SVM ALUMNI
CLASS NOTES
Updates from DVM Alumni 1987-2019
A Message from the Office for Advancement
Dear alumni:
In This Issue
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I am excited to be sending you the eighth edition of the SVM Alumni Class Notes. Thank you to all who took the time to send in your news – it is wonderful to hear about everything our UW School of Veterinary Medicine alumni have been doing during this particularly challenging past year.
1987
Rod Kuenzi Jean (Bonnie) Sander Jeff Zuba
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1988-1991
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1991-1992
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2001-2004
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2006-2008
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2009
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2009-2019
Lisa Lindesmith Michele Miller (Edge) Ann Sherwood Zieser Ron Biese
Ruthanne Chun Jeff Lohmiller Carol McLaughlin
Mandi Lopez Scott Leibsle Jessica Quimby Jennifer Cyborski Tera (Forbeck) Ramig
Jamie DeSpirito Karen Vanderloo Jennifer Bennett
Heidi Hemmett Jennifer Lorenz
Suzanne McKichan Laura Beck Seth Oberschlake Kallie Kapitanek Rheba Mabie Zimmerman Marie (Kettler) Sikora Rachel Hancock
Typically around this time I would be seeing many of you in person during our alumni receptions at the Western Veterinary Conference (WVC) and the VMX conference, but I look forward to connecting with you – be it in person or virtually – at the rescheduled events later this year. Similarly, decisions about on-campus alumni events, including our traditional SVM alumni reunion and fall tailgate, are on hold as public health guidelines continue to evolve. We will share updates as soon as more information is available. In the meantime, there are a number of other ways for you to stay connected to the school and your fellow graduates throughout the year. I encourage you to visit the alumni section of the SVM website (vetmed.wisc.edu/alumni) or read the bi-monthly Alumni e-news to keep up with the latest news, alumni events, and ways to get involved. As you may have seen, the SVM Alumni Advisory Board is now accepting nominations for the 2021 SVM Alumni Awards, which include distinguished service awards for both DVM and graduate program alumni, as well as a Young Alumni Award for DVM graduates. I urge you to consider nominating an exemplary classmate or colleague for one of these awards. Nominations are due on March 14, 2021. To see the full award criteria and nomination requirements, visit vetmed.wisc.edu/svm-alumni-awards. Again, thank you for staying in touch. On, Wisconsin!
Kristi V. Thorson Associate Dean for Advancement and Administration kristi.thorson@wisc.edu On the cover Top Row (left to right): Jenni Cyborski DVM’04; Jessica Quimby DVM’04; Bottom Row (left to right): Michele Miller (Edge) DVM’88; Rachel Hancock DVM’19.
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SVM ALUMNI CLASS NOTES | 2020
vetmed.wisc.edu/svm-alumni-class-notes
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[1987]
Jean (Bonnie) Sander
After a very satisfying career as a boarded poultry veterinarian, I chose to retire in 2020. Although I spent most of my professional life in academia as a professor at University of Georgia, associate dean at Ohio State and then dean at Oklahoma State, I ended my career working as a technical services vet for Zoetis, where I was a part of the dream team of poultry veterinarians. I have greatly enjoyed all aspects of my veterinary career and credit UW School of Veterinary Medicine for giving me the flexibility to be creative in developing my senior year to include experiences that were not mainstream. Perhaps this was a perk of being a member of the first class. Thanks all!
Photo by Dr. Teal Dowling of a Targhee lamb.
Rod Kuenzi
If hindsight is 2020, I am looking forward to having 2020 behind us. Through the many challenges of this past year one thing stays the same: the rhythm of our farm. My sanity time goes from mending fences, to pasture management, to putting up hay, to shearing. The list of enumerable jobs never quite gets done, but they are always done in home isolation, and at an extreme social distance — an obvious fact that I never really appreciated until this year. 2021 will notch my 53rd lambing season. It is my sincere hope that the arrival of this spring’s lambs will also signal the end of the pandemic. Everyone stay safe and stay healthy.
