her oral presentation on Doxapram increases heart rate, respiratory rate, and lactate in juvenile green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas).
• At the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum this month, Dr. Alejandra Mondino and Dr. Ann Gaier won Resident Research Abstract Awards: Dr. Mondino in the neurology category with Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Split and Crushed Levetiracetam Extended-release Tablets in Dogs, and Dr. Gaier in the nutrition category with Large Gastric Residual Volumes Do Not Increase Risk of Regurgitation, Aspiration Pneumonia in Brachycephalic Dogs.

• The Triangle Community Foundation recently presented Lydia Poisson, a Ph.D. student studying immunology in the Comparative Biomedical Sciences program, with the 2026 George H. Hitchings New Investigator Award in Health Research.
• Dr. Ana Carolyne Borges de Oliveira’s submission The Best Nest Makes for the Best Rest – Behavioral Assessment of Mouse Bedding Preference won a best poster award at the American College of Animal Welfare Short Course in June.  
• Veterinary student Rebecca (Bec) Mitchell, class of 2027, received the Whitney Joy Engler Memorial Veterinary Student Research Award at the Veterinary Behavior Symposium this month. Her project, Veterinary Assessment of Canine Pain Across Clinical Conditions, was conducted with Dr. Margaret Gruen and Dr. Rachel Caddiell through the Veterinary Scholars Program.

• Our colleagues in the CVM Research Building won the universitywide 2026 Lab Energy Challenge. The CVM Research Building had a 23.7% reduction in May, the most of any participating building on an NC State University campus. The effort is part of the university’s overall energy conservation efforts through the Sustain our Pack program.
• Dr. Ashlyn Heniff, a class of 2024 DVM graduate, was the recipient of the 2026 Outstanding American Journal of Veterinary Research Student Manuscript Award for Investigation of a point-of-care viscoelastic coagulation monitor and its comparison to thromboelastography in 9 female southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) and also honorable mention in the 2026 Outstanding AJVR Student Manuscript Award category for her manuscript Pharmacokinetics of a single dose of flunixin transdermal formulation in American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus).
• Dr. Megan Palmisano, a Ph.D. student in the lab of Dr. Rosemary Bayless, has received the Edward Bowen Career Development Award from the Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation, a leading nonprofit for horse lovers. Palmisano’s project is In Vitro Neutrophil Response in Equine Sepsis.
• Kristina Borys, a Ph.D. student in the lab of Dr. Eric Brooks, was selected to give a flash talk at the Mid-Atlantic Society for Developmental Biology meeting based on her poster about research into how the Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 (BMP2) signaling molecule controls cellular dynamics to drive cranial neural tube closure.

Research Grants

• Dr. Casey Theriot, professor of infectious diseases, and Dr. Liz Rose, clinical assistant professor, are part of a grant awarded from the Hospital for Sick Children for a project titled Gut-restricted bile acid therapeutics to treat Clostridioides difficile. 
• Dr. Josh Fletcher, assistant professor of bacterial genetics, has been awarded a pilot and feasibility grant from the Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease for a project titled Nutritional crosstalk between IBD-associated F. nucleatum and R. gnavus at the intestinal epithelial surface alters the host response.
• Dr. Ravi Kulkarni, Dr. Isabel Gimeno and Dr. Abby Armwood of the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology have received a grant from the Animal Health and Nutrition Consortium to study Advanced in ovo vaccination platform to prevent necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens. The Animal Health and Nutrition Consortium is a public–private partnership and a foundational constituent of the NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Food Animal Initiative.

