Society for Comparative Endocrinology

The Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland, invites applications for a position in the field of small animal endocrinology.

The successful candidate will be part of our research group, which works with cats naturally affected by diabetes mellitus and with experimental models of the disease. Our research is focused on normal and abnormal ß- cell function and morphology and on new treatment strategies in feline diabetes.

Projects are conducted in close collaboration with senior clinicians of the Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, the Institute of Veterinary Physiology and the Institute of Virology of the Vetsuisse faculty as well as with other research groups in Zurich and abroad.

The successful candidate should have completed an ECVIM-CA/ACVIM or ECVCP residency program and should be board certified or board eligible; previous research experience is advantageous.

He/she will be expected to participate in ongoing projects and actively contribute to further development of the research group. Supervision and guidance of endocrine projects of master students, residents and doctoral students are further responsibilities of the position.

The employment will be full-time; payment according to the salary guidelines of the University of Zurich. Starting date will be preferably September 2012 or upon mutual agreement.

We invite interested candidates to submit their CV together with two letters of reference.

For further information please contact Dr Eric Zini, ezini@vetclinics.uzh.ch.

Electronic applications can be addressed to: msekey@vetclinics.uzh.ch.

Postal address for applications:
Prof. Dr. Claudia Reusch, University of
Zurich, Vetsuisse Faculty, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8057 Zurich,
Switzerland

We are pleased to announce that the recipient of the Jack Oliver Graduate research award is Ms. Isabelle Padrutt from the University of Zurich for her proposal “Use of an implantable pump to deliver insulin in cats”. We look forward to hearing the results of her study. Congratulations to Ms. Padrutt!

With support from Purina, Dr Patty Lathan’s students at Mississippi State University have put together a great set of videos. Check them out for a light-hearted take on veterinary endocrinology!

Here’s a sample:

You can see the full series of videos here and also see the contributions from last year.

In this recent news article , The University of Tennessee acknowledged the SCE’s Jack Oliver Graduate Research Award and specifically noted the contribution that Dr Jack Oliver made to the veterinary profession. The SCE Board would also like to highlight this letter that was received directly from Dean Thompson at The University of Tennessee.

The Society for Comparative Endocrinology (SCE) is pleased to be able to establish an award in honor of the contribution made to veterinary endocrinology by Dr Jack Oliver.
The SCE requests proposals for funding research projects conducted by graduate students/residents in the field of veterinary endocrinology. The aims of the SCE are to promote understanding and research in veterinary endocrinology and to develop research skills and professional interest in endocrinology among graduate students and residents.
The award will be in the amount of US$5,000 (plus US$2,000 available for travel to present results) and the expectation is that the researcher will present their findings at the ACVIM Forum.
The closing date for applications for the 2011/12 round electronic submissions is December 23rd 2011.
Please download an application packet to submit an application.

Dr Jörg Steiner and his colleagues at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine are currently enrolling dogs with chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus for a treatment trial with cyclosporine. The aim of this study is to evaluate cyclosporine as a novel therapy for dogs with difficult to regulate diabetes mellitus and chronic pancreatitis. There is some evidence in the human literature that chronic pancreatitis may have an underlying immune-mediated etiology and anecdotally, cyclosporine has resulted in improved diabetic control in dogs with chronic pancreatitis as a cause of insulin resistance. Qualifying cases will receive Atopica free of charge for the trial period of six weeks. For more information please contact Dr Heather Kvitko-White at hkvitko-white@cvm.tamu.edu.

Veterinarians at Colorado State University are currently recruiting dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism for a study to evaluate the efficacy of stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) for the treatment of pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH). Stereotactic radiation therapy is a very promising new treatment option for canine pituitary tumors. This technique delivers a highly focused dose of radiation to the tumor, allowing for fewer fractions of treatment and less radiation of surrounding tissue, as compared to conventional radiation therapy. The investigators have successfully used this technology for the treatment of feline pituitary tumors.

Dogs that are eligible for inclusion in the study must have a diagnosis of PDH based on endocrine testing and clinical signs that are mild enough that medical therapy is not required. Also, dogs should not have neurological signs associated with the pituitary tumor. A complete blood count, biochemical profile, urinalysis, urine culture, and blood pressure must be completed prior to enrollment in the study. Chest radiographs and an abdominal ultrasound may also be required at the discretion of the investigators.

In order to enroll, dogs must meet the entry criteria and owners must be available to bring their dogs to CSU to undergo SRT treatment. A brain MRI and CT in all dogs will be performed, and 3 doses of radiation therapy will be delivered to the pituitary tumor. These procedures will be completed within 5 days. Endocrine testing will be performed in dogs before SRT, and at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-SRT. The total cost to the owners after enrollment into the study is $1200 (including brain imaging, anesthesia, SRT planning and administration, and endocrine blood tests).

For questions or enrollment, please contact Dr. Kathy Lunn, BVMS, MS, PhD, MRCVS, DACVIM (970-297-4010; Email:Kathy.Lunn@colostate.edu)

The ESVE has kindly made their 2010-2011 literature survey available for SCE members. The password-protected file is available here for download. Please contact Dr Peter Chapman if you do not have the password.

You can now pay your annual SCE dues online using Paypal’s secure server. Follow this link or navigate to Membership – Pay Dues using the top menu.

Welcome to the new SCE website. Parts of this site are still under construction and will be updated over the next few weeks. You can still access all the information on the old website here.