Jeff Zuba DVM (right) on Lake Mohawksin, Wisconsin sadly down by one musky to Brad Poff (left)!
Jeff Zuba
(Submitted by classmates Terry Dew and Brad Poff) Friends of Jeff Zuba DVM’87 regret to inform you that Jeff has retired from the San Diego Safari Park after 30+ years of exceptional global clinical excellence and endangered species leadership. We fear that Jeff will now demand so much more of our precious time that we will forever regret this noteworthy event. WAY TO GO JEFF! Looking forward to musky fishing with you.
[1988]
[1990]
Lisa Lindesmith
My big news is that my business partner Holly Hamilton DVM’89 and I have taken the first step in the direction of slowing down to retirement and sold our clinic to Mission Veterinary Partners. I feel like it was a bigger decision than opening the clinic was 20 years ago! We are happy with the decision and continue to practice, as we had before, as medical directors instead of owners. It’s been harder to fit in new acupuncture cases this year, but I’m still glad I can offer that tool for patient care. Nothing else exciting to report as I’m sure, like everyone, Toni and I have not traveled much of anywhere this year. Cheers to all of you and to a new year that brings hope for a better world and the other side of this pandemic.
Research group and Kruger veterinary team with an immobilized white rhinoceros.
Michele Miller (Edge)
My training at UW-Madison and the friendship of my classmates have helped me achieve my life dream of working with wildlife in Africa. I moved to South Africa permanently in 2013 as a full professor on the faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University, working on animal tuberculosis and One Health. However, I live full-time in Kruger National Park with my partner, Dr. Peter Buss, who is the senior wildlife veterinarian for the park. Together we work on improving immobilization procedures, disease surveillance and diagnostic test development, with a focus on rhinoceros health. I lead a research group of postgraduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and scientists based at the campus in Cape Town. We were doing virtual meetings even before the pandemic. I never imagined a student from Wisconsin could be so lucky! 4
SVM ALUMNI CLASS NOTES | 2020
2020 socially distanced family vacation to Yellowstone National Park.
Ann Sherwood Zieser
Professionally, I celebrated 30 years at Middleton Veterinary Hospital. It seems like just yesterday that I was a brand new, shiny graduate with my new lab coats heading off to my first day at the clinic. There has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears shed over the years (literally, not figuratively). Also professionally, the year 2020 was one hell of a year to serve as Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association President. It was challenging and educational, with not too many dull moments. On the personal front, my daughter, Emily, is working in La Crosse, Wisconsin with youth and adults with disabilities. She helps them live more independent lives and meet their goals. My son, Benjamin, has had to deal with graduating high school during a pandemic and also starting his freshman year of college at UW-La Crosse. He lasted in college for nine days before the dorms were put on lock down and learning switched to 100 percent virtual. He made the decision to remain at home for first semester but plans to return for second semester.
[1991] Ron Biese
I am still working full-time at the same clinic that I started at nearly 30 years ago. My wife and I have two children and have five grandchildren, with the sixth due in July.
Part of the extensive Biese clan.
We love being grandparents. It’s the best gig around.
Ruthanne Chun
I can’t believe it will be 30 years since graduation this May. Working at the school, I can still hear echoes of the ongoing sheepshead game. Every class really does have their own personality, and I miss ours. Jim and I are doing well. We all avoided getting COVID so far. Our son Elliot is a high school senior, planning to major in linguistics and also maybe psychology. Our daughter Althea is in 8th grade; she is a prolific Tik-Tok mimicker. Both are managing well enough through the pandemic, missing being with their friends but managing. I hope you are all safe and well.
[1992]
Christmas 2020 in the McLaughlin home.
Carol McLaughlin
Our Eli, at 6 months, trying fruit and cereal.
