On October 7, the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine announced that it would be creating a new fellowship to honor Dr. Steven Arnoczky. The announcement came during the College’s 26th Annual Phi Zeta Research Day, at which Dr. Arnoczky was the keynote speaker. Dr. Vilma Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan, associate dean for Research and Graduate Studies, said that the fellowship will serve as a lasting recognition for Dr. Arnoczky’s contributions to veterinary and human medicine.

“The Office of Research and Graduate Studies, along with the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, felt that a fellowship was a most fitting way to honor Dr. Arnoczky and inspire the next generation of veterinarians,” said Dr. Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan. “We want our students to consider careers in research, and we want to prompt them to consider the implications of their research across species.”

The fellowship will be awarded to one student participating in the College’s Summer Research Program each year beginning in 2017. The student must express a long-term research vision, and their work must be translational, as Dr. Arnoczky’s has been.

“I am honored by this recognition,” Dr. Arnoczky said. “I hope that this fellowship will encourage students to think about the ways in which their work as veterinarians can impact humans as well as animals.”

Dr. Arnoczky is currently the director of the Laboratory for Comparative Orthopaedic Research at MSU and the Wade O. Brinker Endowed Professor of Surgery in the College of Veterinary Medicine. He also holds appointments in the College of Human Medicine and the College of Osteopathic Medicine at MSU. He will be retiring at the end of 2016.

Dr. Arnoczky has published 195 scientific articles, 154 scientific abstracts, and 77 book chapters. He has co-edited three books on basic science topics related to sports medicine, and has given more than 850 invited research lectures around the world. 

“Sometimes when we talk to students, we use the literature and Nobel prize winners as examples of greatness,” said Dr. Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan. “But we have great scientists among us. By keeping Dr. Arnoczky’s accomplishments in focus with this fellowship, we can show our students that greatness is tangible. These accomplishments are possible for all of our students, and we hope to inspire them with this fellowship.”