Names in the news

Native Californian Dr. Diane R. Craig is the 2007 president of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association (SCVMA), an organization with 1,300 members. Craig is owner of Veterinary Surgical Specialists in Tustin, Calif.

Dr. Diane R. Craig

Others elected to serve SCVMA include Dr. Dayna Wiedenkeller, vice president, and Dr. Tae S. Kwon, treasurer.

St. Louis veterinarian Edward Migneco was named 2007 Hartz Veterinarian of the Year. Commitment to community service through volunteer work at several animal-welfare agencies was cited as one reason Migneco was honored. He received $5,000. Migneco owns Hillside Animal Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. The company says thousands of nominations were reviewed.

Runners-up included Dr. William Grant of the Community Veterinary Hospital in Garden Grove, Calif., and Dr. Karla Brestle of the Humane Alliance of Ashville, N.C.

Colorado State University professor Dr. Ray Whalen received the National Carl J. Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teacher Award in recognition of exemplary teaching impact and excellence. The 2006 award, which will be given during a ceremony March 4, recognizes collegiate veterinary medicine teachers on local and national levels.

Whalen was cited for exemplary teaching skills and the development of a computer simulated anatomy laboratory DVD to enhance the learning environment in anatomy laboratory settings. The DVD is now used worldwide by other veterinary medicine programs to teach anatomy.

To create the educational tutorial, he obtained the equipment, computer hardware and computer programming skills. He captured three-dimensional, highly detailed images at each step of dissection that can be rotated and studied by students while simultaneously performing dissections. He also pursued funding for computer equipment placed in the anatomy laboratory at CSU.

"Dr. Whalen's quest for innovation is driven by two factors," said Lance Perryman, dean of CSU's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. "The first is his commitment to simplify complex concepts to improve understanding and retention of information by students exposed to the material for the first time in their educational careers. His second quest for innovation involves improving the way anatomy is taught at the university, which he very effectively accomplished with the development of the DVD."

Dr. Sally Brown Prickett was named director of Iowa State University's Dr. W. Eugene and Linda Lloyd Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Prickett, formerly of Glenwood, Iowa, was business manager and practitioner at Prickett Veterinary Clinic and manager of Prickett Quarter Horses and Thurston Farms.

Prickett will lead the hospital's staff of more than 110 employees, the university reports.

Richard Sams, PhD, was named director of the University of Florida's Racing Laboratory at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Sams previously served at The Ohio State University's veterinary college as professor and director of its Analytical Toxicology Laboratory. The laboratory supports the state Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering by ensuring racehorses and Greyhounds are free of prohibited drugs.