Jeff Lohmiller
We hope this message finds all doing their best during this challenging time with so many highs and lows this past year. We were blessed on June 6, 2020 by the birth of our first grandchild, Elijah Jay Dami. This joyous event helped us focus on positive events during the difficult year. Being a grandparent is joy beyond description. We have been very lucky to have seen him several times while Lauren and Joe remain at Fort Drumm, three and a half hours away. We have also been very thankful that our family and friends have remained healthy and employed during the pandemic. We know so many families where this has not been the same. We are also humbled by the courageous actions of all of the frontline employees that have worked tirelessly for months to support us. What a time to reflect for sure. We wish for a 2021 with greater hope and joy.
I hope everyone is staying well in all this craziness! I worked from home already, for Nationwide Pet Insurance, so haven’t been too affected. I still am doing a couple of relief shifts a month at a hospital. I added a border collie pup to my pack in April and recently foster-failed on one of my fosters. I was so bored during lockdown, and I taught my border collie a bunch of tricks. She’s so smart and a quick learner! I’m still having fun training and doing all the dog sports. I have a soft spot for the abandoned, stray, surrendered, pregnant mamas we get into the rescue and I foster. There are two litters at my house right now and another due in about 20 days. If anyone ever needs a puppy fix, come visit! I hope we’ll be able to meet in person for our 30-year reunion in 2022 and that you all have a great 2021!
vetmed.wisc.edu/svm-alumni-class-notes
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[2004]
[2001] Mandi Lopez
(Photo 1, Page 7)
As Director of the Laboratory for Equine and Comparative Orthopedic Research at Louisiana State University (LSU), I was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors in 2017, in recognition of the patents awarded to me for medical devices that contribute to the health and well-being of both humans and animals. I have served in the LSU faculty senate for many years and am currently serving as the faculty senate president.
[2003] Scott Leibsle
(Photos 3, Page 7)
In January 2021, I accepted the position of Idaho State Veterinarian at the Idaho State Department of Agriculture in Boise. I had previously been serving as the Deputy State Veterinarian for Idaho since September 2011. In that role, I was responsible for overseeing the administration and enforcement of all of Idaho’s laws and rules pertaining to livestock, Grade A and raw milk dairies, and animal care investigations, as well as advancing the Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) program and providing outreach and education to stakeholders in Idaho’s livestock industries. This is a welcome and exciting opportunity for me to continue my career in an industry and state that I love. I currently live in Meridian, Idaho with my wife Amanda, 6-year-old daughter Allison and 3-year-old son John.
Jessica Quimby (Photo4, Page 7)
I am currently a tenured associate professor at Ohio State University in small animal internal medicine with feline chronic kidney disease as my field of study. I was greatly honored to be awarded the 2019 AVMA/Winn Feline Foundation Research Award for advancing feline health through research and also the 2018 International Renal Interest Society award for achievement in research in the field of veterinary nephrology.
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SVM ALUMNI CLASS NOTES | 2019
Jennifer Cyborski
(Photo 2, Page 7)
In the many years since graduation, I’ve lived in Washington state doing mixed-animal practice, finished an internship at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine and moved back to Wisconsin, where I was an emergency vet at the Fox Valley Animal Referral Center for 9 years. Professionally, I’ve served on the boards of both the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society and the Northeastern Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association. In 2018, I became the owner of Birch Bark Veterinary Care, a small animal practice in Kimberly, Wisconsin, which has kept me busy. My husband, Neil, and I are looking forward to a time when we can travel again; we enjoy adventuring in locales with warm water and pretty fish for scuba diving and snowy mountains for skiing. In the meantime, the pandemic has made us count our blessings — including more time together to cook new recipes and spend with our two dogs and flock of chickens. The furred and feathered members of our household are thrilled their people are home to provide more attention and treats — biscuits and mealworms, respectively.
