Annual Research Day Showcases Research Happening Throughout Campus and Abroad

One day a year, student and resident researchers at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University gather together to present their work to fellow students and faculty. On September 6, more than 50 research posters were on display at the 35^th Annual Veterinary Research Day, offering the community a glimpse of all the groundbreaking veterinary research happening at Cummings School.

“We host research day to highlight the breadth of research being undertaken across our campus that ranges from basic laboratory work to clinical studies, as well as international research,” said Dr. Cheryl London, associate dean for Research and Graduate Education, Anne Engen and Dusty Professor in Comparative Oncology, and professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Cummings School. “It also provides a mechanism for the D.V.M. students who participated in the Summer Research Program to showcase their work. Ultimately, it is hoped that the annual research day will catalyze increased interest in alternative career paths for D.V.M. students and provide an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to see what the community is doing…really a day for connection and collaboration.”

Thirty-seven D.V.M. candidates, 12 graduate students, including two in the Master of Science program, and eight house officers and postdoctoral fellows presented their research, all conducted under the mentorship of Cummings School faculty. This year marks the largest class yet of Ph.D. students at Cummings School. Much of the research happened over the summer by D.V.M. students in the Summer Research Program. Through a collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cummings School students also have the opportunity to research at MIT. Alternatively, MIT students participate in the Summer Research Program. MIT co-sponsors Cummings School’s Annual Research Day.

Throughout the morning, the student researchers presented their posters to the Cummings School community—56 posters were on display at the Equine Sports Medicine Complex. After lunch, activities moved to the Agnes Varis Auditorium for the awards ceremony. 

Last year’s Junior Faculty Research Award recipient, Dr. Ian DeStefano, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences, delivered the keynote speech, “Bugs and Drugs—My Clinical Research Journey.” He discussed his own career journey, from his initial interest in wildlife medicine to landing in critical care in private practice, and later at Cummings School for his residency and eventually joining the faculty. He became especially interested in infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and the concept of stewardship among clinicians. He began researching the overuse of certain medications in veterinary medicine that can lead to drug resistance in veterinary patients, mitigating the effectiveness of the drug and potentially causing adverse effects over time. Collaborating with Cummings School colleagues and infectious disease physicians and pharmacists at Tufts Medical Center, Dr. DeStefano continued to help develop antimicrobial stewardship and infection control efforts at Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals. Dr. DeStefano and Dr. Claire Fellman partnered with the University of Minnesota and The Ohio State University to develop an inaugural stewardship workshop, funded by the Clinical and Translational Science Award One Health Alliance (COHA). This meeting took place in Minneapolis last summer and helped organize stewardship efforts in U.S. veterinary schools, bringing together professionals from veterinary hospitals, industry, and government. 

“I was honored to be considered for the Junior Faculty Research Award,” said Dr. DeStefano. “I received word that I was being given the award while in the airport in Minneapolis returning home from our stewardship workshop last summer, and I was already feeling great about where my research career was going. Being awarded was just the icing on the cake that day—I felt very appreciated.”

After Dr. DeStefano’s keynote speech, Dr. London spoke to the audience about the Summer Research Program. The purpose of the program is to expose veterinary students to research training and opportunities in the field and to facilitate connections between students and mentors. Cummings School runs a joint Program with the Division of Comparative Medicine at MIT, and together, 35-40 students have an opportunity to experience research supported by a joint training grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Topics of study include laboratory-based work, clinical and translational investigations, conservation medicine, and international studies. After completing the program, students can present their work at the National Veterinary Scholars Symposium (NVSS); this year NVSS was held in St. Paul, Minnesota in August, and 23 students across both Cummings and MIT attended, a record number. The program culminates in Cummings School’s Annual Research Day where students who participated in summer research, as well as graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and house officers, have an opportunity to showcase their work. This year awards were given for work spanning the analysis of pneumothorax in pet dogs to the evaluation of the microbiome in mouse models. 

Dr. London then announced the top researchers selected by faculty judges and presented them with awards for the various categories of research.

