University of Guelph veterinary students will gain hands-on experience in treating farm animals in a new state-of-the-art facility opened today at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC).

Supported by a $2.3-million investment from the Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), the Large Animal Clinical Skills Building is helping prepare Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students for careers in rural veterinary practice.

"OMAFRA has made a tremendous investment in protecting the health of our animal agriculture industry and in Ontario's rural communities," said Elizabeth Stone, OVC dean. "Student veterinarians will develop critical experience with farm animals in a safe learning environment."

Carol Mitchell, minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, added: "Our government is proud to support the next generation of veterinarians and animal health experts. This new clinic will contribute to strong, growing livestock and agricultural industries, and support our rural communities."

The 8,300-square-foot facility will provide a bright and flexible space for OVC's large animal learning labs, allowing students and faculty to use modern technology and animal-handling equipment.

Healthy animals will be kept separate from hospitalized patients, ensuring that OVC meets requirements for accreditation by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the standards of the Canadian Council on Animal Care.

Stone said OMAFRA's investment in the clinical skills building is one of many ways that the ministry supports learning through the Veterinary Clinical Education Program. The program funds student veterinarian externships, post-DVM training and graduate programs in the OVC Health Sciences Centre, and stipends for veterinarians enrolled in the master of public health program, and partially funds some faculty and staff salaries.

"This support from OMAFRA is vital to our ability to provide high-quality veterinary clinical education and for protecting and advancing the health of animals, people and the environment, Stone said.

The Large Animal Clinical Skills Building is located next to Barn 37, U of G's historic dairy barn. A separate renovation project funded by OVC and donations has improved the barnyard and added 19 box stalls for horses. OVC and the Ontario Agricultural College both use this facility, which is the last functioning barn on the U of G campus.

The co-directors of the U of G Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation will be featured speakers during the U of G's 87th College Royal Weekend March 19-20.

Drs. Brenda Coomber, Biomedical Sciences, and Paul Woods, Clinical Studies, will discuss "Cancer in Pets: Comparative Cancer Treatment and Research (Of Mice and Men and Cats and Dogs)." Coomber will take the podium on March 19 at 1:30 p.m. while Woods will deliver the March 20 lecture at 1 p.m.

The College Royal lectures take place in Rozanski Hall Room 103.

Also featured is "Asking the Animals," by professor emeritus Ian Duncan, Animal and Poultry Science, a leading expert on animal welfare issues.

For a complete schedule of events, visit the College Royal website.

Training starts in January for users of the OVC Health Sciences Centre's new information system -- a comprehensive, integrated and flexible system that will support the hospital's clinical, teaching, research and business requirements for the next decade.

Sessions will cover general training and specialized information covering specific modules of the new system.

More information, including the dates and times of the training sessions, is now available online. The website also outlines the new information system's features and functionality, governance and implementation, and provides a project timeline.

General training is for everyone: administration and clinical staff, technicians, faculty, veterinarians, residents, interns and fourth-year DVM students will be given a hands-on overview of the complete system in two-hour training sessions that begin on Jan. 6.

Scheduling of specialized training will be done in January. Ten sessions are planned during Jan. 25-27.

To schedule your general training session, please contact Tejay Monga ext. 54117 or tmonga@uoguelph.ca.

A memorial service for Dr. Roberto Poma will be held today at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 98 Alice St. in Guelph.

The service will be followed by a gathering of friends and family at the Italian Canadian Club, 135 Ferguson St.

Poma, a faculty member and neurology specialist in the Department of Clinical Studies, died on Nov. 15 of an acute brain hemorrhage at the age of 41.

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Becky Valentine, and children Leonardo and Valentina, and extended family. A trust fund has been established for the children. For more information, see the obituary or contact Andrew Bradford at agbradford@shaw.ca to make a donation to the fund.

OVC students have organized a "green ribbon" campaign in his memory and as a gesture of support for Poma's grieving family.

Green ribbons can be purchased for a donation at several locations around the OVC campus. Proceeds will go to the family. Ribbons will be available outside the OVC cafeteria during lunchtime through Friday, and will most likely be available in Room 1438 throughout the rest of the day.

