A Drive Inside
By Allison Hammerly
By Allison Hammerly
When the plane touched down in Las Vegas, many of its passengers headed for the seemingly innumerable casinos that dot the Vegas Strip. Tori Burzynski, a member of the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s DVM Class of 2022, had another objective.
Burzynski’s externship at the Craig Road Animal Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada would soon begin. It would prove to be an overwhelmingly positive clinical experience for her.
“It has been my absolute favorite so far,” she says, “because of the connections I made with some of the doctors. They all taught me so much, and how to trust myself!”
Burzynski says one of the most beneficial chapters of her veterinary school journey has been her soft tissue surgery rotation at the MSU Veterinary Medical Center. “There are a lot of moving parts, so it can be overwhelming,” she says. “Personally, I thrive in an environment like that, especially when you have the good mentorship, leadership, and communication like I have had from one of our MSU surgeons, Dr. Maureen Jay. I could not have asked for a better set of rotation-mates, either. Working with them at the MSU Veterinary Medical Center helped prepare me for my Vegas externship. Everyone is so supportive and knows how to make you laugh when you need it the most.”
Burzynski earned her bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University. Like many veterinary students, she was not accepted to vet school right away. During her gap year, she worked as a veterinary assistant at a small animal practice near her parents’ house, and took two science courses to earn grades that would strengthen her application. She was invited for an interview the second time she applied to MSU, and was accepted a week later.
Legend has it that Burzynski has wanted to be a veterinarian since she proudly announced her dreams during preschool show-and-tell. That’s according to her mother.
“I don’t know how true that is,” Burzynski jokes. “What preschooler knows what a veterinarian is? But in actuality, I had this drive inside me to pursue this career and help animals.”
Today, that drive takes the form of a special interest in surgery, neurology, and dentistry. “I’m planning to work in a small animal general practice hospital,” she says. “In the future, I am thinking of possibly becoming a partner in a practice.”
Her future in the field is not far off, as Burzynski is now a fourth-year DVM student. Looking back at her years at the College, she advises other aspiring veterinarians to work through challenges in a healthy way by reaching out to others. She recently signed a contract to become a full-time veterinarian at a Michigan veterinary hospital upon graduation.
“Imposter syndrome is so real,” she says. “But it helps to just talk to someone in your class, or even upperclassmen, about how you are feeling. I promise you, they are either feeling that way too, or have felt that way since being in veterinary school.”
By Allison Hammerly
One of the best moves for a new student is to get involved in their program—in any way possible. Take it from someone who knows. Lauren Talley-Woychowski is a second-year Veterinary Nursing student at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. Her resumé of College activities is impressive: she’s a member of the Student Chapter of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America, participates in the Pages and Pixels book and movie discussion group, served on the planning committee to help students return to in-person learning in spring 2021, serves on the academic integrity hearing board, joined the new Veterinary Wellness Initiative at the College, and is a student representative on the College’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Even her Mastiff, Coal, is part of the community as a donor in the MSU Veterinary Medical Center’s Canine Blood Donor Program.
“All students should be heard,” Talley-Woychowski says. “Having been in college already, I know how important it is to get involved on campus and establish yourself in your community. In many ways, it helps you later reach out for recommendations and with expressing your voice overall.”
Like she says, Talley-Woychowski came to MSU’s Veterinary Nursing Program with education under her belt already. In 2007, she graduated from Oakland University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. “I worked for a few years and then changed directions. I entered the veterinary field in 2013, following my childhood dream of working with animals,” she says. “I fell in love with the science and medical part, as well as advocating for the patient.”
Not long after, starting a family altered her career path.
“I was very ill throughout my pregnancy. I was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, which affects less than 2 percent of women,” she explains. “I was forced to resign from my veterinary position in early 2015.” Following the birth of her son, Talley-Woychowski was a stay-at-home parent for a few years. But she held tight to her veterinary dream. In 2019, she learned that with her previous degree, she only needed a single prerequisite math class to apply for the MSU Veterinary Nursing Program.