• Dr. Derek Foster, Dr. Jen Halleran, Dr. Tomas Gonzalez and Dr. Blanca Comacho, a Ph.D. student in Foster’s lab, have received a Southeast Veterinary Education Consortium grant to study U.S. Spanish-speaking dairy workers’ understanding of antimicrobial stewardship and withdrawal times – a needs assessment study. Second-year veterinary student Kate Bessette is participating in the project as part of the Veterinary Scholars Program and chronicling her summer’s work here.
• Dr. Amit Sharma, associate professor of virology, has received a Research Pilot Award from the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, a partnership between NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill, to study Hijacking the round window membrane to get large therapeutics into the inner ear.
• The American College of Veterinary Radiology has awarded a grant to Dr. Richard Coates, a post-doc researcher, and Dr. Manabu Kurihara, an assistant professor of radiology, for a project titled Comparative Evaluation of Cardiac-Gated Computed Tomography and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Assessing Structure and Function of the Healthy Canine Heart.
• The Veterinary and Comparative Clinical Immunology Society has awarded a Priming Grant, which provides funding for pilot studies to establish preliminary data for larger research projects, to Dr. Megan Palmisano, a Ph.D. student, and Dr. Rosemary Bayless to study the Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) release in the postpartum period — investigation of NET release in neonatal foals and postpartum mares.

Accolades for April and May 2026

Recognitions

• Dr. Joshua Stern, associate dean for research and graduate studies, has been named the Vladimir Cader Feline Health Research Distinguished Chair at NC State. The endowment for the chair was created by Amos and Anna Cader in honor of their cat Vladimir, who died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
• Dr. Amy Stewart, assistant research professor in the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, was chosen as the VMX Equine Speaker of the Year by veterinary professionals from around the world through VMX attendee feedback. 
• Dr. Ravi Kulkarni, associate professor in the Department of Population Health and Pathology, was a featured speaker at the International Production and Processing Expo, the world’s largest annual event for the poultry, meat and animal food industry. Watch a video of his talk here. 
• Regina Schoenfeld, professor of Veterinary Education Development and director of programmatic assessment, has been accepted as a scholar in Assessment and Evaluation: Systems Thinking in Health Professions Education offered by the Harvard Macy Institute at the Harvard Medical School.
• Adam Gamble, a medical support technician, has been recognized as the staff member of the month at the NC State Veterinary Hospital. Miranda Fuller, a floating technician, was recognized in March for being “an amazing addition to our hospital and she is a wonderful addition to all of our teams.”

Grants and Awards

• The American Gastroenterological Association has awarded Dr. Michele Battle, head of the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, and Dr. Suleman Qamar of Stanford Medical Hospital a $40,000 Pilot Award for their study on Beyond a Pill: Novel Gluten-Degrading Enzyme Delivery for Celiac Disease.
• Megan Tarr, a Ph.D. student in the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill, has won a National Sciences Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program award to work with Dr. Ian Williamson, an assistant professor of organoid biology in the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences. Her project investigates fructose uptake and metabolism in the small intestine to determine the effects of overconsumption on the human body.
• Andrea Murr and Sara McBride have won awards from the Research Triangle Branch American Association for Laboratory Animal Science. Murr is the association’s Research Technician of the Year, and McBride is the Manager of the Year. 
• Molly Jones, Class of 2027, is one of five students nationwide to receive a $10,000 scholarship from the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Foundation and Merck Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program.

• Gabriella Kabakchieva, rising third-year student, has been awarded a prestigious Veterinary Student Scholar award from the Morris Animal Foundation to continue her research in Dr. Katarzyna Dembek’s lab this summer. Her project is titled Vasopressin Stimulation Test as a Novel Method for Diagnosing Relative Adrenal Insufficiency in Critically Ill Horses. 
• Dr. Megan Palmisano, currently a Ph.D. student in the lab of Dr. Rosemary Bayless at NC State, has received the 2026 Edward Bowen Career Development Award of $30,000 from the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation for her project on the function of equine neutrophils, which are essential for an appropriate response to infection. 
• Dr. Andy Moorhead, associate professor of parasitology, is part of a team that received a Stanton Foundation grant for a study titled Use of An Oral Moxidectin Product And Doxycycline in a Non-Arsenical Adulticide Protocol in the Treatment of Heartworm. Disease.
• A research team led by Dr. Liara Gonzalez, professor of Gastroenterology and Equine Surgery, and including Dr. Caroline McKinney-Aguirre and graduate student Carla Lopez Cruz has received a $20,000 grant from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons Foundation to fund a study called Identification of early biomarkers of equine intestinal ischemia using an ex vivo perfusion model.”
• The American Association of Lab Animal Science has awarded Dr. Noemi Nisini, first-year laboratory animal medicine resident, a grant for her research project titled Evaluation of Zebrafish Enrichment Compatible with Non-Standardized Tanks and Toxicology Studies. 
• The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association has awarded Dr. Ravi Kulkarni, associate professor in the Department of Population Health and Pathology, a $150,000 grant over two years to study Novel Vaccine Development Strategy to Control Infectious Coryza in Layers.
• At the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine Annual Awards Banquet for students, awards also were presented to faculty and staff members. The Class of 2026 chose Dr. Christine Shumka for the outstanding faculty award; Dr. Nicholas Wheeler, best small animal house officer; and Dr. Siena Mitman, best large animal house officer. Rachel Stern won the Phyllis Edwards Service Award, given to a CVM staff member who has supported students in an exemplary fashion, and Dr. Devorah Stowe won the Zoetis Distinguished Teaching Award as voted on by the students.

