ISU confers Stange, Switzer awards
Four alumni of the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine were honored Oct. 30, 2015. Dean Lisa K. Nolan presented the awards.
Recipients of the 2015 Stange Award for Meritorious Service went to Drs. Marion Anders, Kenneth Harkin, and Howard Moore.
Dr. Anders (Iowa State ’60) is an international leader in the fields of biochemistry and physiology of drug and other xenobiotic metabolism. The novelty and practical implications of his research resulted in two U.S. patents related to drug therapy and mitochondria. He is a professor and chair emeritus at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y.
He has spent his career as a scientist, professor, and mentor, contributing to both the human and veterinary medical fields. He earned his doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 1964. Currently, his research focuses on the metabolism and toxicity of halogen- and sulfur-containing chemicals and on the design and synthesis of mitochondrially targeted drugs.
Dr. Harkin (Iowa State ’89) is a professor and section head of small animal medicine at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. He is respected for his work in the areas of clinical service, teaching, and scholarship.
As an educator, Dr. Harkin excels in the classroom and the teaching hospital. He is also known for being an excellent role model of lifelong learning for students. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. He has made a strong impact through research and scholarship as well, making substantial contributions to advancing knowledge about leptospirosis, dysautonomia, and immune-mediated diseases.
Dr. Moore (Iowa State ’74) began his career in a mixed animal practice in Minnesota. In 1977, he relocated to the Tucson Small Animal Hospital in Tucson, Arizona, where he is currently senior partner and practices full time.
An advocate for the profession, he served as a director, officer, and president of the Southern Arizona VMA, Arizona Academy of Veterinary Practice, and Arizona VMA. He represented Arizona in the AVMA House of Delegates from 2000-2009. As a member of the AzVMA Legislative Committee and a member and chair of the AVMA Political Action Committee Board, Dr. Moore worked to advance legislative issues on behalf of animal health and the veterinary profession.
The William P. Switzer Award in Veterinary Medicine was presented to Dr. Ronald Grier (Iowa State ’65), professor emeritus in the college, for his impact on society and as an educator.
The college’s Companion Animal Fund, which he created in 1984, continues to support the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center. Funds contributed by veterinarians in memory of a client’s pet inspire owners to contribute memorials. The fund has accumulated $2.1 million through donations typically from $5 to $10.
Dr. Grier has also made an impact through his research on humane euthanasia. The book he co-authored, “Euthanasia Guide for Animal Shelters,” now in its third edition, has helped influence, train, and educate animal shelter staff across the U.S.