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Year in Review Highlights: WFA Launches Canine Study with NIH, Tufts, Grants Research Funding, Awards Veterinary Scholarships
The Westie Foundation of America paves the way towards better health and well-being for the West Highland White Terrier Breed. It isn't just our mission, it's our passion” - Bebe Pinter, President of the Westie Foundation of AmericaHOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, December 31, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- The Westie Foundation of America (WFA), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and well-being of the West Highland White Terrier breed, celebrates progress made in 2024 that moves efforts forward for the Westie breed.
"The Westie Foundation of America paves the way towards better health and well-being for the West Highland White Terrier Breed. It isn't just our mission, it's our passion," said Bebe Pinter, President of the Westie Foundation of America.
2024 Milestones for the Westie Foundation of America:
In a first, the WFA collaborated with the National Institutes of Health's environmental institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, to launch a canine study focused on a deadly lung disease that occurs naturally in the Westie breed as well as in humans. The study, being carried out at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, is now launched and is currently enrolling West Highland White Terrier dogs with suspected or confirmed pulmonary fibrosis (PF) also known as Westie Lung Disease and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).
To enroll a dog or learn more, email WFA at .... Veterinarian Elzabeth Rozanski, DVM, is an associate professor at Tufts and is an emergency and critical care veterinarian and will be carrying out the study in collaboration with WFA and NIH. The study is funded by the WFA and its donor partners.
List of Research funded by the WFA in 2024:
- Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Study, with Elizabeth Rozanski, DVM, DACIM, DACVECC at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and Stavros Garantziotis, MD, of the National Institutes of Health on 4MU for Palliation of Pulmonary Fibrosis in Dogs. Funded December 2024
- Diagnostic Screening for Cancer using Raman spectroscopy with Dr. John Robertson. Rametrix Technologies, Inc. (RTI) - Westie Foundation of America, Inc. (WFA), Canine Cancer and Health Research Partnership (CCHRP), Rametrix Technologies, Inc. - Phase 1. Funded June 2024
- Partnership grant with Canine Health Foundation - Canine Health Foundation Grant #3166-A, Domenico Santoro, DVM, MS, DrSc, PhD, and Aline Rodrigues Hoffman, DVM, PhD, Evaluation of the Effects of Diluted Sodium Hypochlorite on Skin Microbiome in Dogs with Superficial Pyoderma and Atopic Dermatitis, a Single-Blinded, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial, University of Florida. Funded June 2024
- Partnership grant with Canine Health Foundation - Canine Health Foundation Grant #3215-A, Ching Yang, DVM, Phd, Investigation of the Role of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Phenol-soluble Modulins (PSMs) in Canine Pyoderma, Long Island University. Funded June 2024
Philanthropic Advances:
The WFA launched two major donor-funded endowments last year that in 2024 continue to focus on two of the most deadly and confounding conditions afflicting the breed. The Thomas & Roxanne Austin Endowment for Atopic Dermatitis (with current research underway in Switzerland) and the Karen R. Here Endowment for Research in Cancer Affecting West Highland White Terrier Dogs Fund.
Other donors may also designate gifts to these endowments or donate separately. to make a tax-deductible donation, visit: .
In efforts to support the next generation of great veterinarians, WFA is launching a new donor-supported program at University of California Davis with a longterm plan to support veterinary students. The program is named the Thomas & Roxanne Austin / Westie Foundation of America Veterinary Scholarship. The first scholarship from the new program will be awarded in 2025.
WFA funded three educational veterinary fellowships in 2024 for vets in training. Recipients of this year's awards are:
- Ankita Gupta, PhD, a DVM (doctor of veterinary medicine) candidate at North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her PhD in neuroscience, specializing in chronic pain, in 2023
- Skylar Carstairs is a DVM candidate at the University of Florida and received a Bachelor's Degree from University of Florida and an Associates of Arts Degree from Indian River State College. Her focus is on canine reproduction.
- Dana Ford-Hrymak, BVMS, MRCVS earned her veterinary degree from the University of Glasgow College of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery and is currently a resident at The Ohio State University. Her interest is in chronic enteropathy.
The WFA surveyed constituents this year to learn more about what the WFA can do to further support Westies and their owners, breeders and care givers. Marketing expert, Joanie Flynn provided expertise and production of the survey. Flynn also will join the WFA Board of Directors for 2025.
The WFA's annual online auction fundraiser supports the work of our all-volunteer team. The 2024 event raised thousands of dollars auctioning collectibles such as art and jewelry.
The organization announced a new Social Media presence with a brand new Facebook page. Join the page and interact with the WFA and Westie lovers at: .
To make your tax-deductible donation to support efforts to improve the lives of Westies and other canines, donate at: . . Thank you.
About the Westie Foundation of America: (WFA):
The Westie Foundation of America, Inc. is a non-profit organization recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization. The mission of the Foundation is to provide financial aid and other support for the medical research to benefit the health and quality of life of West Highland White Terriers, and to develop and communicate information regarding the health care, breeding, and quality of life of Westies to Westie owners, Westie breeders, and veterinarians. To find out more about the WFA's Biobank and other efforts, or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit:
Teresa Barnes
WFA
+1 303-521-4080
email us here
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