One of Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences’ graduates and Emeritus faculty—Dr. Roger Panciera—was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) at the 57th Annual American College of Veterinary Pathologists meeting held earlier this month in Tucson, Ariz.

One of Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences’ graduates and Emeritus faculty—Dr. Roger Panciera—was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) at the 57th Annual American College of Veterinary Pathologists meeting held earlier this month in Tucson, Ariz.

Currently, there are approximately 3,000 active ACVP members. Only 31 members have been recognized with the honor of Distinguished Member.

Dr. Panciera graduated from Oklahoma State University (then Oklahoma A&M College) with the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) degree in 1953. He went on to earn M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Veterinary Pathology from Cornell University in 1955 and 1960 respectively. He also holds diplomacy in ACVP, qualifications for which requires a minimum of three years of post-D.V.M. training in veterinary pathology and successfully passing a four-part examination.

“The honor of Distinguished Member is awarded to a select few diplomates who have truly made outstanding contributions to the scientific field of veterinary pathology and to the ACVP,” explains Anthony Confer, D.V.M., Ph.D., Diplomate ACVP and Pathobiology Department Head at the Veterinary Center.

Dr. Panciera joined the faculty at OSU in 1956 and has had a stellar career. He has more than 110-refereed scientific publications spanning a career in veterinary pathology that exceeds 50 years. Dr. Panciera is responsible, in whole or in part, for the original pathologic descriptions of several diseases known today. These include: Cryptosporidiosis of calves, hairy vetch poisoning in cattle, blister beetle poisoning in horses, canine hepatozoonosis, tularemia in cats, and Ehrlichiosis in dogs to name a few.

“As an alumnus and former student, I am very proud of Dr. Panciera,” says Dr. Michael Lorenz, Dean of the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. “He is an icon among veterinary pathologists and one of the great teachers of veterinary pathology.”

Dr. Panciera has contributed excellent service to veterinary medicine and pathology both locally and nationally. He has served and chaired many important College and University faculty committees. He was a charter member of the Advisory Board for the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. Dr. Panciera served on several U.S. Department of Agriculture grant review panels and has served the ACVP as a member of the Examination Committee, Committee on Examination and the editorial board of Veterinary Pathology, an international pathology journal.

“Dr. Panciera has advanced the discipline of veterinary pathology by his leadership; he has inspired several generations of veterinarians to enter the field of pathology,” states Dr. Jerry Ritchey, former student and colleague. “Numerous OSU graduates have completed pathology training programs and as members of the ACVP are distributed around the world in academia, research, industry and the armed forces. All have been positively influenced by Dr. Panciera and most have made pathology a career because of his enthusiasm, energy and love for the field of Veterinary Pathology.”

Drs. Confer and Ritchey nominated Dr. Panciera, with supporting letters from numerous members of the ACVP, and presented the award to him. The ACVP Council unanimously approved Dr. Panciera’s selection to Distinguished Member. At the annual business meeting he received a standing ovation from the ACVP membership showing their support for his induction as a Distinguished Member. Dr. Roger Panciera is the first pathologist from Oklahoma State University to receive this honor.

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