Student Poster Presentations

Friday, July 12 and Saturday, July 13

Presentation times: 12:00 PM-1:50 PM and 4:00 PM-4:30 PM

Meet your future colleagues and interact with students from UC Davis and Western University as they explain, discuss, and answer questions about their research. 


 



UC Davis Student Poster Presentations

 

Rachel Formaker, Class of 2026

My name is Rachel Formaker, and I’m a veterinary candidate at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2026. My years working as a veterinary assistant in the emergency department at a large specialty hospital has nurtured a strong interest in emergency medicine. I enjoy clinically focused research that helps optimize treatments for common diseases in companion animals.

 

 

Combined MSC-Antiviral Treatment for Systemic Inflammation and Lymphoid Tissue Regeneration in Cats with FIP
Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) causes systemic inflammation and lymphoid tissue destruction. Effects of existing antiviral treatment on immune recovery are unknown. Multipotent stromal cells (MSCs) have immunomodulatory properties and facilitate tissue regeneration. An 11-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled (antiviral only vs. antiviral-MSC treatments) trial with 10 cats with naturally occurring effusive FIP was conducted. This study determined serum cytokines/chemokines and peripheral blood leukocyte subset numbers upon presentation and following treatment. On presentation, cats had elevations in pro-inflammatory cytokines, half of the cats (5/10) had a lymphopenia, and all cats (10/10) had a left shift. Lymphopenia resolved by the first week of antiviral treatment. Cats in both groups survived to the end of the study, recovered from clinical signs, and showed decreasing levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.

 


Juliann Hallum, Class of 2026

My name is Juju Hallum, and I’m a veterinary candidate at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2026. I am also a Veterinary Scientist Training Program student (dual degree) and will be entering the Ph.D. program next year. I am from Bakersfield, California, and am interested in pathology and large lab animal medicine.

 

 

Determining the Role of SOX9 in Avian Beak Development and Morphogenesis
Neural crest (NC) cells form in the developing central nervous system and undergo EMT to migrate to distant sites and form the craniofacial bone/cartilage that becomes the jaw/beak. There are gaps in knowledge about the mechanisms that guide the formation of NC derivatives across species. NC cells express SOX9 gene and protein, which drives specification, EMT, and differentiation at early developmental stages. The objective of this project is to: 1) define the role of SOX9 in chicken beak formation, and 2) identify molecular changes in NC- derived tissues after loss of SOX9. SOX9 KD at early stages reduces NC migration, but cells recover. Changes in SOX9 expression at early stages may lead to congenital abnormalities, such as cleft palate. We hope to define the timeline for SOX9 necessity and downstream morphological changes that occur in KD. We predict SOX9 KD prior to NC EMT will inhibit NC migration and differentiation, leading to abnormal beak morphogenesis.


 

Trang Le, Class of 2026

My name is Trang Le, RVT, and I’m a veterinary candidate at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2026. I graduated from Brown University. My goals include pursuing a rotating internship and ophthalmology residency after graduating from UC Davis, as well as a career in veterinary ophthalmology.

 

 

Evaluation of the Optic Nerve Head and Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Using Optical Coherence Tomography in Normal Dogs
In vivo imaging of the optic nerve head (ONH) and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in normal canine eyes by optical coherence tomography will aid in establishing an objective measurement criteria and its normal reference values of the ONH and peripapillary RNFL for glaucoma monitoring in dogs. The results of this study showed that age and weight are insignificant in ONH parameters. The results emphasize the difference in myelination not only between humans and canines, but also the differences in myelination levels between subjects—significant variability in the ranges for cup volume, lamina cribrosa displacement, and Burch’s membrane. The most accurate measurement that accounted for myelination is the maximum cup depth, which had a low standard deviation across all subjects.

 


WesternU Student Poster Presentations

Anaid Carlo-Allende, Class of 2026

My name is Anaid Carlo-Allende, and I’m a veterinary candidate at Western University of Health Sciences, class of 2026. I am from Puerto Rico and earned a B.A.Sc in animal science from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez Campus and an MLAS degree from Drexel University. I aim to become a laboratory animal medicine veterinarian, bridging human and veterinary medicine by providing exceptional care for animals in biomedical research.

