Looking back, Dr. Carin Wittnich never would have guessed that a degree in veterinary medicine would have led to a career focused on human cardiovascular health.
Nor could Wittnich, who because of her veterinary background has often felt like "sort of an oddball" among her medical colleagues, have predicted she would be considered a role model for future generations of vets. But she is.
Wittnich, OVC '76, has been named the OVC Alumni Association's 2005 Distinguished Alumna. She will be feted at the association's annual general meeting on Saturday, June 25, during Alumni Weekend festivities.
"I am very honoured. I'm still somewhat speechless, which is quite something for me," says Wittnich, a professor in the departments of surgery and physiology at the University of Toronto and director of U of T's cardiovascular sciences collaborative program.
"This to me is very meaningful because it's coming from what I consider my own kind. I've always wanted to be a vet, I've been very happy being a vet. I just use my skills in a somewhat different way."
Wittnich's professional enthusiasm for research and teaching has spilled over into her community involvement in promoting environmental awareness, women's and children's health, as well as innovative programs to help Alzheimer's patients and autistic children.
The OVC AA is proud to honour her achievements, says Dr. Ed Empringham, board president.
"Dr. Wittnich has excelled academically and expanded the horizon for veterinary careers through her work in human health sciences. In addition, she has contributed greatly to her community and her country through the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Oceanographic Environmental Research Society," Empringham notes.
Wittnich has published 66 research papers, more than 90 scientific abstracts, four chapters in books, created five scientific research models and has won several prestigious awards for her work.
She has also created several new courses at U of T. In 1991, she established the first cardiovascular sciences collaborative program in Canada and this led to her being named the inaugural Northrop Frye Scholar for her ability to combine science and education. She also serves on the board of governors of the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences.
She has shown commitment and leadership through her work with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, where Wittnich's research on gender differences and heart disease has made important contributions to the health of women and children. This resulted in her being awarded the Order of Ontario in 2001 and the Queen's Jubilee Medal in 2002.
"Dr. Wittnich is a veterinarian of extraordinary capabilities who has brought honour, admiration and recognition to the field of veterinary medicine and the University of Guelph through her efforts as a researcher and professor," says Michael Belanger, president/director of the Oceanographic Environmental Research Society (OERS), an environmental charity that Wittnich helped found.
It might have all turned out quite differently. Wittnich says she owes her diverse and fulfilling career to serendipity rather than careful planning.
During her years at OVC, she had envisioned devoting her life to large animal medicine.
That was until knee surgery interfered with plans to work with horses at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. So she ended up working at an emergency vet clinic instead, and soon after became involved with a cardiovascular research team at McGill University. That led to a graduate degree in experimental surgery at McGill followed by a position at U of T that she "would have been a fool to turn down."
Surgery is still Wittnich's first love -- a day in a surgical lab rejuvenates her, she says -- and teaching keeps her in contact with young and inquiring minds. At U of T, she teaches a broad cross-section of students, from future doctors and dentists to technicians and those studying basic sciences.
She says she encourages students to be open-minded, to take a broader view of science and to understand the importance of getting out of the ivory tower and seeing what's going on in the real world. That's where her passion for environmental issues comes in.
Wittnich recently collaborated on a project that surveyed 30 years of data on mercury levels in marine mammals. She is also contributing to a new U.S. book on manatee with a chapter on the effects of pollution on that marine mammal, and hopes to set up a Canadian marine mammal rescue network.
Through the OERS, she co-produced a video series called The Soothing Seas that is being used in hospitals and extended care facilities to provide a calming experience for patients, particularly those with Alzheimer's and autism.
Wittnich says she has always felt fortunate to be an OVC grad. She took full advantage of all the college had to offer and put the experience to work in some surprising places.
"I was thinking all along I would like to have an academic career but I thought it would be as a clinical surgeon, actually, at a vet college somewhere," she says. "I just went with my heart."
- Barry Gunn