For more information about the ribbons, contact Amber Reed at reeda@uoguelph.ca.

The OVC community is mourning the loss of a beloved colleague and gifted clinician, scientist and teacher.

Dr. Roberto Poma, a faculty member and neurology specialist in the Department of Clinical Studies, died on Nov. 15 of an acute brain hemorrhage at the age of 41.

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Becky Valentine, their children and extended family.

Please check the OVC website for updates. As a gesture of respect and condolence, the University of Guelph will lower its flags to half-mast on the day of his funeral.

A graduate of the veterinary school at the University of Turin, Italy, Poma came to OVC for a DVSc in neurology in 1998. After successfully completing his residency, he spent three years as a staff veterinarian in the OVC Teaching Hospital before joining the faculty in 2004.

Poma's research was focused on finding better ways to diagnose and treat canine epilepsy, and improve understanding of the disease in companion animals and humans.

He also worked closely with groups such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club to reduce the incidence of syringomyelia, a very serious neurological disorder that is rare in most breeds but increasingly afflicts King Charles Spaniels.

An OVC oncologist is featured in the current issue of Dogs in Canada magazine.

Dr. Paul Woods, co-director of the U of G's Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation, is profiled in a series called "The Specialists."

The article talks about diagnostic and treatment options available for dogs with cancer as well as Woods's research interests, including an investigation into biomarkers for cancer.

Read the full article online or in the October-November edition of Dogs in Canada. Watch for the January issue when The Specialists will feature OVC theriogenologist Dr. Cathy Gartley.

The University of Guelph's commitment to animal welfare has been strengthened by the appointment of three animal welfare scientists to chair positions.

Tina Widowski, a professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science for more than 12 years, has been named the Col. K. L. Campbell University Chair in Animal Welfare. Ian Duncan, an animal and poultry science professor for 21 years, has been named Emeritus Chair of Animal Welfare. In addition, Lee Niel has been appointed the Col. K.L. Campbell Chair in Companion Animal Welfare and an assistant professor in the Department of Population Medicine.

"These three chairs will enhance our reputation for excellence in teaching and research dedicated to improving the lives of animals," said Provost Maureen Mancuso. "They will provide new training and learning experiences, and have a positive effect on animal welfare now and in the future."

U of G's Colonel K.L. Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare was the first Canadian centre dedicated to conducting research on providing a better quality of life for animals. It offers a regular series of public lectures, seminars and educational opportunities.

Guelph was also the first institution in Canada to establish an animal care policy for animals used in research and teaching.

Widowski said she always knew she wanted to specialize in the behaviour and welfare of farm animals. As an undergraduate, she was fascinated by the applied aspects of animal behaviour in food production, and the challenges of managing food animals while protecting their welfare. Her current research focuses on how housing and management practices affect the physiology, behaviour and welfare of pigs, poultry and cattle.

"I am honoured with this appointment," she said. "This provides the opportunity to enrich undergraduate and graduate teaching programs and will support the growth of research projects focused on animal welfare."

In addition to the chair position, Widowski has been re-appointed to another five-year term as director of the Campbell Centre for Animal Welfare.

"Tina has done a remarkable job in her initial appointment as director by increasing awareness of the mission and objectives of the centre," said OVC dean Elizabeth Stone. "Her expertise and commitment to animal welfare are inspirational."

Duncan, a former centre director, was one of the first people to bring a scientific approach to solving animal welfare problems. He has published more than 150 scientific papers on animal welfare. In 2000, he received the inaugural Animals and Society Course Award from the Humane Society of the United States, North America's largest animal protection organization.

Niel is a graduate of Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. The Vancouver native comes to the University of Guelph following post-doctoral work in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Toronto's Mississauga campus.

Her work in Guelph will be focused on assessing and mitigating pain and distress in companion animals in veterinary and shelter settings. She will also be looking at problems associated with aggressive dogs, how the problems develop and how to prevent them.

