The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) held its annual Clinical Investigator’s Day April 1, returning after an 18-month-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 18 interns and residents presented their work at the event, which gives Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA) trainees the chance to showcase their research while also honing their written and oral presentation skills. Their presentations ran the gamut of topics, from treatments for brain parasites in zebrafish, to the development of novel 3D-printed surgical tools.

Sabine Mann Ph.D.'16, assistant professor of ambulatory and production medicine, gave a keynote talk on the effect of nutrient supply on dairy cattle physiology. “I’m honored to start today with this talk,” Mann said to the audience of trainees. “I was once in your shoes — it was the first-ever formal presentation I gave to people, and it was slightly terrifying. But, in the end, the feedback that I got from it was very helpful.”

Along with the other attendees, faculty judges Drs. Julia Felippe, Ph.D. '02, , Toby Pinn-Woodcock, Scott Coonrod and Kevin Cummings, D.V.M. ’96, listened to each presentation, and recognized the following awardees:

• Best Overall Presentation: Dr. Molly Bechtold, small animal medicine resident, for: “a Pilot Study to Evaluate the Diagnostic Accuracy of Mainstream Versus Sidestream Capnography in Detecting Airway Intubation of Small-bore Styleted Nasoenteric Feeding Tubes.”
• Best Scientific Content: Ella Pittman, D.V.M. ’18, anesthesiology and pain management resident, for: “Evaluation of the Effects of a 1:1 Inspiratory: Expiratory Ratio in Anesthetized and Ventilated Horses.”

• Best Presentation Style: Dr. Shotaro Nakagun, anatomic pathology resident, for: “Characterizing Clinicopathologic Features of Emerging Skunk Adenovirus 1 in North American Porcupines (Erethizon Dorsatum).”

• Best Research Proposal: Cheyenne Cannarozzo, D.V.M. ’20, anesthesiology and pain management resident, for: “Determination of the Minimum Effective Concentration of Epidural Ropivacaine with Buprenorphine and Evaluation of Recovery Quality in Dogs Undergoing Ovariohysterectomy.”

After the awards were presented to the recipients, Lorin D. Warnick, D.V.M., Ph.D. ’94, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine, closed the event with some parting thoughts, noting that the event made him nostalgic of his own days as a CUHA resident. “It was a research project during my own residency in ambulatory and production medicine that helped spark my interest in research and academia,” Warnick said. “The research that's being done by our residents with their faculty mentors is very impactful and it's great to see the breadth of work being done in the college.”

Written by Lauren Cahoon Roberts