Tera (Forbeck) Ramig
(Photo 5, Page 7)
We had lots of exciting changes in 2020! Our family moved to a 10-acre horse farm and finally moved all the critters home, including three goats. We added a new associate and a veterinary assistant to our practice as we continue to grow. I have been back in the field full-time and focusing most of my attention on equine reproduction, but I have been dabbling in goat artificial insemination, as well. We are excited for 2020 to be over and excited for what 2021 will bring, both professionally and personally.
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5 1) Mandi J. Lopez, DVM, MS, PhD 2) Jenni Cyborski with her dogs Finn and Nova 3) Scott Leibsle with his wife, Amanda, and his children John and Allison 4) Jessica Quimby 5) The staff of All Points Equine LLC (left to right): Kristen Fenstermacher VMD, Tess Horvath-assistant, Sue Eckhart-office manager, Tara Zentner DVM, and Tera Forbeck-Ramig DVM
vetmed.wisc.edu/svm-alumni-class-notes
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[2006]
Karen Vanderloo
I’ve spent the last few winters rediscovering my love for snowboarding. I began training to join the National Ski Patrol (NSP) as a snowboard patroller in December 2018, passing the “on-the-hill” toboggan course the following March. In November 2019, I passed the National Ski Patrol’s Outdoor Emergency Care class, earning the title of Alpine Patroller for the NSP. I now spend my Saturday afternoons snowboard patrolling at a tiny hill west of Madison, where alpine, telemark, and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, fat-tire biking, and ski jumping are all taught and practiced. It’s a great way to keep active all winter and my kids love tagging along on my patrol shifts.
[2008]
Jamie DeSpirito
I am currently the chief of staff of Ringwood Animal Hospital in New Jersey. Outside of work, I have an awesome toddler, a pack of dogs and a house that is under constant rehab.
[2007]
Drs. Lindsay Hornickel (left) and Jennifer Bennett (right) at the office of Senator Patty Murray of Washington State at the 2020 AVMA Fly-In on Capitol Hill.
Jennifer Bennett
Karen Vanderloo, right, with the two other patrollers with whom she completed her ski patrol candidate year.
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SVM ALUMNI CLASS NOTES | 2020
Since 2017, I’ve been the Medical Director for the City of Seattle and the Seattle Animal Shelter, where I manage the municipal shelter medicine program and a public spay/neuter surgery clinic. In 2019, I formed SAVeSS (Seattle Area Veterinarians in Shelter Services) as a support networking group for veterinarians who support shelter and spay/neuter services in the Puget Sound area. I was also elected to a three-year term as a board member of the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association and currently serve as the board secretary. I traveled to Washington, D.C., in 2020 to represent
Washington State at the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Fly-In on Capitol Hill to lobby on behalf of veterinarians nationally, urging Congress to approve employer contributions to student loans and appropriations for the establishment of a national health laboratory network. I am also busy raising and showing Cavalier King Charles Spaniels under my hobby business, Apple Branch Cavaliers.
[2009]
Jennifer Lorenz
I am currently working on opening a small and large animal rehab facility west of Madison in Blue Mounds. The small animal side is done, and I’ve been seeing patients. Hopefully this spring the large animal side will be completed. It’s exciting to finally have a physical location for my business. In addition to already being certified in acupuncture and spinal manipulation, I’m almost done with my certification for small animal rehab and next plan on becoming certified in equine rehab.
