There are 6 small animal internal medicine diplomates in direct support of our residency program: Drs. John August, Mike Willard, Jöerg Steiner, Claudia Barton, George Lees, and Deb Zoran. Our internists have a wide variety of clinical expertise and experience. We are the only university to have a completely separate feline internal medicine service, headed by Dr. John August, who is editor of Consultations in Feline Internal Medicine. Texas A&M University also is the home of the Gastrointestinal Laboratory (GI Lab), directed by Dr. Jöerg Steiner. The GI Lab provides opportunities not only for clinical research in the areas of canine and feline gastrointestinal, pancreatic and liver disease, but also for significant basic research and graduate training programs. Dr. Steiner is a member of the clinical team as well. Dr. Willard is well known as a gastroenterologist and has published widely in the field of gastroenterology, but his expertise extends well beyond gastrointestinal medicine. Dr. George Lees is our resident urologist and nephrologist. He has a large and active research program studying proteinuria and the development of renal disease in proteinuric dogs. He also has started a renal pathology service and is actively involved in the development of better understanding of the role of renal biopsies in elucidating clinical disease.
Dr. Claudia Barton is double boarded in internal medicine and oncology. In addition, Dr. Barton is highly skilled in cytology and provides many opportunities through rounds and clinical training for the residents to become capable cytologists. Dr. Kenita Rogers, Associate Dean for Professional Programs, is board-certified in internal Medicine and Oncology. She provides additional support in oncology, and participates actively in oncology rounds and journal clubs. Dr. Zoran, the head of the residency training program, is also a member of the feline medicine team and has strong interests in nutrition and nutritional support of hospitalized patients. Her research has been primarily focused on nutrition and disease.
In addition to our internists, we have 3 cardiologists, 1 oncologist, 1 neurologist, 2 critical-care specialists, 2 behaviorists, 1 nutritionist, and 1 dermatologist in direct support of the program. As part of the 3-year training program, each resident will also spend time with our 5 radiologists and ultrasonographers and with our 2 clinical pathologists to gain important interpretation skills in imaging and laboratory medicine.
Didactic training for the residents includes weekly case rounds, journal club, a resident lecture series (statistics, presentation and teaching skills, board preparation reviews, etc), and specialty rounds in cardiology, oncology, and pathology. The residents are also required to present 3 seminars over their 3-year training program, which is not only valuable in development of their presentation skills, but also provides specific feedback on their projects. The residents establish their own study rounds for board preparation prior to the general and certifying examinations.
We are very proud of our residency program and our recent graduates, who have been extremely successful in completing the board examination (all of our residents, except one, have passed the certifying examination in the past 10 years). In addition, our residents have chosen widely divergent pathways to success: Dr. Reid Groman (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Amie Koenig (University of Georgia), Drs. Jennifer Fryer, Brandy Porterpan, and Caeley Melmed (private practice), Dr. Elizabeth Carsten (consulting), and Dr. Roberta Relford (IDEXX Laboratories director).
