Name:
Seng Wai (Darrel) Yap
Title:
Clinical Assistant Professor in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging
Hometown:
Melbourne, Australia
Educational/professional background:
Bachelor in Veterinary Science (2007) from the University of Sydney; five years in general practice in Melbourne, Australia; two-year internship University of Sydney; one-year internship at Carolina Veterinary Specialists (Greensboro, NC); four years of residency at Colorado State University, Boarded Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology 2019.
What attracted you to UW-Madison?
The sense of comradery, colleagues whom I know and respect, and the beautiful town of Madison.
What was your first visit to campus like?
During our initial trip to Madison, we got to spend some time at the Terrace, getting to spend time along Lake Mendota with my daughter taking pictures with Bucky Badger.
Favorite place on campus?
I honestly haven’t explored much given I arrived in the middle of COVID, but I did enjoy looking out over the Observatory Drive scenic outlook on a date night with my wife.
This is a unique point in time, as we’re returning after more than a year of pandemic. What do you most look forward to?
I most look forward to seeing Madison open up, seeing live music, and getting to enjoy the Madison I’ve been told so much about.
Do you feel your work relates in any way to the Wisconsin Idea? If so, please describe how.
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I feel we are uniquely poised to be able to make a difference not just in this state, but across the country and throughout the world. With advances in medical technology in an exciting era of diagnostic imaging and therapeutics, we at the SVM have the opportunity to pioneer advances not only in veterinary health care, but to bridge the gap and develop translational models that will influence human medical care.
What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter at parties, now that we can attend them again?
I often work with a variety of species, modalities and a multitude of different disease processes. We often use translational principles in bridging knowledge gaps and, as such, are in a unique position to not only affect the lives and well-being of our animal companions, but as veterinarians, we have the unique opportunity to provide leading-edge research that may translate to improved human medical care. Both my colleagues and I have recently been involved in work validating animal models for COVID-19 research.
Hobbies/other interests:
Snowboarding, guitar, traveling to national parks and spending time with my girls who are my life.