Three Promising Researchers Named 2016 AKC Canine Health Foundation Clinician-Scientist Fellows

In an ongoing effort to foster the next generation of veterinary clinician-scientists, the AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF) is pleased to announce and congratulate the recipients of the 2016 AKC Canine Health Foundation Clinician-Scientist Fellowships:

Vincent Baldanza, VMD, is a veterinary oncology resident at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Baldanza will be working under the mentorship of Dr. Angela McCleary-Wheeler on ‘The Role of Canonical Hedgehog Signaling in Canine Osteosarcoma’.

Shirley Chu, DVM, of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine is a veterinary oncology resident and graduate student pursuing her PhD. Dr. Jeffrey Bryan serves as Dr. Chu’s mentor for her project on ‘Examination of the methylome of Golden Retriever B cell lymphoma’.

Emily Rout, DVM, is a clinical pathology resident and graduate student pursuing her PhD in the laboratory of Dr. Anne Avery at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University. She is investigating variable heavy chain polymorphisms in canine chronic lymphocytic leukemia, having recently been recognized for her work on ‘Preferential usage of a single immunoglobulin heavy chain variable gene in Boxers with chronic lymphocytic leukemia’.

According to Dr. Diane Brown, AKC Canine Health Foundation Chief Scientific Officer, “The Fellows were selected from a highly competitive field of candidates, and fellowships are awarded to a resident/graduate student who has shown promise and enthusiasm for pursuing a career in canine health research.”

Additional considerations for selection of awardees include: conducting research in line with the CHF’s mission, and conducting research that will abide by the policies of the CHF’s Humane Animal Use Policy. Preference is given to residents at institutions which have demonstrated progress and success with current and prior CHF funding.

Each fellowship includes $10,000 for research and $2,000 for presentation of research results at a national scientific meeting.

Established in 2013, the AKC Canine Health Foundation Clinician-Scientist Fellowship Program seeks to encourage and support the next generation of canine health researchers in order to sustain future advancements in canine and human health.

Visit www.akcchf.org/fellows to learn more about the 2016 Fellows and their canine health research projects.