Researchers Named 2018 AKC Canine Health Foundation Clinician-Scientist Fellows

Listen to this article

To sustain future advancements in canine health, the AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF) announced the recipients of the 2018 AKC Canine Health Foundation Clinician-Scientist Fellowships:

Kathryn Dalton, VMD, MPH, is a PhD student in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Under the mentorship of Dr. Meghan Davis, Dr. Dalton is researching microbial communities and how they relate to human and canine health.

Shelby Gasson, DVM, is a PhD student in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Texas A&M University. Dr. Gasson is this year’s AKC Canine Health Foundation GCHP Hill Country’s Let’s Get Ready To Rumble “Rumble” Clinician-Scientist Fellow. Under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Saunders, Dr. Gasson is researching the development of tissue engineering constructs for treatment of osteochondral defects.

Mariah Gentry, DVM, is a veterinary post-doctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. Under the mentorship of Dr. Margret Casal, Dr. Gentry is researching the heritability of renal dysplasia in Cairn Terriers, and aims to develop a DNA-based marker test so the disorder can be diagnosed at an early age.

Sita Withers, BVSc(Hons), is a PhD student at the University of California, Davis. Her mentor is Dr. Robert B. Rebhun. Dr. Withers is studying how naturally occurring canine cancers can contribute to the understanding of immunotherapeutics in dogs as well as people, with a focus on osteosarcoma.

“This class of fellows was selected from a highly competitive field of candidates,” said Dr. Diane Brown, AKC Canine Health Foundation chief executive officer. “We look forward to their progress in advancing the health of dogs.”

Established in 2013, the AKC Canine Health Foundation Clinician-Scientist Fellowship Program seeks to encourage and support the next generation of canine health researchers to sustain future advancements in canine health.

Additional considerations for selection of awardees include conducting research in line with CHF’s mission, and preference is given to residents/graduate students at institutions which have demonstrated progress and success with current and prior CHF funding. Each fellowship includes $10,000 for research and $2,000 for presentation of results at a national scientific meeting.