Veterinary Medicine

From animals to people and back again

Penn researchers are studying the propensity of SARS-CoV-2 to cross between species, and they are working to protect people, pets, and wildlife from COVID-19 infection.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Gut cells sound the alarm when parasites invade

A chain reaction led by cells lining the intestines tips the immune system off to the presence of the parasite Cryptosporidium, according to a study led by researchers in the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Vision researchers honored by End Blindness 2020

The Outstanding Achievement Prize highlights the contributions of the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Gustavo D. Aguirre and the Perelman School of Medicine’s Jean Bennett and Albert M. Maguire toward a gene therapy for a form of blindness.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Five Penn faculty elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Five faculty from Penn are among the newest members of the National Academy of Medicine: William Beltran of the School of Veterinary Medicine, Matthew McHugh of the School of Nursing, and Ronald DeMatteo, Raina Merchant, and Hongjun Song of the Perelman School of Medicine.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Tracking the working dogs of 9/11

A study of search and rescue dogs led by the School of Veterinary Medicine showed little difference in longevity or cause of death between dogs at the disaster site and dogs in a control group.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Progress toward a treatment for Krabbe disease

The inherited disease, which typically kills children before their second birthday, has no cure, but a School of Veterinary Medicine study in a canine model offers hope for an effective gene therapy with lasting results.

Katherine Unger Baillie



In the News


WHYY (Philadelphia)

Saving Philly’s bats, one DIY condo at a time

The Wildlife Futures Program at the School of Veterinary Medicine has facilitated the design and construction of wooden bat boxes to be installed in campus parks, with remarks from Julie Ellis. The project is the brainchild of Penn undergraduate Nick Tanner.

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Voice of America

Can honeybees and dogs detect cancer earlier than technology?

Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center are training dogs to recognize certain cancer odors.

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The Scientist

Dogs engage in scent-sational science to sniff out staphylococcus bacteria

Meghan Ramos and Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues are training dogs to detect infections that accumulate on orthopedic implants after surgery.

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CBS News

Cats that fetch are more common than you might think. New study finds 41% of felines retrieve

A study co-authored by James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine finds that 41% of cats fetch.

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Scientific American

Do cats really hate water?

Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine says we tend to think cats are unique in not liking water, but there are also many dogs that do not like water.

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The Conversation

Cats and dogs both like to play fetch − it’s rooted in their hunting instincts

James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine explores just how common fetching is and what characteristics of a cat or dog and their environment are likely to predict fetching.

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