Awards
Four UTCVM Faculty Receive National Awards in 2024
The Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award, named for the late Leo K. Bustad, DVM, PhD. This award recognizes a distinguished AVMA member veterinarian for outstanding work in preserving and protecting the human-animal bond. Dr. Zenithson Ng works tirelessly to learn more about the human-animal bond and the importance of how the human-animal bond can influence the well-being of people. He is truly deserving of this prestigious award. Dr. Ng also received the John C. New Service Award at the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association‘s Music City Conference. The award is presented to a person who promotes the well-being of people, through the interaction of people and animals. It is named after Dr. John New, a UTCVM faculty member whose visionary work helped shape the understanding of the human-animal bond.
The AVMA Clinical Research Award recognizes an AVMA member veterinarian for achievements in patient-oriented research, including the study of mechanisms of disease, therapeutic interventions, clinical trials, development of new technologies, and epidemiological studies. This award is presented to an active AVMA member who has made significant contributions to the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of diseases in animals. Dr. Karen Tobias is an internationally renowned expert in small animal soft tissue surgery and a world-leading authority on congenital vascular liver disease, focusing on canine portosystemic shunts and portovascular anomalies. Specifically, she has 21 publications related to diagnosis and treatment of portosystemic shunts.
The AVMA Lifetime Excellence in Research Award recognizes a veterinarian researcher based on achievement in basic, applied, or clinical research. Considering his total career impact on the veterinary or biomedical professions, Dr. David Anderson is a wealth of knowledge and a wonderful resource at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Anderson already has an impeccable research program and career, and yet, he continues to strive for innovation and continual research advancement. In addition, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected him to the rank of AAAS Fellow for his distinguished contributions in resident and student mentoring, as well as advancements in biomedical research and technology, especially in surgical diseases and biomaterial composites for tissue regeneration and drug delivery.
The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) has named Dr. India Lane the winner of the 2024 Billy E. Hooper Award for Distinguished Service. Lane, associate dean for academic and student affairs at UTCVM, has helped transform academic veterinary medical education not only at the college but throughout the profession. The national award recognizes an individual whose leadership and vision has made a significant contribution to academic veterinary medicine. Lane has worked to promote inclusion and place more of an emphasis on communication skills, self-care, and mental health issues within the veterinary curriculum.
The 2024 UTIA Horizon Award winner, Dr. Addie Reinhard, is the founder and CEO of MentorVet, a rapidly growing entity that leverages evidence-based approaches to empower individuals to thrive within veterinary medicine. A veterinary wellbeing researcher, her research focuses on developing and evaluating innovative interventions to support mental health and well-being within the veterinary profession, and she is on the research team for the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study. In 2021, she completed a master’s degree in Community and Leadership Development and a graduate certificate in College Teaching and Learning from the University of Kentucky, and holds a Veterinary Social Work certificate in Veterinary Human Support from the University of Tennessee.
The 2023 TVMA Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Dennis Geiser. A veterinarian who has generously contributed to the advancement of TVMA, Tennessee’s veterinary community, and the profession for at least thirty (30) years. Dr. Geiser was the Assistant Dean for Organizational Development and Outreach, he is one of the founding members of the Hyperbaric Medicine Society. He is honored for his public acceptance, civic participation, professional knowledge, and activities with fellow veterinarians.
The 2023 TVMA Outstanding Technician Award was presented to Laura Fischer. As a veterinary technician, she has shown outstanding achievement in veterinary technology. Laura is a veterinary technician in the large animal hospital at UTCVM. Laura is being honored for her excellent patient care, her willingness to take others under her wing, her adaptive teaching style, and for creating a family atmosphere with her fellow technicians and students.
Dr. Marcy Souza received the inaugural UT Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture UTIA Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes a faculty member who has made significant and sustained contributions in teaching, research, and/or extension across their UT career in support of the UT’s global vision of a world enriched by the power of ideas, made better through action, and inspired by the Volunteer spirit of service and leadership.
For 2023, UTIA is presenting its Meritorious Service Award to Dr. Robert Barry (Bob) Coley, a veterinarian and beef cattle producer from New Market, Tennessee. Coley is a 1974 graduate of the Herbert College of Agriculture and has served Tennessee agriculture in various capacities including as a large-animal veterinarian, a 4-H volunteer, and a member of the Governor’s Council on Agriculture and Forestry in 1995. He is also a member of the UT Beef and Forage Center Advisory Board and has served on the UT Animal Science Advisory Board, as an adjunct clinical instructor with the College of Veterinary Medicine and as a long-time CVM Advisory Board Associate member.
UTCVM faculty Dr. India Lane (below), professor of internal medicine and associate dean for academic and student affairs, and Dr. Misty Bailey (left), assistant professor of practice and curriculum and assessment coordinator, have been named Founding Distinguished Experts for the International Academy of Veterinary Educators (AVE).
The AVE is a nonprofit educational organization forming a community of practice that will be focused on veterinary education and working toward elevating the discipline of veterinary medical education. Lane and Bailey were chosen for their accomplishments in inspiring, connecting, guiding, and encouraging learners in their respective fields.
They join two dozen other founding members and will help refine and finalize the credentialing process for AVE. According to the AVE, “This cohort of experts was not chosen lightly,” and was established with the idea that “education is a broad topic that includes fields beyond traditional classroom or clinical instruction, but also education coordination, curriculum design, outreach, and so much more.”
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