With firsthand knowledge from the frontlines of biomedical research, this year’s commencement speaker brought a unique perspective shaped by his distinguished career in veterinary pathology.
Duck was a four-month-old foster kitten when he presented to the MSU Veterinary Medical Center’s Cardiology Service for evaluation of a heart murmur. An echocardiogram confirmed a grade V left basilar continuous murmur, a loud murmur often associated with a patent ductus arteriosus.
A seven-year-old Labrador cross from Israel named Rocco was presented to Michigan State University Veterinary Medical Center (MSU VMC) Oncology service to discuss treatment options for his recently diagnosed thyroid carcinoma. Six months previously, Rocco’s owner had noticed enlargement in the laryngeal area of his neck.
Mirage presented to Drs. Vanessa Cook and Jamie Kopper at the Large Animal Emergency Service. Upon arrival, she was recumbent and minimally responsive in the trailer and had to be moved into the hospital while simultaneously instituting emergency diagnostic and stabilization measures.