 

 

RNA-Interference: Role of Ig-Like Receptor B in Chicken Macrophage Response to AIV and Salmonella Typhimurium
This study focuses on a newly identified subset of chickens’ immunoglobulin-like receptor, CHIR-B, aiming to understand its role in suppressing the innate immune response. The study investigates using siRNAs to silence CHIR-B expression and enhance macrophage defense against infectious agents. Initial findings suggest increased nitrate production and redox cascades in macrophages after viral infection with CHIR-B silencing. Further experiments show significant differences in nitrate production in response to Salmonella typhimurium lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or Influenza A virus after siRNA transfection. Notably, cells exposed to the Influenza A virus with CHIR-B siRNAs show no nitric oxide production, indicating a complex interaction requiring further investigation. Future research aims to explore the impact of blocking CHIR-B and MHC-I to deepen understanding of CHIR’s immune role.


Maya Ballout, Class of 2026

My name is Maya Ballout, and I’m a veterinary candidate at Western University of Health Sciences, class of 2026. I obtained a degree in biology at Norte Dame University – Louaize in Lebanon. I am the delegate of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Agricultural Research Service program, which has allowed me to engage in research on cattle and animal welfare.

 

 

 

Changes in the Blood Biochemical Parameters in Cattle Experimentally Infected by Ostertagia Ostertagi
Although the gastric pathologies of ruminant stomach worms are well-defined, the systemic consequences of infection remain unclear. In cattle, Ostertagia ostertagi (OO) is the most pathogenic nematode, causing ostertagiasis entailing gastric pathologies. Nematodes in small ruminants can also cause changes in blood biochemistry, implicating extra-gastric pathologies. To investigate this further, with OO, we infected four helminth-free, 4-5 months old, Holstein calves with 200k OO L3 and collected blood weekly for five weeks. Results showed an increase (P<0.05) in Ab levels by week five. Albumin, total protein, potassium, sodium, chloride, creatinine, and lactate dehydrogenase increased at week four (P<0.05) and returned to normal levels by week five post-infection. None of the parameters relating to hepatic function changed. Given substantial economic losses to cattle production, further research investigating the systemic effects of O. ostertagi may suggest best practices to manage systemic disease.


Seza Boyajian, Class of 2026

My name is Seza Boyajian, and I am a veterinary candidate at Western University of Health Sciences, class of 2026. I aspire to pursue a career in small animal specialty surgery and have a particular interest in minimally invasive soft tissue procedures.

 

 

 

Comparing the ‘Gold Standard’ in Post-Operative Pain Assessment and Pressure Algometry with the PainTrace©
Six patients underwent laparoscopic ovariectomy and at three post-operative time points, three pain assessments were performed by a single individual. The results demonstrated that the Glasgow composite measure pain scale is a valid test for comparisons of other pain assessment methods. The pressure algometry assessment and PainTrace © device did not have sufficient evidence to demonstrate comparability to the Glasgow composite measure pain scale. Future studies with an increased sample size are required to validate both the pressure algometry testing and the PainTrace© device in their assessment of pain in veterinary medicine. Ultimately, this will better our understanding of post-operative pain and analgesic needs to improve patient comfort.


Grace Kinyon, Class of 2026

My name is Grace Kinyon, I’m a veterinary candidate at Western University of Health Sciences, class of 2026. I am from Los Angeles, California and studied journalism and biology during my undergraduate education at the University of Southern California. During an internship at the California Wildlife Center in Calabasas, where I worked with injured and orphaned native avian species, I was inspired to pursue a career in veterinary medicine working with exotics.

 

Anticoagulant Rodenticide Prevalence in Southern California Turkey Vultures and Swainson’s Hawks: Pilot Study
Worldwide, anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) use has led to extensive secondary poisoning in raptors, which ingest prey in which ARs accumulate. Even after the 2020 state-wide ban on ARs in California, exposure remains prevalent in several raptor species in North-central California. To assess the ban’s effectiveness in Southern California, we investigated the prevalence of exposure to ARs in 27 Turkey Vultures (TVs) using blood sampled before and after the 2020 ban. We also investigated the distribution of 20 wing-tagged TVs to assess where exposure might occur. One of 11 TVs sampled pre-ban had trace levels of difethialone. Two out of 16 sampled post-ban had detectable levels of diphacinone. This could suggest that exposure risk of TVs to ARs persisted despite the ban. All but one TV remained within Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties.