Dani McVety-Leinen, D.V.M. (’09), founder and CEO of Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, received the 2022 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award. Named for the late Dr. Leo K. Bustad, former president of the Delta Society and dean of the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, the award is one of veterinary medicine’s highest honors, recognizing the outstanding work of veterinarians in protecting and promoting the human-animal bond.

McVety-Leinen founded Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice in Tampa in 2009, just months after graduating from veterinary school. Since that time, she has grown the service from one veterinarian—herself—to a nationwide network of more than 250 doctors and a full-time interdisciplinary support staff dedicated to making the end-of-life experience for pets, and the people that love them, as dignified and peaceful as possible.

Corey Fisher, D.V.M. (’21), the college’s first alumnus to graduate with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, recently was honored by two national journals for papers he wrote while a student at the college.

He was the 2022 recipient of the inaugural Outstanding American Journal of Veterinary Research Student Manuscript award from AJVR for his paper, “Effects of a flotation vest and water flow rate on limb kinematics of Siberian Huskies swimming against a current.” Fisher’s faculty mentor in the project was Richard Hill, D.V.M., Ph.D., a professor of small animal medicine.

Fisher also received the Andrew Higgins Prize from The Veterinary Journal for a paper he authored while a student as part of the Florida Veterinary Scholars Program under the mentorship of Keijiro Shiomitsu, BV.Sc., an associate professor and chief of the radiation oncology service. His paper was titled, “Evaluation of Ponatinib in vitro effect in three canine mast cell tumor cell lines expressing FGFR-1, PDGFR-α, and VEGFR-2.”