Student, intern, resident authors win JAVMA, AJVR awards

The AVMA Journals recognized recipients of the fourth JAVMA Awards and AJVR Awards during AVMA Convention 2025 and the 40th World Veterinary Association Congress in Washington, D.C.

Student, intern, and resident authors of scientific articles whose work was judged as exceptional by the Associate Editor Board’s Awards Committee each received a certificate of achievement and a $500 award. In each category, a winner and up to five honorable mentions were selected.

The recipients of the JAVMA Awards are as follows.

Students

• Sara C. Parnes, University of Pennsylvania, for “Voluntary head dunking after exercise-induced hyperthermia rapidly reduces core body temperature in dogs.”

Honorable mention

• Bailey A. Wilson, Texas A&M University, for “Myxomatous mitral valve disease in Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers.”
• Mikaela M. Weeder, Kansas State University, for “Comparison of firocoxib and meloxicam for pain mitigation in goats undergoing surgical castration.”
• Dr. Rachel E. Conway, Colorado State University, for “Single oral dose of gabapentin reduces vigilance and increases play behavior without changing mobility in New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).”
• Catherine N.H. Groves, University of Guelph, for “Clients prefer collaborative decision-making with veterinarians regardless of appointment type.”
• Moriah K. Wood, Otterbein University, for “α-Casozepine supplementation shows no effect on foals’ growth and cortisol levels before and after weaning.”

Interns

• Dr. Alaina A. Kuehr, Louisiana State University, for “Intramuscular injection of a commercially available medetomidine–vatinoxan hydrochloride mixture produces reliable sedation in sheep and goats with varying cardiopulmonary effects.”

Honorable mention

• Dr. Aaren Glick, Midwestern University, for “Serum C-reactive protein and haptoglobin decrease in the first three months of treatment and relative change in haptoglobin predict remission in dogs with pulmonary coccidioidomycosis.”
• Dr. Katrina E.V. Jones, North Carolina State University, for “Particulate matter from wildfire smoke in northern Colorado appears to be associated with conjunctivitis in dogs.”
• Dr. Townes N. Hillier, University of Georgia, for “Improved predictability is needed for calculators used to preoperatively determine the etiology of splenic masses in dogs: an external validation study of the HeLP score and T-STAT.”
• Dr. Hannah M. Neill, Kansas State University, for “Caprine whole blood appears sufficiently stable after 21 days in storage to be suitable for transfusion.”
• Dr. Isabella M. Hildebrandt, University of Missouri, for “Surgery and postoperative definitive radiotherapy for management of canine soft tissue sarcoma: a multi-institutional retrospective study of 272 dogs (2010–2020).”

Residents

• Drs. Charlotte Barton, Colorado State University, for “Fasting horses perioperatively decreases manure production and increases time to manure output postoperatively: a controlled randomized trial.”

Honorable mention

• Dr. Denise McSweeney, Washington State University, for “Using accelerometers to identify a high risk of catastrophic musculoskeletal injury in three racing Thoroughbreds.”
• Dr. Justin Lam, University of Pennsylvania, for “Prevalence of acute kidney injury and outcome in cats treated as inpatients versus outpatients following lily exposure.”
• Dr. Sabrina R. Manley, Tufts University, for “Intranasal and intravenous apomorphine outperform ropinirole ocular drops for induction of emesis in dogs within ten minutes: a randomized, controlled clinical trial.”
• Dr. Willow R.C. M’Cloud, Cornell University, for “Stem cells and platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of naturally occurring equine tendon and ligament injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.”
• Dr. Erin K. Pearson, Cornell University, for “Association of Borrelia burgdorferi with nuchal bursitis and elevated outer surface protein A–specific serum antibodies in horses of the northeastern United States.”

The recipients of the AJVR Awards are as follows.

Students

• Dr. Alexandra B. (Bettencourt) Wethington for “Serum activities of complement 1q and antibodies to the virulence-associated protein A are lower in foals that develop rhodococcal pneumonia.”

Honorable mention

• Michaela Mitchell, University of California-Davis, for “The pharmacokinetics of single-dose oral atorvastatin and its metabolites support therapeutic use in cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus).”
• Macy L. Peterson, University of Wisconsin-Madison, for “Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous methadone hydrochloride in four-toed hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris).”
• Elijah J. Collins, University of Wisconsin-Madison, for “Physiologic and behavioral effects of long-acting subcutaneous and transdermal buprenorphine in rats.”
• Dr. Keren G. Beita, University of Georgia, for “Effect of aluminum hydroxide on serum phosphate and fibroblast growth factor 23 concentrations in young adult cats with surgically induced chronic kidney disease.”
• Dr. Sidney Chanutin, University of Florida, for “Biomechanical comparison of four isometric prosthetic ligament repair techniques for tarsal medial collateral ligament injury.”

Interns

• Drs. Sarah Gronsky, Oklahoma State University, for “A single injection of high-concentration buprenorphine significantly reduces food and water intake as well as fecal and urine production in New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).”

Honorable mention

• Dr. Hayley S. Stratton, Colorado State University, for “Hypothermia, anemia, hyperglycemia, and severe hypoglycemia are significant prognostic indicators of death in client-owned ferrets (Mustela putorius furo).”
• Dr. Gina M. Battinelli, Veterinary Emergency Center of Redlands, for “Vertebral heart score and vertebral left atrial size reference intervals in Jack Russell Terriers, Miniature Pinschers, and Brussels Griffons.”
• Dr. Greta Doden, Oklahoma State University, for “Saline, chlorhexidine, and povidone-iodine alone or in combination with iodine povacrylex are effective antiseptics in chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus).”

Residents

• Dr. William E. Swanton, University of Wisconsin-Madison, for “Oral trazodone results in quantifiable sedation but does not result in a xylazine-sparing effect in healthy adult horses.”

Honorable mention

• Dr. Lucyanne Megan, University of California-Davis, for “18F-sodium fluoride positron emission tomography is a sensitive imaging technique to detect atherosclerosis in Amazon parrots (Amazona spp).”
• Dr. Laurel K. Saldinger, University of California-Davis, for “Faster perfusate instillation time results in more systemic leakage of amikacin sulfate when performing intravenous regional limb perfusion in horses.”
• Dr. Miriam G. Bates, Purdue University, for “Antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles against Escherichia coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is affected by incorporation into carriers for sustained release.”
• Dr. Alison Jeffrey, University of Georgia, for “Medetomidine-vatinoxan-midazolam provides similar sedation depth with reduced bradycardia compared to dexmedetomidine-midazolam in pigeons (Columba livia domestica).”
• Dr. Mark A. Ryan, Colorado State University, for “Sidestream dark field video microscopy demonstrates shelf-stable blood products preserve the endothelial glycocalyx in a canine hemorrhagic shock model.”