Heidi Hemmett
I moved permanently back to Madison last fall after my wife, MSgt. Jalayne Powers, retired from the Air Force. Her private practice, Healthy Balance Vet, provides acupuncture, spinal manipulation, massage and rehab services, by house call, to the local community. Building this practice in 2020 has been difficult, yet very rewarding. I’ve been providing local veterinarians with consults on challenging cases that may be responsive to acupuncture. This modality can be an effective treatment option for clients that decline surgery (e.g., intervertebral disc disease). More information can be found at: healthybalancevet.com. vetmed.wisc.edu/svm-alumni-class-notes
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Suzanne McKichan
(Photo 1, Page 11)
I don’t have any big updates; I’m still operating my solo equine practice in the Wisconsin Dells. Every year gets better as I get to know my clients more, meet great people all the time, and get closer to the work-life balance that works for me. A fun side-project that I have embraced is the biannual “Vet Day” at Midwest Horse Welfare Foundation, where I do volunteer vet work with enthusiastic UW-SVM students and other vets, including Jennifer Lorenz DVM’09. My children, 8 year-old Levi and 6-year-old Rylee, are a lot of fun and keep me busy driving them around to playdates, karate, and gymnastics. They also have their own horses, and if I bribe them with the right snacks in their saddlebags, they will usually come along on trail rides with me. My husband, Ryan, will sometimes ride too, although he spends a lot of his weekends working on our house or planning the next project. Life is good, and I try to not take anything for granted. I’m so proud of all my classmates and think of you often, especially my many good memories with Rosanna (Pérez-Freytes DVM’10). I know her spirit lives on.
[2013]
Laura Beck
(Photo 2, Page 11)
My husband and I welcomed our second child, Silas, on July 1, 2020. I also made the change from small animal private practice to shelter medicine in November 2019 and am now the staff veterinarian at the Oshkosh Area Humane Society. I am loving shelter medicine and all of the challenges and rewards it brings!
[2014] Seth Oberschlake
After a few years of being a partner, I am now going to be the owner of Heritage Animal Hospital, Ltd.!
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SVM ALUMNI CLASS NOTES | 2020
[2016] Kallie Kapitanek
(Photo 3, Page 11)
I have been working as a mixed-animal veterinarian at practice in Byron, Illinois since I graduated from school. I live with my husband in the tiny town of Lindenwood, Illinois, and this year our dogs officially outnumber us with Bucky, Badger, and Brewer.
Rheba Mabie Zimmerman
This year I accepted an associate position at the Waunakee Veterinary Clinic in Waunakee, Wisconsin, joining a great doctor team of all University of Wisconsin SVM graduates! Since I started during the COVID-19 pandemic, I look forward to seeing the non-masked faces of my coworkers Wesley Arnett DVM’06, Stacy Skoraczewski DVM’10, and Sarah Thornberg DVM’12…eventually!
[2019] Marie (Kettler) Sikora
(Photo 4, Page 11)
I got married! Although the name change was a process, we couldn’t be happier! Daine and I currently live in Stoughton, Wisconsin, and I have continued to work at Badger Equine Veterinary Services.
Rachel Hancock
(Photo 5 Page 11)
My partner and I settled in Madison and purchased our first house. In May 2020, we welcomed our first child, Caeden James!
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1) Suzanne, Levi, Rylee and Ryan McKichan. 2) Laura Beck with husband, daughter and second child Silas. 3) Kalllie Kapitanek with husband and dogs Bucky, Badger and Brewer. 4) Newlyweds Daine and Marie Sikora. 5) Rachel Hancock and partner with newborn son Caeden James.
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SVM Alumni Class Notes is published by the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. We welcome your suggestions and contributions, though we reserve the right to edit submissions. The printing and distribution of this magazine were funded by donations to the school. To make a gift, contact Pat Bowdish at pat.bowdish@supportuw.org or 608-332-4750 or Heidi Kramer at heidi.kramer@supportuw.org or 608-327-9136.
Mark D. Markel, Dean
Please address correspondence to:
Kristi V. Thorson, Associate Dean, Advancement and Administration
Kristi V. Thorson kristi.thorson@wisc.edu 2015 Linden Drive Madison, WI 53706-1102 Phone: 608-263-9692
Pat Bowdish, Managing Senior Director of Development Medical Advancement, UW Foundation Heidi Kramer, Director of Development, UW Foundation Design & Editing: Denise Garlow and Ashley Voss
2015 Linden Drive Madison, WI 53706-1102
Non-profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID MADISON, WI PERMIT NO. 658
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