Veterinary college welcomes diverse expertise this fall with 12 new hires

Last fall, the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine significantly enhanced its academic and clinical programs with the addition of 12 new faculty members. These appointments bring a diverse range of expertise and experience to the college, promising to enhance the college’s research, teaching, and clinical capabilities. The new faculty includes specialists in areas such as virology, student success, veterinary social work, small animal surgery, emergency medicine, anatomic pathology, large animal surgery, and radiology. 

Micha C. Simons

As associate professor of small animal surgery in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Micha C. Simons focuses on small animal soft tissue surgery. Simons’ background covers everything from gastrointestinal surgeries to diagnostic biopsies to hernia repairs. In addition to performing surgery, Simons is excited to work with veterinary students.   

"My big passion is education,” said Simons “I took some time over the last few years to really focus on education — I gained a master’s in veterinary education during that time — and along with completing my residency in small animal surgery, I can merge the two disciplines and bring principles from both into the educational spaces in our classrooms’ clinical encounters.”  

Her education and veterinary training experiences motivated her to think more critically about her approach as an educator and to explore educational philosophy and course design principles.  

Jessica Black

With a wealth of experience in higher education and a passion for supporting students, Jessica Black brings a set of skills to her new role as director of DVM student success.  

Black works closely with students to ensure their holistic wellness and academic success. She oversees the Peer Mentor program, guides student organizations, and collaborates with corporate partners. 

Having worked in higher education for a decade in various roles, including student success, academic support, advising, and disability services, Black has developed a deep understanding of the challenges of creating a supportive environment where students feel comfortable seeking assistance without judgment or stigma.

"Often, students struggle with asking for help because they don't want to be seen in a way that makes them feel weak or that they don't know," Black said. “Nobody likes feeling like they don't know what's going on. So that can be challenging. So my goal is to help students proactively but also, when I meet with them, to let them know that there's no judgment and that this is an opportunity for growth, and then I'm here with them.”

Augusta O’Reilly

For a growing number of practices and veterinary colleges, veterinary social workers are key contributors to improving wellness — veterinary social workers like Augusta O’Reilly. 

Veterinarians, veterinary students, and pet owners have to make difficult choices and have hard conversations, and the grief, trauma, and stress can take a major toll. Over the past two decades, the field has pushed to improve mental health and to create a culture of wellness in order to mitigate high depression and suicide rates among veterinarians.  

O’Reilly offers a safe space where pet owners and students can process their emotions and move through grief and distress.

"My role here is to provide emotional support to the human side of veterinary medicine,” said O’Reilly. “I help clients with end-of-life decisions for their pets; interns, residents, and house officers with work/life balance and advocating for themselves; fourth-year students with navigating client interactions. Ultimately, I am here to build them up emotionally and mentally and to create a more engaging and healthier workplace for everybody."  

James Romero-Masters

James Romero-Masters joined the college as assistant professor of virology at the Center for One Health Research, a collaborative effort of the veterinary college and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Romero-Masters' primary research interest is tumor viruses, human papillomavirus in particular. The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes nearly all cervical cancers, other anogenital cancers, a growing number of head and neck cancers, and non-melanoma skin cancer.  

By using the murine papillomavirus mouse model, researchers like Romero-Masters can learn more about how viral proteins contribute to papillomavirus-induced disease.

"My research will utilize a mixture of bioinformatics, cell culture-based models, and animal models to look at the molecular mechanisms of the papillomavirus oncogenes E6 and E7, which are critical for viral replication, which can help us identify therapies for HPV infection at an earlier stage before HPV-infected lesions develop into cancer,” said Romero-Masters. 

Laura Vega

Laura Vega joined the veterinary college as a new faculty member in emergency medicine and critical care, increasing the number of critical care specialists in the emergency room and ICU and expanding the emergency capability of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. 

Vega is drawn to the fast-paced nature of emergency medicine. "Triaging a patient and stabilizing them quickly by fixing what is fixable in the short term is very gratifying," she said. "While I like emergency care, my biggest passion is the treatment of critically ill dogs and cats in ICU that need all the support we can give them to make it through" 

With her board certification from the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, Vega can contribute to the veterinary college and the broader community. Her  blend of expertise, enthusiasm for teaching, and commitment to animal care positions her as an asset to the college and a role model for aspiring veterinarians. 

Santiago Diab

Santiago Diab has joined the veterinary college as an anatomic pathologist in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology. Diab’s research interests are primarily focused on food animal diseases, infectious diseases, and gastrointestinal diseases. He’s excited about the rich opportunities for collaboration at the college.

