(Stillwater, Okla., November 20, 2012) – Eight OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences students earned bragging rights for winning the Pfizer 2nd Year Clinical Case Championship. The competition marks the end of the Sophomore Introduction to Clinics Course where ten teams of eight or nine students compete.

Team #10 and the 2012 Pfizer 2nd Year Clinical Case Champions pictured (left to right): Kellie Whipple, Kevin Wheeler, Connie Yearwood, Holt Tripp, Jenna Wallace, Kacie Woodward, and Kahla White. Also on the team but not pictured was Jason White.

“During the course, teams of students attend clinical labs where they are assigned small animal, large animal and equine medicine cases,” explains Dr. Carolynn MacAllister, associate professor and director of continuing education. “The students will perform exams, review lab work, research the diagnosis and treatment care plan, and monitor the progress of the case.”

During the actual competition each team orally presents the three cases (one in each category) and answers questions posed by a panel of clinicians in each clinical area. This year’s panelists were Drs. Jill Brunker and Andrew Hanzlicek for small animal, Drs. Bob Streeter and Katie Simpson for the first half and Drs. Emily Reppert and Melanie Boileau for the second half in large animal, and Drs. Jennifer Donofrio and Lyndi Gilliam for equine.

“The students are judged on presentation, communication, awareness of the cases, knowledge of the disease, and teamwork,” says MacAllister. “Each team has two lifelines allowing them to ask any person in the audience to help with answering a question. It’s a great way to encourage interactive learning.”


For the fourth year, Pfizer Animal Health has sponsored the competition. “We appreciate Pfizer’s sponsorship which allows us to give each student on the winning team a $50 scholarship in addition to bragging rights,” she adds.