Dr. Mike Nolan named recipient of 2022 AVMF/EveryCat Health Foundation Research Award

(SCHAUMBURG, Illinois) August 6, 2021—The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) today honored Dr. Mike Nolan, professor of oncology at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, as the winner of the 2022 American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF)/EveryCat Health Foundation Research Award.

Established in 2009, the award honors a candidate's contribution to advancing feline health through their research.

“Dr. Nolan has been instrumental in important discoveries that are changing our understanding of the development and treatment of cancer in cats and controlling pain in feline cancer patients,” said Dr. Lori Teller, president of the AVMA. “Dr. Nolan’s vision and innovative approach to the treatment of feline cancer makes him extremely deserving of this award.”

Dr. Nolan, who earned a PhD in radiation and cancer biology at Colorado State University and is board certified in radiation oncology from the American College of Veterinary Radiology, has dedicated much of his work to the treatment of feline cancer. He has also contributed his skills in radiation oncology to collaborative work in feline gastrointestinal cancer and feline urinary interstitial cystitis.

Upon his arrival at North Carolina State University in 2013, Dr. Nolan developed a research program with a special emphasis on comparative oncology, which leverages the similarities between naturally existing cancer in animals to that of humans to develop new treatment and diagnostic modalities. Dr. Nolan has been awarded over $1.7 million in external funding, including receipt of a prestigious National Institutes of Health MERIT award, and he has published more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, with others under review.

In addition to his research, Dr. Nolan has taken on significant teaching responsibilities. He developed course materials in general oncology for the core veterinary student curriculum, and in radiation oncology for elective courses; he is also instrumental in graduate student training. He has recently completed work with his first doctoral student, who was granted a government scholarship from the Taiwanese Ministry of Education to work specifically with Dr. Nolan on the treatment of feline squamous cell tumors of the tongue. Their work was particularly focused on control of tumor growth as well as pain control of this complex feline tumor.

Dr. Nolan’s work on companion animals has enabled him to develop new treatment regimens that have shown promise in the human field, demonstrating the power of translational research. He has also been instrumental in the development of C3O, a comparative oncology program that links the Duke Cancer Institute and the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. He is a primary member of the board that oversees this program which now hosts an annual national comparative oncology symposium and awards over $400,000 annually in research funding for Duke and N.C. State faculty.

Dr. Nolan, a 2009 graduate of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, has previously been recognized with the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award from his alma mater, the Early Career Investigator Travel Award from the Radiation Research Society, the NC State Coat of Excellence (twice), and in 2022 was designated as an N.C. State University Faculty Scholar.

For more information, contact Michael San Filippo, media relations manager, at 847-732-6194 (cell) or msanfilippoavma [dot] org.