Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica presented four veterinarians with the Advancement in PRRS Research Award to support studies on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome in 2009. The four will evenly split $100,000 in grant money.

The company usually provides three $25,000 grants yearly, but a company spokesman said the four studies chosen were all considered to be worth funding.

Dr. Jerry L. Torrison (MIN '86), University of Minnesota, received support for a study on the effect of biofilters on the quantity of PRRS virus. This is intended to determine the amount of virus exhausted from mechanically vented finishing barns and barns with biofilters placed outside exhaust fans.

Dr. Darwin L. Reicks (ISU '94) of Swine Vet Center in St. Peter, Minn., received funding for a study on the effect of modified-live PRRS vaccine, alone and combined with killed-virus vaccines, in late-term pregnant gilts.

Dr. Spencer R. Wayne (MIN '01), Pipestone Veterinary Clinic, Pipestone, Minn., received funding to evaluate the ecology of the PRRS virus in farrowing and the risk factors of transmission prior to weaning.

Dr. Amber Stricker (ISU '08), Suidae Health and Production, Algona, Iowa, received support for a study on variability of PRRS virus ORF5 sequencing in and among state diagnostic laboratories.

The National Academies of Practice inducted three veterinarians as members during a March 28 banquet. The NAP is an interdisciplinary group that seeks to address problems in health care. This year, the group inducted the following veterinarians.

Col. Craig N. Carter (TEX '81) is the director of the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center at the University of Kentucky. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, he previously served as head of epidemiology and informatics at the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. Col. Carter spent several decades in the military, and he still serves in the Army Reserve.

Dr. Valerie E. Ragan (GA '83) is president of AgWorks Solutions agricultural consulting service in Washington, D.C. She had been assistant deputy administrator for Veterinary Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Dr. Ragan participated in trade negotiations relevant to bovine spongiform encephalopathy and international efforts to eradicate brucellosis.

Dr. James S. Wohl (PUR '90) is co-director of the critical care program at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition to conducting research in small animal medicine, he has written about the role of small animal practitioners in public health. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care and the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.