Journal Award Winner Minisode: Elasmobranch Medicine and Research

Ever wondered how veterinary medicine extends beyond land animals to the fascinating world of aquatic species? Join us as we spotlight David Minich, an AJVR Intern Award winner, who shares his groundbreaking research on Robenicoxib pharmacokinetics in smooth dogfish. Transitioning from studying terrestrial creatures to diving into the aquatic realm, David encounters unique challenges and abundant opportunities in treating infectious and inflammatory conditions in elasmobranchs, such as sharks and rays. Discover how this remarkable recognition not only honors his accomplishments but also ignites his passion for advancing zoo and wild animal medicine.

Tune in for a conversation rich with David's insights and advice for aspiring veterinary researchers. He underscores the value of diverse reading, the strength of mentorship, and the importance of perseverance through the peer review process. With heartfelt thanks to his mentors at the Indianapolis Zoo, David reflects on the guidance that has shaped his journey. Whether you're a veterinarian, a researcher, or simply an enthusiast of zoo and aquatic animal care, this episode offers inspiration and practical tips for forging ahead in the world of veterinary science.

David's award-winning AJVR article: https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.23.06.0130

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Transcript

Sarah Wright 0:00

You are listening to Veterinary Vertex, a podcast of the AVMA Journals. In this episode we chat with AJVR Intern Award winner, David Minnick.

Lisa Fortier 0:15

Welcome to Veterinary Vertex. I'm Editor-in-Chief Lisa Fortier, and I'm joined by Associate Editor Sarah Wright. Today we had David joining us from his new residency, University of Illinois. David, I know it's super busy to be a new resident, so thank you so much for taking time to be with us here today.

David Minich 0:31

Thanks so much for having me.

Sarah Wright 0:33

All right, let's dive right in. So, David, you were an Intern Award winner for your AJVR article Pharmacokinetics of Robenicoxib after a single intramuscular dose in smooth dogfish. What was your reaction when you found out that you were nominated? And then when you found out you had won?

David Minich 0:48

Yeah, well, certainly a very big honor to have been nominated and then ultimately to win. So I was obviously just very happy and it was just a huge honor to win and be considered along with the other manuscripts.

Lisa Fortier 1:01

David, it's not every day I get to talk to somebody who's interested in smooth dogfish. What sparked your research interest in this topic?

David Minich 1:09

Yeah, so all the previous research I've been involved with and have published has always focused on terrestrial animals. So, I knew I wanted to challenge myself and focus the work on an aquatic animal, and clinically infectious and inflammatory conditions are some of the most prevalent conditions seen in elasmobranchs and so we have very limited treatment options for those species. So, I knew I wanted to challenge myself by looking at something aquatic but then also hopefully make a therapeutic impact in the clinic as well.

Lisa Fortier 1:43

For those who might not know, what's an elasmobranch and what is a smooth dogfish?

David Minich 1:48

Yeah, so elasmobranchs are simply sharks and skates and rays and smooth dogfish are a small shark species.

Lisa Fortier 1:58

Yeah, it's super exciting on the part of the AVMA and JAVMA and AJVR to have these awards. You might know that we had such an overwhelming response to nominations this year that we doubled the number of awards. So for each journal we gave out like, for example, you're an intern winner in AJVR, we gave out four intern in AJVR and four intern in JAVMA. It's really, really exciting to be able to implement these. How has winning this award affected your outlook on your career path?

David Minich 2:28

In the field of zoo and wild animal medicine. There's just simply so much that we just don't know and just haven't figured out yet for many of the species that we treat and encounter on a daily basis, and so the opportunity to share this manuscript and receive this recognition is just motivation for me to continue to pursue new research avenues and make new discoveries to hopefully advance the field and the care that we can provide these animals.

Sarah Wright 2:57

Very well said. Always lots to be done in the zoo aquatic world.

David Minich 3:01

Very much so.

Sarah Wright 3:03

So, David, this manuscript was submitted when you were an intern at the Indianapolis Zoo and now you're currently the Illinois Zoo and Aquatic Animal resident. How has your training prepared you to write this manuscript?

