WSU College of Veterinary Medicine announces recipients of 2012 alumni awards

Dr. Terry Brown grew up on a farm in Sprague, WA. He obtained a BS degree in Animal Nutrition from WSU in 1970. After 2 years performing medical research for the Army he moved to private practice in Longview, WA. In 1979 he was recruited to manage and serve as a staff veterinarian at the newly formed Pet Emergency Clinic (PEC) in Spokane. For over 30 years he led ongoing development of the PEC, recruiting numerous specialists to the practice. At least 20 students who worked at the PEC under the mentorship of Dr. Brown went on to graduate from the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Brown approached cases in an intelligent analytical fashion, as well as using practical common sense. The term “Grace under Fire” comes to mind when describing Dr. Brown.

Dr. Steven Budsberg, professor and director of clinical research at the University of Georgia enhances knowledge within the veterinary community through research, teaching residents and veterinary students, mentoring of young faculty, and supporting clinical research. Dr. Budsberg’s research has had a major impact on the understanding of osteoarthritis, gait mechanics and orthopedics. He is also a leader in the study of use of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) in pain management. He established an internationally recognized research laboratory in musculoskeletal research, and is the recipient of over five million dollars in research funding. He has assisted over 35 other laboratories worldwide to establish the force plate technique for gait analysis and has published more than 95 peer-reviewed research papers and 90 research abstracts. Dr. Budsberg is the recipient of numerous awards for research excellence including the AVMA-AKC Excellence in Caine Research Award, Pfizer Animal Health Award and University of Georgia’s Creative research medal.

He has served on numerous scientific boards and grant review committees and is currently the Chair of the Council on Research of the American Veterinary Medical Association. He is a member of several professional organizations including the AVMA Council on Research, Veterinary Orthopedic Society and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons; serving as the president from 2008 -2009.

Dr. E.E. Elefson had an extraordinarily successful career in private practice at the Northwest Veterinary Clinic from 1969-1998. Growing up on a dairy farm some of his earliest interactions with professionals were with the family veterinarian. After graduation he was inducted into the Air Force Veterinary Medical Corp. and was assigned to the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory where he worked with other health professionals to address complex medical issues associated with space travel. In 1965 he was an instructor and graduate student at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri, completing his Ph.D. in 1969. He then joined the Northwest Veterinary Clinic (NVC) as a full time dairy practitioner; a career that continued for 30 years. The NVC veterinarians were innovative. For example they published the first paper on diagnosis and surgical correction of the displaced abomasum. Working with local dairymen Dr. Elefson and the NVC team moved the technique of embryo transfer from a research tool to a practical application with resultant improvement in the genetic quality of meat and milk. He recognized the value of collaboration and was the co-founder of the International Embryo Transfer Society. Dr. Elefson’s accomplishments were recognized by the WSVMA in 2003 when he received their Veterinarian of the Year Award. On a personal note, Dr Elefson has a positive attitude about everything, work and life in general, which makes it fun to be around him.

Dr. Robert Franklin’s priorities are to provide the best care for his animal patients and clients and to be sensitive to the strong feelings of the human-animal bond. He served for nine years on the board of the Delta Society and under his leadership a capital campaign raised 7.6 million dollars to build the Delta Society headquarters in Bellevue, Wash. The Delta Society now has over 11,000 volunteer pet Partners in 50 states and in 16 countries. Dr Franklin has lectured widely about the compelling research results on how animals impact human health. He has presented lectures on animal welfare and human-animal bond at the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association meetings and helped bridge efforts between the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association and the Oregon humane shelter. He has also provided leadership for the development of Hospice guidelines for the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Franklin received the Veterinary Service Award from Region 6 of the American Animal Association in 1995 and the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association Animal welfare award in 2000. He is board certified in internal medicine and currently owns an internal medicine referral practice in Oregon.

Poppe has served his country with the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and most recently as the assistant surgeon general for force protection. He has earned diplomat status in the American College of Preventative Medicine and has risen through the officer corps to the rank of brigadier general, a rank rarely achieved by veterinarians serving in the U.S. military. He has served in multiple domestic postings around the U.S. and in Turkey and Korea. He has also provided veterinary support during deployments in Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, and he assisted with the USDA’s Avian Influenza Task Force in Virginia. Poppe has received at least 15 achievement or meritorious service awards, including the Legion of Merit, the Army Commendation medal and the National Defense Service Medal. He also received the Washington State University Alumni Association (WSUAA) Alumni Achievement Award for outstanding accomplishments in veterinary preventive medicine and distinguished military leadership in October 2012. A devoted graduate, he has also regularly returned to WSU to guest lecturer in Dr. Mushtaq Memon’s International Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Gary Seawright served as a base veterinarian and preventive medicine officer in the Air Force after graduation, where he addressed epidemiologic issues, taught food sanitation to Turkish food handlers and laid the groundwork for a rabies vaccination program in a Turkish community. Military service was followed by a trainee program at the National Institutes of Health and an assistant professorship in large animal virology and biologics at Ames, IA. He then worked as a scientist and program manager at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The program goal of the Los Alamos Lab was to assist scientists and technologists in national laboratories and universities with the prospect of commercializing their innovations through the entrepreneurial process. Dr. Seawright’s vast experience, both theoretical and pragmatic, in the application of veterinary science gave him the skills and knowledge to develop innovative technologies in radiofrequency identification (RFID) to identify and monitor livestock remotely. After proving the valuable functionalities of his novel transmitter and transponder prototypes in animal applications he realized that there were many other potential fields of application such as tracking containerized cargo. Dr. Seawright formed the company Amtech (now Transcore) that ultimately provided hundreds of jobs while modernizing worldwide transportation. He left Amtech to begin another entrepreneurial enterprise, Americulture which produces and markets juvenile and adult tilapia. Dr. Seawright’s diverse career is a strong testimony to the versatility inherent in the education received as a veterinarian.