One Health, many perspectives: Veterinary college marks 35th Annual Research Symposium

Manali Patwardhan said she likes to see research on “what is happening from the bench in the lab to the bedside” and “how it translates from petri dishes to animals to humans.”

Her phrasings closely echo the theme of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine’s 35th Annual Research Symposium: “From Molecules to Ecosystems: Integrating Animal and Human Health Research.”

“Looking at everybody's different research, it's just going to motivate me to keep doing this more,” said Patwardhan, a doctoral student presenting her poster on a study of using electrical pulses for tumor ablation, known as H-FIRE.

The symposium, on March 27 at the Inn at Virginia Tech, brought together graduate and postgraduate students and their supporting faculty from different disciplines and departments within the veterinary college to hear, present, and discuss research built around the common One Health-inspired themes of improving the welfare of people, animals, and the environment.

“This is the opportunity for people in the college to see what other faculty and students are doing, to see the breadth of research across species and pathogen types and syndromes,” said Margie Lee, associate dean of research and graduate studies at the veterinary college.

Eli Vlaisavljevich speaking at a podium at The Inn at Virginia Tech — Eli Vlaisavljevich delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Research Symposium. Photo by Madison Brown for Virginia Tech.

Joanne Tuohy presenting her research on Histotripsy at the Research Symposium. Photo by Madison Brown for Virginia Tech.

Jan Eberth, one of the faculty speakers at the Research Symposium, delivering her research at the event. Photo by Madison Brown for Virginia Tech.

The symposium went beyond the veterinary college for its keynote speaker, though Eli Vlaisavljevich, an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics within the College of Engineering, is very familiar within the veterinary college for collaborative research on non-invasive cancer treatments.

Vlaisavljevich directs the Therapeutic Ultrasound and Non-Invasive Therapies Laboratory and gave the symposium an extensive update on advances and research with histotripsy, a method of using high-intensity ultrasound pulses to generate bubbles in tissue that can dissolve cancerous cells as they break up.

Joanne Tuohy, associate professor of veterinary oncology, and a frequent collaborator with Vlaisavljevich, said the symposium offers opportunities to forge collaborations.

“Even though we're within the same university, we can all get busy and focused within our individual colleges and research laboratories," Tuohy said. “Events such as these provide a valuable opportunity to bring clinicians and scientists from across the university in the same room to learn about each other's research and forge collaborations.”

Annie Showers, a cardiology resident at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Ph.D. candidate who presented a poster on the mitral valve anatomy of cavalier King Charles spaniels, said the symposium helps participants look beyond their narrow research areas.

“We're just so isolated in our groups, and we're very focused on our research and what we're doing, so getting exposed to what all is being accomplished here at the college from other research groups is great, and then sometimes we find intersections of ways we can collaborate,” Showers said.

Students presenting their posters during the poster presentation at the Research Symposium. Photo by Madison Brown for Virginia Tech.

Jinger Lei speaking at the research symposium — Jinger Lei, one of the graduate student speakers at the Research Symposium. Photo by Madison Brown

(At right) Ira Blader speaking at the Research Symposium. Photo by Madison Brown for Virginia Tech.

Graduate student Marianne Beaulieu presenting her research at the Research Symposium. Photo by Madison Brown.

A student presenting their research poster during the Research Symposium. Photo by Madison Brown for Virginia Tech.

A total of 79 graduate and doctoral students presented posters highlighting their research projects, also giving faculty judges and anyone else who was interested a detailed verbal description of their research. Eight students gave short spoken presentations to the entire gathering — for many a first taste of several podium talks they will give during their careers.

“It’s a safe space for their first time out to really show what they're doing,” Lee said.

Prince Obeng, in his second year as a Ph.D. student, was looking for input on his research about small colony variants of biofilms.

“I am hoping, first and foremost, to get feedback on what I've been doing for the past two years, and also to connect with people, network with other students,” Obeng said. “I've learned a lot so far, things I can apply to what I'm doing.”

The event helps faculty know how they are doing, Lee said.

“It’s also our opportunity to bask in the success of the systems that we have set up for students to succeed and faculty to succeed,” Lee said. “How would we know how we're doing if we didn't have something like this?”