David Minich 3:15

Well, I'm very lucky to have very supportive mentors over the past few years, both in veterinary school and before and during and after the manuscript was composed, and that have helped me with study design and have been involved with all those different projects, and so it's certainly just their guidance and mentorship throughout the year helped with the ultimate composure of the manuscript.

Sarah Wright 3:39

Would you like to give a shout out to any of your mentors?

David Minich 3:42

Well, since this was published while I was at the Indianapolis Zoo, Dr Proudfoot, Dr Fayette and Dr Bowman, of course.

Sarah Wright 3:49

Very nice, always nice to look back and say thank you when we get to where we want to be.

Sarah Wright 3:55

So what advice would you share with veterinary interns that are hoping to publish manuscripts?

David Minich 4:00

Yeah. So I'd say, spend a lot of time reading other literature published both on the topic of interest and topics that are separate from what you might be studying, because this will give you a better idea of principles of study design, how to design a study, collect data, present data and then discuss it as well. I would also say rely on your mentors, reach out if you need help, and then just remember that the peer review process and publishing can sometimes be challenging. It can sometimes be frustrating, but don't give up on it.

Lisa Fortier 4:37

It's unfortunate. The peer review process is challenging and frustrating. We try really really hard at JAVMA and AJVR to keep this culture of being author friendly. We recognize that you know many of our authors are interns, residents, students, other folks that may have not have published very much, so it shouldn't be punitive. We really want this is important information to get out there and to encourage people to keep writing.

David Minich 4:58

Very much so.

Lisa Fortier 5:03

And it's also great to know that mentorship is alive and well out there. The other I like what you said about make sure you read the literature, because I agree the very first thing to start with is what's known in the literature and what is the knowledge gap. So you're not doing a me too right that this is known in this species and I'll do it in this species. Oftentimes that's very important. You know, most a lot of human health care practitioners don't understand how incredibly diverse, even within one group llamas, alpacas how different they can be.

Lisa Fortier 5:32

So super important to keep reading.

David Minich 5:35

Yeah I agree

Lisa Fortier 5:38

As we wind down a little bit, we try to keep these short to get you back into your residency. We have a fun question to ask. We're always learning from this one, except mostly from the oncologist, where we get a very similar answer. But what is the oldest or the most interesting item on your desk or in your desk drawer?

David Minich 5:56

So, I have a small clay carving of a pangolin on my desk that I got during a trip to the country of Laos while I was helping with some wildlife rehabilitation work. And pangolins they're the most trafficked mammal in the world and so just the carving is kind of just a little reminder of all the good work and all the important work being done in zoos and aquaria and then also out in those native ranges, and for me it's just motivation to continue to learn as much as I can and then hopefully treat those patients and those species the best I can.

Lisa Fortier 6:30

Also another opportunity, David, for you to educate our listeners a little bit. What do you mean by that? They are the most trafficked animal.

David Minich 6:37

Yeah, so just as part of the illegal wildlife trade, they are heavily trafficked all around the world for different properties that are not necessarily true or factual. A lot of belief-based medicine there, and so unfortunately it's causing pretty significant declines in wild populations.

Sarah Wright 6:58

Yeah, pangolins are super cool. I definitely enjoyed working with them during my preceptorship at Brookville Zoo when I was a veterinary student and I didn't know much about them, honestly, before that.

David Minich 7:06

So they're amazing.

Sarah Wright 7:08

Definitely, and just thank you again, David. We appreciate you being here and for submitting your manuscript to AJVR.

David Minich 7:15

Thank, you.

Sarah Wright 7:17

Congratulations again to all of our journal award winners. Do you have a student, intern, or resident author you would like to nominate? Nominate them today, please see our website for further instructions. You can read David's manuscript in AJVR using your favorite search engine. I'm Sarah Wright joined by Lisa Fortier. We want to thank each of you for joining us on this episode of the Veterinary Vertex podcast. We love sharing cutting edge veterinary research with you and we want to hear from you. Be sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple podcasts or whatever platform you listen to.