ARCHIVE EQUINE NEWS STORIES

The departments of Clinical Studies and Pathobiology welcomed new faculty members recently.

OVC Bulletin
Dr. Lance Bassage, an equine surgeon educated and trained in the United States, returns to academia following several years in private practice as staff surgeon at Rhinebeck Equine LLP in Dutchess County, New York.

"I wanted to return to academics for many reasons, including to teach and to enjoy the multidimensional nature of an academic position," said Bassage, who is board-certified and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine.

Following an internship and three-year residency at Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center, he was an assistant professor at Tufts and the University of Illinois.

"The OVC has an excellent reputation, and the position for which I was hired fit nicely with my background and interests."

Bassage's research interests revolve around equine orthopedics, joint disease, lameness and regenerative medicine.

"In terms of teaching, I particularly enjoy the clinical training of students, interns and surgery residents. My practice interests mirror my research interests to some degree: orthopedic surgery, sports medicine and lameness issues, and upper respiratory surgery."

Along with publishing in a variety of professional journals and textbooks, he serves on the editorial review board and was recently named Associate Editor of the journal Veterinary Surgery. Bassage is also an avid cyclist and triathlete and enjoys fishing and other outdoor activities.

Dr. Brandon Plattner is the Department of Pathobiology's new anatomic pathologist. Born and raised in Kansas, he has degrees in agriculture and veterinary medicine from Kansas State University. He worked for three years in mixed-animal practice until 2005, when he began a combined anatomic pathology residency and graduate program at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Last year, Plattner successfully completed his PhD in veterinary pathology at Iowa State and board exams with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. A married father of three, he is excited about starting a new phase of his career in Guelph."This is a great opportunity, which I confirmed when I started asking friends and colleagues about OVC and the department's research reputation," Plattner said.

"After meeting everyone here last year, and then visiting again with my family, we decided it would be a great place to raise our kids and build my career."

Plattner's research interests include the mechanisms of atypical mycobacterial infections, particularly Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) infection in cattle (Johne's disease).

"I am interested in the innate host immunopathology of early MAP infection, in particular the role that gamma-delta T cells play in this process."