Dr. Dana Zimmel
Greetings,
To say that this past year has been daunting is an understatement. It’s difficult to describe the nature of the challenges that all of us at the college and at UF as a whole — as well as all of you — have had to navigate in this new era of COVID-19.
These challenges have penetrated every aspect of higher education, as well as everyday life. Responding to day-to-day concerns, as well as developing longer-term strategies for how to continue delivering first-rate education to our students in the safest possible way, has required constant focus, flexibility and follow-through. The world as we knew it, not even a year ago, is not the same. And neither are we.
Since my last update in our spring issue, we have bid goodbye and wished good luck to the Class of 2020, our newest DVM alumni, as well as to our spring and summer M.S. and Ph.D. graduates, in commencement ceremonies conducted virtually for the first time in the college’s history. We have acclimated to a new normal of maskwearing and physical distancing, and have participated as a college in UF Health Screen, Test & Protect initiative, ensuring that all of our faculty, staff and students could be brought safely back to campus.
Students from our Class of 2022 started clinics on July 13th and are learning how to practice veterinary medicine under the restrictions of COVID-19. Our newest class of students, the Class of 2024, completed orientation virtually in early August and all of our students were fully back on campus as of Aug. 17. This fall semester, all large didactic courses are being delivered in a virtual format and all laboratory sessions are divided into groups of 50 people or less. We made this curriculum modification to minimize risk of the spread of COVID-19 and keep our students on track to meet their education goals.
Our faculty worked hard over the summer to optimize the learning environment and improve instructional design. We also have made adjustments to ensure that co-curricular activities such as student clubs and workshops can continue to provide the extra hands-on experience that is a vital part of our educational program.
In this issue, we provide an overview of how the college and the UF Veterinary Hospitals — which have remained open throughout the pandemic, caring for the neediest patients — have responded in the face of unprecedented challenges. We also bring you several specific stories that illustrate the passion and problem-solving creativity that remain at the heart of who we are as a college.
Two of our research faculty members received funding from UF’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute to investigate different aspects of COVID19. Dr. Leah Reznikov is studying drugs that could potentially be used to prevent and/or treat infection with COVID-19 by interfering with a known behavior of the virus. Dr. Chris Vulpe is working with a team searching for genes that either hasten or thwart the growth of SARS-COV-2 virus inside a human host.
From research to patient care to education, we continue to move veterinary medicine forward. Although the challenges we face are unprecedented, we have learned from them in ways we never would have expected. We must remain nimble and ready to adapt as needed to keep our college family, and our clients, safe. I have never been prouder to be a UFCVM graduate, and to work with such an amazing and resilient team.
Thanks to all of you for your support and Go Gators!
Dana N. Zimmel, D.V.M.
Professor and Interim Dean