“I quickly made the decision,” she says. “Now was my time. My son would start full-time school in the fall, and I could, too.”
Returning to school presented many challenges to be overcome. Talley-Woychowski juggled the hats of being a full-time single parent while being a full-time student, and she also was undergoing a difficult divorce as she set her sights on learning. She had been out of the educational world for 13 years at that point, but she adjusted to the changes. "I knew technology, and college itself, had changed, and I had catching up to do. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and my classes were moved online."
She and her classmates adapted to the change, but also have enjoyed learning in-person during the 2021-22 academic year. Talley-Woychowski is particularly excited for surgery and anesthesia courses.
The pandemic was an unexpected turn of a road that Talley-Woychowski knows, in the end, will be fulfilling.
“I decided on veterinary nursing because it fits what I want out of a career,” she says. “Working with, advocating for, and helping small animals medically and behaviorally—I have a passion for helping others learn about the industry and their animal’s needs.”
By Emily Lenhard
Anything worth doing is worth doing very well. Perhaps no sentiment is more representative of Dr. Chima Maduka, who is, in fact, doing everything very well. Maduka is a PhD candidate at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. He studies inflammation caused by biomaterials. Biomaterials, designed to interact with human and animal bodies, are used in medical applications like drug delivery, nanomedicine, and scaffold-implants for tissue engineering. Often, though, these materials cause inflammation. Maduka’s research investigates the mechanisms of inflammation seen in patients with these medical implants.
“Long-standing inflammation causes excessive fibrosis around implants. This is a leading cause of implant failure, and creates major barriers in my field of study. Better understanding of these mechanisms will allow me to develop targeted therapies to reduce or eliminate biomaterial-induced inflammation,” he says.
Drive like Maduka’s doesn’t develop overnight. He’s had a long-standing interest in and passion for science since he attended high school in Nigeria. He also volunteered for HATS Veterinary Clinic in Jos, and after graduating, was admitted to the veterinary school at the University of Maiduguri in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Dr. Ikechukwu Igbokwe, professor and clinical pathologist, guided Maduka’s early research training while in veterinary school.
“My time volunteering in a veterinary clinic enhanced my performance in vet school. It just flowed naturally for me. I’m proud I made those decisions and very happy with being a veterinarian. And now, I get to work with doctors in human medicine and advance science collectively,” Maduka says.
After earning his DVM—and graduating with distinction—Maduka was accepted to the Comparative Medicine and Integrative Biology Master’s Program at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. He also was awarded the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship, which fully funded those studies. “It was just incredible,” says Maduka.
During his master’s program, Maduka focused on veterinary surgery. Dr. Bryden Stanley, then-section chief of the Soft Tissue Surgery Service at the MSU Veterinary Medical Center, was his mentor. She, like Maduka, has great interest in the bridge between human and veterinary medicine. As he prepared for the job market, Maduka interned for Dr. Kurt Hankenson, Henry Ruppenthal Family Professor and associate chair for Research at the University of Michigan Medical School, whose work uses biomaterials in orthopedic applications. Maduka says this internship, combined with his clinical experience, helped him realize his interest in orthopedic surgery. He decided to pursue this newfound passion and get his PhD.
Dr. Vilma Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan, professor and former associate dean of Research and Graduate Studies for the College, introduced Maduka to Dr. Christopher Contag, who is the founding director of MSU’s Institute for Quantitative Health Sciences and Engineering and the inaugural chair for the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Contag accepted Maduka into his lab, which is where Maduka now continues his research on biomaterials and inflammation.
“I am very blessed to have a principal investigator who is open to new ideas and has interest in teaching me and growing my passion. We do our best and we’re self-motivated,” says Maduka, who hopes he can one day pass the benefits of the strong mentorship he’s experienced to future students. “I have received very much from my mentors and years of training and scholarships, and I really look forward to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students and sharing the same benefits of career advancement that I have enjoyed.”