Accolades for March 2026

Recognitions

• The National Academy of Inventors has selected Dr. Mike Sano, an associate professor in our Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, as an NAI Class of 2026 Senior Member. Sano, a pioneer in using pulses of electricity to eliminate inoperable or metastatic cancer tumors, has captured 18 patents and created two university spinoff companies.
• Dr. Monique Pairis-Garcia, professor of Population Health and Pathobiology, and Dr. Xinxia Peng, a professor of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, were chosen as NC State Faculty Scholars for 2026! Scholars are nominated by individual colleges, and nominations are further reviewed by senior faculty. “Drs. Monique Pairis-Garcia and Xinxia Peng represent some of the very best of the College of Veterinary Medicine,” says Dr. Kathryn Meurs, the Randall B. Terry Jr. dean of the college. “Their work spanning animal welfare, computational biology and infectious disease demonstrates the impact our faculty have when deep expertise is paired with a commitment to improving lives.”  
• The 2026 annual meeting of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians brought lots of recognition to the faculty, students and alumni of the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Glen Almond, professor of swine health and production management, was chosen as the 2026 Outstanding Swine Academic of the Year. Almond has been teaching and mentoring at NC State for nearly four decades. Student Ginny Bass, class of 2027, won a $10,000 AASV Foundation and Merck Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship and a $1,500 AASV Student Seminar Presentation scholarship. Molly Jones also won a $10,000 scholarship and took first place in the student poster competition. Lindsey Britton, class of 2028, had the third-place poster. Two NC State alums — Dr. Jamie Madigan, class of 2021, and Dr. Jenna Scott, class of 2019 — each won a $7,500 AASVF-Zoetis Foundation Student Debt Relief Grant. And, drum roll, Dr. Elizabeth Noblett, class of 2020, was named Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year! Dr. Noblett works with Smithfield Foods based in Laurinburg, North Carolina

Grants and Awards

• Two groups of top researchers at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine have won challenge grants from the US Department of Agriculture to complete projects aimed at combating the national’s four-year-long highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. The USDA awarded $1.3 million to Dr. Gustavo Machado, associate professor of emerging and transboundary diseases, and his team — Dr. Jason Galvis and Dr.  Nicolas Cardeneas, both research scholars in epidemiology in the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, and Dr. Chi-An Yeh, an expert in fluid mechanics and professor in the NC State College of Engineering — to investigate the main ways avian flu spreads at the farm and barn levels. Drs. Ravi Kulkarni, Rocio Crespo and Isabel Gimeno — all part of the veterinary college’s poultry health management group — received a $799,999 sub grant to test vaccine-based control strategies. 
• Dr. Danielle Mzyk, field service clinical veterinarian in the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, is the recipient of the 2025 Dr. W. Bruce Wren Food Animal Incentive Award for furthering food animal clinical practice and research! The award is given by the Viticus Group, whose goal is to help veterinary graduates maintain their interest in food animal clinical practice or other related careers.
• Dr. Phil Carter, a professor emeritus in the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, has won the Outstanding Delegate Service Award from the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International for 2025.