Journal Award Winner Minisode: Elasmobranch Medicine and Research

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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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Episode Transcript

Sarah Wright (00:00):
You are listening to Veterinary Vertex, a podcast
of the AVMA Journals.
In this episode we chat withAJVR Intern Award winner, David
Minnick.

Lisa Fortier (00:15):
Welcome to Veterinary Vertex.
I'm Editor-in-Chief LisaFortier, and I'm joined by
Associate Editor Sarah Wright.
Today we had David joining usfrom his new residency,
University of Illinois.
David, I know it's super busyto be a new resident, so thank
you so much for taking time tobe with us here today.

David Minich (00:31):
Thanks so much for having me.

Sarah Wright (00:33):
All right, let's dive right in.
So, David, you were an InternAward winner for your AJVR
article Pharmacokinetics ofRobenicoxib after a single
intramuscular dose in smoothdogfish.
What was your reaction when youfound out that you were
nominated?
And then when you found out youhad won?

David Minich (00:48):
Yeah, well, certainly a very big honor to
have been nominated and thenultimately to win.
So I was obviously just veryhappy and it was just a huge
honor to win and be consideredalong with the other manuscripts
.

Lisa Fortier (01:01):
David, it's not every day I get to talk to
somebody who's interested insmooth dogfish.
What sparked your researchinterest in this topic?

David Minich (01:09):
Yeah, so all the previous research I've been
involved with and have publishedhas always focused on
terrestrial animals.
So, I knew I wanted tochallenge myself and focus the
work on an aquatic animal, andclinically infectious and
inflammatory conditions are someof the most prevalent
conditions seen in elasmobranchsand so we have very limited

(01:32):
treatment options for thosespecies.
So, I knew I wanted tochallenge myself by looking at
something aquatic but then alsohopefully make a therapeutic
impact in the clinic as well.

Lisa Fortier (01:43):
For those who might not know, what's an
elasmobranch and what is asmooth dogfish?

David Minich (01:48):
Yeah, so elasmobranchs are simply sharks
and skates and rays and smoothdogfish are a small shark
species.

Lisa Fortier (01:58):
Yeah, it's super exciting on the part of the AVMA
and JAVMA and AJVR to havethese awards.
You might know that we had suchan overwhelming response to
nominations this year that wedoubled the number of awards.
So for each journal we gave outlike, for example, you're an
intern winner in AJVR, we gaveout four intern in AJVR and four
intern in JAVMA.

(02:19):
It's really, really exciting tobe able to implement these.
How has winning this awardaffected your outlook on your
career path?

David Minich (02:28):
In the field of zoo and wild animal medicine.
There's just simply so muchthat we just don't know and just
haven't figured out yet formany of the species that we
treat and encounter on a dailybasis, and so the opportunity to
share this manuscript andreceive this recognition is just
motivation for me to continueto pursue new research avenues

(02:51):
and make new discoveries tohopefully advance the field and
the care that we can providethese animals.

Sarah Wright (02:57):
Very well said.
Always lots to be done in thezoo aquatic world.

David Minich (03:01):
Very much so.

Sarah Wright (03:03):
So, David, this manuscript was submitted when
you were an intern at theIndianapolis Zoo and now you're
currently the Illinois Zoo andAquatic Animal resident.
How has your training preparedyou to write this manuscript?

David Minich (03:15):
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 themanuscript was composed, and
that have helped me with studydesign and have been involved
with all those differentprojects, and so it's certainly
just their guidance andmentorship throughout the year

(03:36):
helped with the ultimatecomposure of the manuscript.

Sarah Wright (03:39):
Would you like to give a shout out to any of your
mentors?

David Minich (03:42):
Well, since this was published while I was at the
Indianapolis Zoo, Dr Proudfoot,Dr Fayette and Dr Bowman, of
course.

Sarah Wright (03:49):
Very nice, always nice to look back and say thank
you when we get to where we wantto be.
So what advice would you sharewith veterinary interns that are
hoping to publish manuscripts?

David Minich (04:00):
Yeah.
So I'd say, spend a lot of timereading other literature
published both on the topic ofinterest and topics that are
separate from what you might bestudying, because this will give
you a better idea of principlesof study design, how to design
a study, collect data, presentdata and then discuss it as well

(04:20):
.
I would also say rely on yourmentors, reach out if you need
help, and then just rememberthat the peer review process and
publishing can sometimes bechallenging.
It can sometimes be frustrating, but don't give up on it.

Lisa Fortier (04:37):
It's unfortunate.
The peer review process ischallenging and frustrating.
We try really really hard atJAVMA and AJVR to keep this
culture of being author friendly.
We recognize that you know manyof our authors are interns,
residents, students, other folksthat may have not have
published very much, so itshouldn't be punitive.
We really want this isimportant information to get out
there and to encourage peopleto keep writing.

David Minich (04:58):
Very much so.

Lisa Fortier (05:03):
And it's also great to know that mentorship is
alive and well out there.
The other I like what you saidabout make sure you read the
literature, because I agree thevery first thing to start with
is what's known in theliterature and what is the
knowledge gap.
So you're not doing a me tooright that this is known in this
species and I'll do it in thisspecies.
Oftentimes that's veryimportant.
You know, most a lot of humanhealth care practitioners don't

(05:25):
understand how incrediblydiverse, even within one group
llamas, alpacas how differentthey can be.
So super important to keepreading.

David Minich (05:35):
Yeah I agree

Lisa Fortier (05:38):
As we wind down a little bit, we try to keep these
short to get you back into yourresidency.
We have a fun question to ask.
We're always learning from thisone, except mostly from the
oncologist, where we get a verysimilar answer.
But what is the oldest or themost interesting item on your
desk or in your desk drawer?

David Minich (05:56):
So, I have a small clay carving of a pangolin on
my desk that I got during a tripto the country of Laos while I
was helping with some wildliferehabilitation work.
And pangolins they're the mosttrafficked mammal in the world
and so just the carving is kindof just a little reminder of all
the good work and all theimportant work being done in

(06:18):
zoos and aquaria and then alsoout in those native ranges, and
for me it's just motivation tocontinue to learn as much as I
can and then hopefully treatthose patients and those species
the best I can.

Lisa Fortier (06:30):
Also another opportunity, David, for you to
educate our listeners a littlebit.
What do you mean by that?
They are the most traffickedanimal.

David Minich (06:37):
Yeah, so just as part of the illegal wildlife
trade, they are heavilytrafficked all around the world
for different properties thatare not necessarily true or
factual.
A lot of belief-based medicinethere, and so unfortunately it's
causing pretty significantdeclines in wild populations.

Sarah Wright (06:58):
Yeah, pangolins are super cool.
I definitely enjoyed workingwith them during my
preceptorship at Brookville Zoowhen I was a veterinary student
and I didn't know much aboutthem, honestly, before that.

David Minich (07:06):
So they're amazing .

Sarah Wright (07:08):
Definitely, and just thank you again, David.
We appreciate you being hereand for submitting your
manuscript to AJVR.

David Minich (07:15):
Thank, you.

Sarah Wright (07:17):
Congratulations again to all of our journal
award winners.
Do you have a student, intern,or resident author you would

(07:42):
like to nominate?
Nominate them today, please seeour website for further
instructions.
You can read David's manuscriptin AJVR using your favorite
search engine.
I'm Sarah Wright joined byLisa Fortier.
We want to thank each of youfor joining us on this episode
of the Veterinary Vertex podcast.
We love sharing cutting edgeveterinary research with you and
we want to hear from you.
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