Clinical and Translational Research:
With 16 posters in this category, two student researchers were selected. Christian Lugo V26, mentored by Dr. Elizabeth Rozanski, was recognized for his research: “Is There a Role for Computed Tomography in Canine Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax?” Kelsey Murphy V27, under the mentorship of Dr. Heather Gardner, was also chosen for her research on “Leveraging Circulation Transcriptional Markers to Identify Early Signatures of Metastasis in Canine Osteosarcoma.”

“Having the opportunity to do research at Cummings School has been a blessing,” said Christian. “I feel proud and happy knowing that this research project will contribute to advancements in the medical field and further expand our understanding of diagnostic imaging in the clinical setting. Dr Rozanski has been an amazing mentor. I learned so much on the subject of spontaneous pneumothorax working with her. This experience has motivated me to continue on this journey to becoming a veterinarian.”  

Kelsey shared her experiences in the Summer Research Program in this story. Her mentor, Dr. Gardner, expressed the benefit for students in presenting their research on Cummings Annual Research Day: “Communication is so important regardless of what niche in veterinary medicine one decides to pursue—whether in a clinic or research sector or anywhere in between. Learning to communicate research and building foundational skills will be critical to students’ future stages of their careers.”

International/Conservation Medicine Research:
Kiran Sarvepalli V27 received the award for his poster, “Detection of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) in FFPE Samples from Neotropical Primates,” among 10 participants in this category. Kiran talks about his journey in the Summer Research Program in this story.

Dr. Amanda Martinot mentored Kiran and also worked closely throughout the summer with Dr. Marieke Rosenbaum, who offered her perspective on the day’s events: “Veterinary Research Day is a great way to share broadly the work that our students and faculty are engaged in and helps to establish this idea that research, asking questions, and sharing findings is really important to the broader community.”

Basic Research:
Among a field of 14 projects in Basic Research, Lucille Pellegrino V27 was honored with the award for her poster, “The Effect of the Vendor Specific Gut Microbiome on Tumor Development,” mentored by Dr. Kumari Andarawewa.

Graduate Student Research:
Under the mentorship of Dr. Elizabeth Byrnes, Chantal Aaron was recognized for her research on “Age- and Sex-Specific Effects of Oxycodone Self-Administration during Gestation on Offspring Reward Motivation.” Ten posters were presented in this category.

House Officers/Postdoctoral Fellows Research:
Resident Dr. Katilee Jacobs, mentored by Drs. Carrie Wood and Heather Gardner, was honored in this category for her research on “Optimizing Low-Volume Blood Biopsy in Feline Cancer,” among a field of eight researchers.

2024 Junior Faculty Research Award Winner:
Dr. Cornelia Peterson, assistant professor of anatomic pathology in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology at Cummings School, received the Junior Faculty Research Award, which recognizes her research contributions and the potential for her work to continue having a significant impact..

“Dr. Peterson was chosen as this year’s Junior Faculty Award winner as she has begun to establish her expertise in the realm of comparative ophthalmology by working across species to better understand the molecular and genetic drivers of conditions that affect the meibomian glands, among other ocular structures. She also recently received a K01 Training Grant from the NIH,” said Dr. London.  

Dr. Peterson researches the role of specific genes and their potential to cause cancer when uninhibited or overexpressed by developing tumors in the glands of eyelids. While not common, these glands in humans can form aggressive cancerous tumors that tend to metastasize and can be fatal. She explained, “Ultimately, identification of the molecular and genetic drivers of these tumors may serve to develop targeted precision therapies aimed at reducing the need for aggressive surgical resections and improving survival.”

She mentored two veterinary students, Isabella Boyack V27 and Xiaochen (Sean) Yuan V26 in the Summer Research Program. They presented posters of their work at Cummings Annual Research Day, and Isabella also participated in the National Veterinary Scholars Symposium in August.

“I am very appreciative of this recognition of my efforts to establish my own research program here at Tufts, and I am incredibly grateful to all the mentors that have facilitated my achievements to date,” said Dr. Peterson. 

Dr. London closed out the ceremony by congratulating all of the students and faculty on their research accomplishments.