Lauren Trepanier, left, is handing off her responsibilities as assistant dean for clinical and translational research to Starr Cameron, right, as she prepares to retire after a 28-year career.
By Katie Ginder-Vogel
Lauren Trepanier retires as Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research
As Lauren Trepanier prepares to retire after a 28-year career, she’s handing off duties confident that the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) and UW Veterinary Care (UWVC) will continue to lead in the key area of clinical innovation. The SVM’s secret sauce? Its commitment to collaboration, she says.
“The SVM has a unique collaborative environment among basic researchers, clinician scientists, and full-time clinicians,” Trepanier says. “The collegiality and willingness to share ideas is really invigorating.”
The importance of clinical research to the advancement of diagnostic and treatment tools can’t be overstated, according to Trepanier, the previous Melita Grunow Family Professor in Companion Animal Health and outgoing Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research. She will retire at the end of August, with Starr Cameron (MS’21) assuming the role Sept. 1 (see sidebar).
“I couldn’t think of anyone I would trust more with this role,” Trepanier says. “Starr has the brilliance, energy, and people skills to maintain and accelerate our momentum.”
The Ryley Clinical Innovation Fund will play a key role in advancing patient care by allowing veterinary specialists to train with clinical experts around the country and access cutting-edge equipment, Trepanier says.
“The fund provides an outstanding opportunity to innovate in clinical care and propel clinical research here,” she says. “Real medical advances come from hard work, careful evaluation, and adequate funding.”
Trepanier is most proud of obtaining a $3 million U01 grant from the National Institutes of Health that was wholly devoted to training and supporting veterinarians in translational research (the submission received a perfect score), she says.
She leaves with fond memories of watching vet students, interns, residents and early career faculty blossom into confident researchers. She is excited about what’s to come at the SVM at UWVC.
“We have so much new knowledge, generated from well-designed clinical research,” Trepanier says. “We can do things for our patients now that are really inspiring.”
Starr Cameron assumes role of Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research
Starr Cameron (MS’21), Clinical Associate Professor in Small Animal Neurology and incoming Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research, looks forward to stepping into a role that enables her colleagues, the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), and UW Veterinary Care (UWVC) to continue to lead in clinical innovation.
“The leadership here has always emphasized, supported, and believed in the importance of moving things ‘forward’ — it’s the Wisconsin way,” Cameron says. “The true collaboration and openness between researchers and clinicians at the SVM is incredibly unique and the main reason for its longstanding research success.”
Research is essential for understanding and improving the world, Cameron says.
“In veterinary medicine, clinical research allows us to understand diseases more thoroughly, as well as how to diagnose those diseases faster and more accurately for our patients,” Cameron says. “It also allows us to improve the current standard of care by improving treatment options. Without clinical research, medicine would be stagnant.”
As Lauren Trepanier prepares to retire from the role (see sidebar), Cameron plans to build on her support for clinical research and faculty.
“Lauren has done an amazing job supporting clinician-scientists and clinical research within the SVM,” says Cameron. “She has provided new ideas and infrastructure for programs for veterinary students, house officers, and faculty at UW and across the country. Over the past year, we have been working together to create shared clinical lab resources for clinical track faculty, which will improve efficiency and productivity.”
The Ryley Clinical Innovation Fund provides a unique opportunity to bring cutting-edge clinical practice to patients by supporting training for clinicians.
“The fund will be used to support training for our clinicians to learn new skills, procedures, and surgeries that are not currently being offered at UWVC, the state, or, in some cases, anywhere else in the country,” Cameron explains. “Other uses of the fund will be to offset some of the cost to clients for these newer procedures to be put into clinical practice.”
Private donor funding plays a critical role in veterinary medicine and patient care, Cameron says, with much of the clinical research at the SVM funded through individual donations and grants from foundations.
Cameron says she has impressive shoes to fill.
“Lauren is one of the best clinician-scientists, if not the best, the SVM has ever seen,” Cameron says. “She is truly a legend.”