AKC Canine Health Foundation 2022 Summer Veterinary Student - Brooke Gallagher

Communicating science effectively is a high priority for the AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF). So is supporting the next generation of canine health researchers and veterinarians. To achieve both goals, this summer we welcomed Colorado State University veterinary student Brooke Gallagher into our virtual midst as a Summer Veterinary Student

"Over the summer, I was given the opportunity to work as a veterinary student intern for the AKC Canine Health Foundation,” says Ms. Gallagher. “My primary goal for the summer was to create infographics summarizing both CHF-funded research and other peer-reviewed studies that would be informative and accessible to a wide variety of audiences.”

The future veterinarian worked to create a variety of pictorial summaries of work published by CHF-funded investigators as well as on topics of importance such as the best age at which to spay/neuter a dog and interpretation of genetic testing.

Ms. Gallagher recently described her experience: “I worked closely with the Chief Scientific Officer at CHF to create and edit the infographics, making this a very collaborative experience. I was able to refine my skillset in reading and understanding veterinary-related scientific literature and develop new skills in interpretation and communication of scientific literature for a broader audience.”  Now that her time with CHF is finished, she commented “I had so much fun as an intern at CHF and am very thankful for the connections I’ve made this summer as well as the skills I have gained from this experience!"

The feeling is mutual. “We were thrilled to have the future Dr. Gallagher with us as she worked very independently yet was also tremendously open to feedback,” says CHF Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Jennifer MacLeay.

In addition to her work this summer for the Foundation, Brooke also works in the laboratory of CHF-funded investigator Dr. Stephanie McGrath studying the effect of CBD oil in canine epilepsy patients.

As part of the internship, Ms. Gallagher presented her work to the Fort Collins, CO community and at the 2022 National Veterinary Scholars Symposium held at the University of Minnesota. Ms. Gallagher lives in Colorado with her husband and two dogs.