Congratulations to our 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award winners.
- Dr. Glenn H. Cantor (’93, PhD) – Distinguished Graduate Alumni
- Dr. Thomas Meyer (’73 MS, ’78 DVM) – Excellence in Practice
- Dr. Steven M. Niemi (’82 DVM) – Excellence in Teaching and Research
- Dr. Lance Perryman (’70 DVM, ’75 PhD) – Excellence in Teaching and Research
- Dr. David Prieur (’71, PhD) – Distinguished Graduate Alumni
- Dr. Norm Rantanen (’67 DVM, ’71 MS) – Excellence in Teaching and Research
- Dr. Charles Sedgwick (’57 DVM) – Excellence in Teaching and Research
- Dr. Susan Stover (’74 BS, ’76 DVM) – Excellence in Teaching and Research
Dr. Glenn H. Cantor (’93, PhD)
Distinguished Graduate Alumni
Cantor started his career in veterinary pathology as a faculty member in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology at Washington State University. He was a successful tenured faculty professor with significant grant support, teaching responsibilities, and funded research projects. He chose to leave this productive professional path in 2002 to join Pharmacia and later Bristol-Myers Squibb focusing on Discovery Toxicology.
One of the most important aspects of Cantor’s achievements and professional life is his willingness to serve as a role model and mentor to younger veterinarians and other scientists. As an individual who excelled in teaching and is now working within the pharmaceutical industry, he provides a unique perspective to the rewards and challenges of the different career routes that young veterinary pathologists might aspire to. He has ensured throughout his pharmaceutical career to retain his focus on mentorship and teaching, both formally and informally. Cantor also is an important role model as a successful veterinarian within the pharmaceutical industry.
Cantor has been active in national and international professional societies, including the Society of Toxicology and the American College of Veterinary Pathology. He has been on the editorial board of important journals, including Metabolomics and Veterinary Pathology.
Dr. Thomas Meyer (’73 MS, ’78 DVM)
Excellence in Practice
Meyer and his wife, Dr. Jean Meyer, established the Mountain View Veterinary Hospital of Vancouver, Washington, in 1979. In 2004, he received the Veterinarian of the Year Award from the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association (WSVMA). He chaired the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) House Advisory Committee from 2002-03 and has served in the AVMA House of Delegates since 1995. Because of his interest in leadership development, Meyer is an advocate for the Veterinary Leadership Experience (VLE), an experiential leadership program for students and faculty that teaches life skills in better communication and collaboration with one another.
Dr. Steven M. Niemi (’82 DVM)
Excellence in Teaching and Research
Niemi is an excellent ambassador for veterinary medicine and the College of Veterinary Medicine. He has epitomized good teaching, research, and service throughout his career. A hallmark of Dr. Niemi’s philosophy has been to promote the science of veterinary medicine as an integral part of medicine as a whole. This concept, although not new, has just recently taken off as we view “one health, one medicine” programs at the national and international level.
Niemi took the term “comparative medicine” to a new level when he advocated for its acceptance in a more literal and universal sense (Niemi, 2006). In his essay, he indicated that by studying how a larger variety of human and animal species are treated for a given disease, that we may learn more collectively about better treatments for any of the individual groups of patients. He went on to write, “there can be no difference between human and nonhuman animals as potential sources of knowledge.”
Niemi is well-grounded in science and has placed his science background together with his veterinary degree and his post DVM training in laboratory animal medicine to the best possible use. His work at The Center for Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard University is reflective of his zeal for knowledge.
Dr. Lance Perryman (’70 DVM, ’75 PhD)
Excellence in Teaching and Research
Perryman is currently the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He also serves as the executive dean to the President’s Cabinet. Perryman first came to WSU in 1964 as an undergraduate and began the DVM curriculum in the fall of 1966. In 1968, he was an NIH predoctoral fellow in the WSU Department of Veterinary Pathology.
After receiving his DVM and Ph.D. at WSU, Perryman served as a professor and later the director of the Animal Health Research Center at WSU until 1994. That year he took a post as head of the Department of Microbiology, Pathology, and Parasitology at the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He has published more than 140 refereed scientific publications.
Dr. David Prieur (’71, PhD)
Distinguished Graduate Alumni
Prieur has been a dedicated biomedical educator and research investigator throughout his distinguished career. His record of publications is impressive in terms of the quality of journals in which he has published, and the impact of his work as evidenced by citation of his papers by other authors. He has dedicated himself to educating veterinary and graduate students through several unique programs that have increased access, diversity, and financial support for students recruited to WSU.
Prieur has made many contributions to the veterinary medical profession through his role as a department chair at Washington State University. He has served as chair for more than 24 years and has built a department with an international reputation for excellence in teaching, research, diagnostic services, and international outreach. He has been instrumental in the growth and success of the department through recruitment and support of promising young faculty members. Those faculty members were able to reach their potential because of the selfless commitments Dr. Prieur made to establishing and maintaining a collegial working environment. He secured training grant support for additional graduate students and worked steadfastly to enhance diversity of trainees. The impact of his efforts is reflected in the national teaching awards earned by departmental faculty members.
Dr. Norm Rantanen (’67 DVM, ’71 MS)
Excellence in Teaching and Research
Rantanen played a pivotal role in advancing diagnostic imaging in the veterinary profession. He graduated from WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1967 and began serving in the U.S. Veterinary Corp., first at Walter Reed Army hospital and later in Southeast Asia and Europe.
He completed a master’s degree at WSU while on active duty. After completing his service, he returned to WSU in 1976 and joined the diagnostic imaging staff as an assistant professor. He rapidly advanced his knowledge and abilities securing Diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Radiologists.
Rantanen worked tirelessly as a teacher and diagnostician. During his academic career, he authored or co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications on diagnostic ultrasonography alone. He developed numerous techniques for identification of soft tissue injuries, respiratory lesions, and the acquisition of tissue biopsies, obtained by ultrasonic guidance.
In 1983, he left WSU to begin a private imaging practice. For the next 19 years, he worked at an equine practice. Like all good pioneers, Rantanen committed considerable effort to sharing what he knew through workshops, continuing education formats, and the development of two textbooks on diagnostic ultrasound. He has lectured from Australia to North America and on to Africa and the Middle East, educating thousands of colleagues.
In 1988, he received the Pioneer Award given at the History of Medical Ultrasound meetings in Washington, D.C. In 2003, he was acknowledged by his equine practitioner colleagues for his lifetime of contributions to diagnostic imaging with the American Association of Equine Practitioner’s Distinguished Educator Award.
He served as an organizing force for the creation of the Large Animal Diagnostic Imaging Society within the American College of Veterinary Radiologists.
Dr. Charles Sedgwick (’57 DVM)
Excellence in Teaching and Research
After Sedgwick graduated from WSU, he went on to have a distinguished career in zoo medicine. Segewick has worked in some of the nation’s top zoos, including the San Diego Zoo and the Sacramento Zoo, where he was the director of veterinary services. Most recently he served as chief zoological veterinarian at the Los Angeles Zoo. He has held posts at the University of California, Davis, and Tufts University, and was the project veterinarian for Biosatellite (monkeys in space) at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is currently a consultant in zoo medicine. In 2008, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians.
Dr. Susan Stover (’74 BS, ’76 DVM)
Excellence in Teaching and Research
Stover is a professor in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology at the University of California, Davis. She has an internationally recognized program in equine racing injuries, and her research has helped inform policy changes improving the welfare of racing horses. She was the 2007 recipient of the Faculty Research Award at UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2008 she was selected as an Outstanding Women in Racing by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.