After completing a residency in food animal health, a residency in anatomic pathology, and working for the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory and the University of California as a pathologist and faculty member, Diab ran his family’s cattle operation in Argentina for six years.

"I've always thought of myself as a hybrid type of veterinarian, with a foot in academia and a foot outside academia — always understanding the problems of the farmers, because I was one,” Diab said. “I've also worked for state institutions and public institutions. I am always trying to connect academia and the private sector, because I think there is a disconnect that's growing bigger.”

Troy Holder

Troy Holder, clinical assistant professor of large animal surgery, wants to improve the veterinary college experience for minority students. 

“That's the reason I chose Virginia Tech for my next move,” Holder said. He said campus administrators “gave the impression they did not want to be performative and actually want to make some significant changes as far as belonging and making the underrepresented minorities feel comfortable within the college. I had multiple offers, but that’s what tipped it in favor of Virginia Tech.” 

Holder also is concerned about attrition in large animal veterinary care and helping reverse those trends. He stresses the importance of a healthy work/life balance and a focus on wellness. 

Holder spent the last seven years in a similar role at Oregon State University’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine with previous stints at Midwestern University, Kansas State and the University of Tennessee as well as private practice in Texas and Oregon. 

Emily Lawrence

As a collegiate assistant professor in the Animal Care for Education (ACE) program, Emily Lawrence works with students in labs and takes care of the ACE canine instructors.   

Through the ACE program, the veterinary college opens its doors to about 30 dogs from three local shelters every fall. Students work with the dogs, improving their physical and mental health and helping them develop social skills. After their time in the program, these canine instructors are adopted into loving homes.   

Moving forward, Lawrence will work with the ACE spring spay program with the goal of expansion. In the spay program, second-year veterinary students work alongside experienced faculty members and veterinary technicians to perform free spay surgeries on cats and dogs from the community.   

"We want to find a way to expand to better serve the community with a program that provides low-cost or free services to animals in need throughout our surrounding areas. We want to figure out a way to do that while also teaching the students,” said Lawrence. 

Hanna Wachtel

As a clinical instructor of emergency medicine, Hanna Wachtel works with third- and fourth- year veterinary students and sees emergency cases at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.  

"I am really excited to work with students and build a strong foundation. I want to be there for students and encourage them to practice techniques now while they have someone helping them. Practicing medicine the first year out of school is scary no matter how prepared they are, but I want them to feel as confident as they can."  

After completing her doctor in veterinary medicine degree at University of California, Davis, Wachtel completed a one year, emergency-focused rotating internship at a private practice in Arizona. She practiced for about six years at a multi-specialty private practice in Arizona, followed by a year in South Carolina doing emergency and urgent care relief work.  

"With emergency medicine, you get to see all kinds of cases. You never know what's going to come through the door, and it's always something different and exciting,” said Wachtel. 

Jessica Cowley

Jessica Cowley is part of the Production Management Medicine (PMM) team, which provides on-the-farm care for animals within a 35-mile radius of Blacksburg. As an assistant clinical professor, Cowley teaches students completing their Production Management Medicine rotations. 

"This is by far the most robust ambulatory department I've seen, and I really appreciate how this university uses the PMM department to really teach vet students what real life large animal veterinarians do," said Cowley. The college's Production Management Medicine veterinarians are the primary clinicians for many of the clients they see, which means that students see more than just referral cases.

Cowley is a diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists, but with Production Management Medicine, she does more than only theriogenology work. She also works with veterinary students from all tracks.

"I also appreciate that all vet students go through PMM, not just the food animal trackers. That experience is good for passing boards — but, for example, there's a lot of pet goats out there now, and there's no reason a small animal practitioner can't see a pet goat. Because of that, I think everybody should go through PMM,” she said.

New radiology faculty

The Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences has recently welcomed two clinical assistant professors of radiology, Michael Ciepluch and Michael Edwards.  

Ciepluch earned his DVM from Ohio State University in 2013, and after completing a small animal rotating internship, he worked as a lecturer of small animal primary and emergency care at Texas A&M University and as a freelance emergency relief veterinarian at over 30  practices around the country. He then began a radiology residency at the college, which he completed in 2023.  

After completing his DVM at the college and working two years in practice, Edwards entered the college’s biomedical and veterinary sciences Ph.D. program, followed by a postdoctoral program at Virginia Tech. He then began a residency in radiology, which he completed in 2023.