Joanne Tuohy has joined the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech as an assistant professor of surgical oncology in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Services.

A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons with a background in integrative cancer care and translational research, Tuohy is currently based at the college’s Blacksburg campus, where she practices in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She was recruited to Virginia Tech to develop a surgery service that will be housed in the Comparative Oncology Research Center (CORC), a state-of-the-art clinical and research facility anticipated to open in spring 2020 in Roanoke, Virginia.

“I am very honored to have the opportunity to be part of the veterinary medical team at Virginia Tech and to be involved with the development of CORC, which presents the extremely exciting potential of becoming a renowned veterinary oncology center and a center for translational oncology research,” said Tuohy, whose research focuses on extending survival time in dogs with osteosarcoma.

Illustrative of the college’s dedication to working across disciplines to achieve optimal health for people, animals, and the environment, CORC will be a vital part of the Virginia Tech Carilion Health Sciences and Technology Campus, which is adjacent to the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. The new center stands to capitalize on a strikingly rare opportunity to integrate researchers investigating a range of human and veterinary biomedical interests that seek to advance cancer treatment in pets and people alike.

“Dr. Tuohy is an outstanding addition to our oncology research team, and we are thrilled to have her join our faculty. As one of an elite group of veterinary surgical specialists with fellowship training in surgical oncology, she will enhance the surgical therapeutic options for our oncology patients,” said Gregory Daniel, the college’s interim dean. “She brings a level of training and expertise that is quite unique.” 

Of some 2,000 board-certified veterinary surgeons in the U.S., only a small percentage have also earned a Ph.D. and an even smaller percentage have completed fellowship training in surgical oncology. At this early stage in her career, Tuohy is an accomplished researcher recognized with awards at every stage of her training. Significantly, she comes to the university with close, collaborative working relationships with sarcoma researchers at Duke University and plans to engage research groups across Virginia Tech.

After completing a bachelor’s degree in Greek and Latin, magna cum laude, from Mount Holyoke College, Tuohy went on to earn a doctor of veterinary medicine degree, magna cum laude, from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. in comparative biomedical sciences (immunology) from North Carolina State University.

Tuohy is a member of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology, the Veterinary Cancer Society, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and Phi Zeta, the academic honor society of veterinary medicine. A frequent presenter at conferences and symposiums, she has worked on multiple research grant teams and has already contributed to nearly a dozen manuscripts appearing in such publications as “Veterinary Sciences,” “Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine,” and “Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.”

— Written by Juliet Crichton

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