Research Assistant Earns Young Investigator Award

Dr. Karin Hoelzer has been awarded a Young Investigator Award and will present her research at the 2008 Merck-Merial NIH Scholars Symposium in August. Hoelzer, a graduate research assistant at the Baker Institute for Animal Health, will offer "The road to viral emergence - understanding the emergence of canine parvovirus," which is based on research conducted in the laboratory of Colin Parrish and in close collaboration with Professor of Biology Edward Holmes from Pennsylvania State University.

Prior to the 1970s, the ancestor of the parvovirus that we now know as canine parvovirus was found only among cats. Today canine parvovirus is found among dogs and relatives of dogs throughout the world, with slightly different forms of the virus appearing in different geographic regions.

The Merck-Merial NIH Veterinary Scholars Symposium brings together outstanding scientists and veterinary scholars who have been engaged in mentored research experiences over the course of the summer in colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada. Veterinary scholars share their research findings in poster sessions and have the chance to hear and interact with scientists from diverse fields. A major theme of this year's meeting is "International Veterinary Medicine: Facing Global Threats to Human and Animal Health."