Donor's gift makes equine laminitis research center a reality at US vet school

A strategic collaboration between donor Nancy Link and Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) will facilitate the establishment of the Nancy Fair Link Laminitis Research Center at the university. The partnership will also include recruitment of top faculty charged with advancing pioneering research in the prevention and treatment of laminitis.

In addition to funding the construction, Link’s gift will fund equipment for the center, faculty salaries, maintenance and travel for professional research presentations. The University feels that this support will solidify the center’s status as a global leader in laminitis research.

The donor has experienced the toll that laminitis can have in her own animals. “My horses are a passion in my life. It is heartbreaking to experience their suffering from laminitis. The mission of my partnership with the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at Mississippi State University (MSU) is to develop treatment and to work to find a cure for this dreadful disease,” the generous donor said. 

Dean Nicholas Frank (MSU image)

Mississippi State already has a leading laminitis researcher on the vet school campus. In May, 2023  Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (LA), became dean and professor at the vet school. A native of Great Britain, his is career accomplishments include important research into the endocrine-related aspects of laminitis; he is a well-known international speaker and author of journal articles and reference book chapters.

Before MSU, he held faculty positions at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Nottingham. Dean Frank praised the collaboration as a unique opportunity to combine the strengths of all involved.

Starkville is in eastern

central Mississippi, not

 far from Alabama.

He continued: "MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine enthusiastically supports these efforts by offering our expertise and a commitment to advancing the prevention and treatment of laminitis. By leveraging our research capabilities and academic excellence, MSU seeks to collaborate closely with Nancy to establish a world-class center that conducts cutting-edge laminitis research and translates scientific discoveries into practical solutions for the equine community,” he said.

In this video, Dean Frank introduces the campus and programs of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State, which was established in 1974 and is located in Starkville, in eastern Mississippi. Mississippi State's animal sciences department has also been known for equine gait analysis research, particularly for gaited horses, and has recently emerged as a leader for US research on equine-assisted services and horse-human interaction.

Nancy Link has had a longstanding relationship with Mississippi State University developed during the years she was married to Mississippi State alumnus Richard Adkerson.

MSU President Mark E. Keenum is enthusiastic about the new center. "(Ms. Link's) gift will rapidly advance the reputation of MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine as a national and international leader in this important area of research. (It) has the potential to change the long-term fate of both pleasure and work horses afflicted with this disease."

How long will it be before "MSU" and "Starkville" start showing up on laminitis word clouds? This graphic was made from words most used in proposal abstracts submitted for a laminitis grant.

The Link Center will employ two tenured faculty chairs and one early-career faculty member, as well as staff and graduate students. The Center will conduct vital research on laminitis prevention, diagnostic methods, and treatment strategies. 

Mississippi State University's news office provided some information for this article.

Each month, Hoofcare Publishing sends out a a live-linked guide to new peer-reviewed research articles published that month, including all new laminitis research. Since it began in 2016, HoofSearch has provided subscribers with descriptions, details, and links to more than 1000 peer-reviewed articles and graduate theses on laminitis and related endocrine conditions. Click here to learn more and become a subscriber or visit hoofsearch.com.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; you are reading online news from Hoofcare and Lameness Publishing. Please, no re-use of text or images without permission--thank you! (Please ask if you would like to receive permission.)

In addition to reading directly online, you may also receive email "alerts" containing headlines and links(requires signup in box at top right of blog page).

The helpful "translator" tool in the right sidebar will convert this article (with some limitations on technical terms) to the language of your choice.

To share this article on Facebook and other social media, click on the small symbols below the labels. Be sure to "like" the Hoofcare and Lameness Facebook page and click on "get notifications" under the page's "like" button to keep up with the hoof news on Facebook. Or, paste this article's address from the browser bar into your post.

Questions or problems with this site? Click here to send an email hoofblog@gmail.com.  

Click here to sign up for easy email alerts for new articles on the Hoof Blog.
  

Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofBlog

Read this blog's headlines on the Hoofcare + Lameness Facebook Page

Enjoy images from via our Instagram account.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: Hoofcare Publishing has not received any direct compensation for writing this post. Hoofcare Publishing has no material connection to third party brands, products, or services mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Hoofcare + Lameness is reader-supported. If you purchase items through links on this site, the company may possibly earn a small affiliate commission, at no cost to you.