"This is the ideal job for me," she said. "I'll be doing research that I love and I get to work with cats and dogs and other animals, plus I'll be collaborating with others who are as passionate about animal welfare as I am."

Funding for the endowed companion animal welfare chair comes from a $4.25-million gift last year to the OVC animal welfare fund from the estate of Mona Campbell, a longtime supporter of the University of Guelph. The endowment funds for the university chair in animal welfare have come from Mrs. Campbell's estate and from other contributions in the 1990s from Mrs. Campbell, the Eden Conservation Trust and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

A world-recognized leader in cardiovascular science and medicine will deliver the 2010 Chappel Memorial Lecture at the Ontario Veterinary College on April 9.

Dr. Kenneth Chien leads a research team at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital that recently succeeded in taking embryonic stem cells from mice and growing heart tissue. Their work may one day lead to new treatments for cardiac patients using pluripotent stem cells harvested from skin, marrow or fat and injected into the heart to repair damaged tissue.

All interested members of the University community are invited to attend Chien's talk, "How to Make a Heart: Toward Stem Cell Therapeutics," on Friday, April 9 at 12 p.m. in the Lifetime Learning Centre Room 1714.

A reception will follow.

Chien is Scientific Director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Charles Addison and Elizabeth Ann Sanders Professor at Harvard Medical School. In addition, he is a member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, where he leads the Cardiovascular Stem Cell Biology Program. He has a strong interest in physician- scientist training, having served as the Director of the Institute for Molecular Medicine at the University of California at San Diego and a professor at the Salk Institute.

The annual Chappel Lecture was established by 1950 OVC graduate Clifford Chappel in memory of his father, to give students and faculty the opportunity to meet internationally known scientists. It is hosted by the Office of Research, Graduate Studies, the College of Biological Science and OVC.

Frequent hand washing is one of the most effective ways to avoid getting sick and spreading illness, but it is also frequently ignored - even in hospitals, where studies have shown that physicians are often the worst offenders.

That phenomenon piqued the curiosity of Ontario Veterinary College graduate student Maureen Anderson, who is investigating hand-hygiene compliance in veterinary clinics with the support of a three-year PhD fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

"People working in human hospitals are certainly aware that their patients can be infectious, and that they can infect their patients, and they know that they should wash their hands to minimize the risk," said Anderson, who co-ordinates the Worms and Germs blog along with her PhD supervisor, Prof. Scott Weese, in the Department of Pathobiology.

"In veterinary clinics, and in our homes, millions of people are in close contact with animals every day but they might not consider the risks of infection, despite evidence that pathogens such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and Clostridium difficile may be zoonotic."

By placing cameras to monitor activity in busy treatment areas of participating clinics, and having clinic staff answer survey questions, the study will provide baseline data about hand-hygiene compliance. It will also evaluate the impact of clinic layout and educational interventions on hand washing, said Anderson, who also completed DVM ('03) and DVSc ('08) degrees at OVC.

"We want to find out what clinicians and technicians actually do and compare it to what they say they do," she said. "Our ultimate goal is to improve hand hygiene in veterinary clinics. If compliance is good, we want to learn about the contributing factors so we can keep it that way. If compliance is poor, we'll work with them to improve the situation."

Washing your hands is the simplest, most effective thing you can do to prevent the transmission of disease between animals, from animals to people and people to animals, and from people to people, she said.

"It's not rocket science, but it's very important. That's why we want to look at it."

Singing secretary helps United Way campaign end on a high note.

The campus community may remember Jennifer Beehler's performance in the University Idol competition held as a fundraiser for the 2008 United Way campaign. She represented OVC, where she is secretary to the chair of the Department of Clinical Studies.

Besides singing for charity, she spoke on behalf of the United Way to hundreds of people on campus while serving as co-chair of the University's 2008 fundraising drive. Working with Prof. Jim Atkinson, Animal and Poultry Science, business student Suba Naganathan and more than a thousand other volunteers, she cheered the campus community on to an all-time high of $490,300. That was more than $50,000 above the goal.

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