Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Walls!

Here are the latest photos from the construction site.



The contractors have studs up for the walls, and will soon be routing the electrical and plumbing through them. This image was taken from what will be an exam room. You can see the entrance in the background.










This was taken from the lobby, looking in towards the consultation room.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Meet our director!


Dr. Rosemary LoGuidice will be the Center's interim director. She will be the public face of the Center, and she will be a wonderful advocate for its programs. She's an Illinois graduate, and she's proud to be back. It's been terrific to work with someone who's so enthusiastic about the College.

I asked her a few questions to get to know her, and this is what she said:

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born in Albany, NY, but spent most of my life in Illinois (Geneseo, near the Quad Cities in the western part of IL). I am a 1981 Graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine; I spent 8 years at the U of I. My undergraduate degree was in Agricultural Science. I was fortunate to spend 6 years singing in the U of IL Women's Glee Club, and even got to participate in a 3 week concert tour of Europe with the WGC!

I was in private practice (equine, food animal and dogs and cats) for 20 years. I've been active in organized veterinary medicine, including serving as president of the Illinois State Veterinary Medicine Association (ISVMA). I have worked at the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) from 2001 until leaving in 2009 to work at the new
University of Illinois Chicago Center for Veterinary Medicine.

I love the shooting sports. I also work with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a Hunter Safety Education Instructor. I am a member of a women's shooting organization. We promote safe shooting activities and introduce women and anyone really to the shooting sports.


I enjoy golf, although I am not good at it. It's more important to have fun than to make yourself miserable trying to be good! :-)


I enjoy working with my dog at agility and "dock dog" activities. If I can keep up with him, I'll be ok!

Tell us why you’re excited about the Center.
This is a tremendous opportunity to provide veterinary students with primary care veterinary experiences. Learning about the day to day operations and events in private clinical practice in addition to the knowledge base they receive at the main teaching hospital and veterinary school is very important for a student to develop the proper skills needed to be comfortable in private practice upon graduation. I look forward to working with area practices as well as incorporating input from the services available at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

The opportunity for me to return to clinical work, be a part of the college at the
Chicago Center for Veterinary Medicine, work with students and to develop canine rehabilitation services are all reasons I am excited! Besides, I'll get to wear orange and blue every day, if I want to. What could be better for an Illini?!

Tell us about your pets/your experience with animals.
My first pets were a pair of chickens, "Sarge" and "Private" when I was about 8 years old; I progressed to "Peanuts" the hamster, then "Grigio" a gerbil, then "Napoleon" a black 1/2 Siamese cat that was actually trainable: for one trick, he would meow outside my bedroom window for me to lower a basket on a rope so I could pull him up (1 story high is all) into my bedroom. My first and only horse, that I had for 16 years, was the first horse I ever saw born (I was 13 at the time), "JJ Socko". Unfortunately, he and I were hit by a drunk driver when I was riding him and he was killed. I then acquired a great dog, "TJ". He was an Australian Cattle Dog, and way too smart! He would ride with me in my practice truck on calls with me. After "TJ", I adopted an abandoned cat, "Smudge", a white and yellow domestic short hair that I still have. In June 2008, "Otter" (a field-bred English Cocker Spaniel) came to live with me and he is a true delight....most of the time. He and Smudge amuse each other and me!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Meet our new employees!

We have two new employees. Rosemary Burke has joined us as the Assistant Director for Business and Client Services. Kelsie Dolezal is our Head Veterinary Technician.





Here is a photo of them taken at the construction site. Tracey Hlede, our first DVM, joined them at left, with Rosemary in the middle, and Kelsie on the right.







I asked Rosemary and Kelsie a few questions to get to know them, and here is what they said:

Rosemary:

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
A: I have a background in healthcare and operations management. My experience includes working for healthcare supply companies as well as at the University of Illinois Medical Center. During college I spent summers working at an animal hospital. I love animals of all kinds!

Q: Tell us why you're excited about the Center.
A: I believe the Center will have a truly positive and significant impact on Chicago's pets, pet owners, Vet Med students, and the Chicago veterinary community and I am very excited to be a part of it.

Q: Tell us about your pets/your experience with animals.
A: Currently I have a six year old male shepherd mix named "Flags." Past pets have included a variety of dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and a crow.

Q: Tell us something about yourself that few others know.
A: I am fascinated by sharks! This started during a snorkeling trip in Belize where by odd circumstance I got to hold a baby nurse shark.


Kelsie:

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
A: Originally from Goshen, Indiana, I attended Purdue University and graduated with my Bachelors of Science in Veterinary Technology in 2004. While in school, I did both my externship and half my practicum in Alaska. The other half of my practicum was completed at the Animal Behavior Clinic in the Purdue Veterinary Teaching Hospital. After graduation, I took a months road trip to ski in the western United States, and ended up settling in Chicago where my boyfriend (now husband) is from. Working at Animal Medical Center of Chicago for almost 3 years in small animal general practice, I was ready for a move to research. I was employed by the Rush University Comparative Research Center for almost 2 years. My job at Rush mostly consisted of anesthesia for many different species, from mice to goats! Both my jobs were great experience's from which I gained knowledge and wonderful friends! In my free time I like to play in the snow (or shade, depending on the season) with my boxer, Pnut. I also enjoy eating my chef husband's food, doing crafty things like sewing and jewelry making, dancing, hiking and anything outdoors. I love Chicago, but being from northern Indiana I still love to get out of the city and enjoy the farmland!

Q: Tell us why you're excited about the Center.
A: I am SO excited about the center because it is going to be a teaching facility for both veterinary and veterinary technician students. Working at Rush we were able to teach quite a bit of Principal Investigators and Medical Students how to properly handle and care for their research animals. I found I really enjoyed that aspect of my job and decided I was ready to use my experiences to help educate vet and tech students. They are our future in the veterinary field and I want to make sure vet students understand how important technicians are and how to utilize them to their fullest ability.

Q: What's your funniest animal story?
A: I guess one of the funniest things I've seen is how much pigs love to be scratched! If you start to scratch them on their backs they will move around and make sure you get them in all their itchy spots. Pigs are great to watch too, so smart!

Q: Tell us something about yourself that few others know.
A: I love poop! Parasitology, that is! Parasitology in a general practice consists of taking a sample of your pet’s feces and looking at it under the microscope, identifying tick and mite species, fleas, and sometimes worms. In tech school I excelled in parasite identification and actually considered a career in a parasitology lab. I believe the eggs we see under the microscope are works of art, and if blown up, would make a great decoration in your home or office.

New construction photos

Here are the latest photos from the site:



In this first picture, you can see that the contractors have spent a lot of time working above the future ceiling. These things won't be seen, but will be well appreciated. They've installed the "race track" that will hold the network cabling. They've also got the water lines in. The trenches for the drains have been filled, and just need a topcoat. Next, they'll draw the layout of the facility on the floor, and use this as a guide to put up the walls.






I couldn't resist taking this shot out the front window. More snow was soon to fall, and it was a typical Chicago winter scene. But before I know it, spring will be here, and so will the Center.