Help from Humans

When you enter into a graduate program, you join a community of people who have either been there, done that (faculty), are here with you, doing it right alongside you (other graduate students), or are here to help you with the necessary administrative aspects (staff). Every person in this community will value you for your integrity, ingenuity, and willingness to dedicate yourself to the pursuit of knowledge. Graduate school will offer plenty of learning opportunities; when you need help from your community, please reach out!

Office of Research and Graduate Studies (ORGS)

ORGS is responsible for setting the stage for your successful program experience. We can answer questions about the forms and processes involved at every step, and we are here to help support you and your PI throughout. Please reach out to us with questions about schedules, grades, forms, etc.

Jimmy M Pastrano

Academic Program Spec I

Phone:

(352) 294-4760

Email:

jpastrano@ufl.edu

Audrey M Natwick

Academic Program Specialist III

Phone:

(352) 294-4241

Email:

a.dickinson@ufl.edu

Tyler D Brown M. Ed

Academic Program Specialist III

Phone:

(352) 273-9290

Email:

brown.tyler@phhp.ufl.edu

Faculty Mentors

Your P.I. (Principle Investigator, aka Mentor and Supervisory Committee Chair) is your primary person for all academic advice, guidance, and support. They are responsible for transmitting scientific values, skills and expertise to the mentee; they also provide crucial resources like laboratory space and materials for experiments, guidance for professional conduct, and networking help for post-degree job placement. Potential applicants and current students alike can use this directory to search for potential faculty mentors and/or supervisory committee members.

Department Graduate Coordinators

The College of Veterinary Medicine is composed of five departments, each of which appoints a senior faculty member as Department Graduate Coordinator (DGC), to guide that department’s graduate students and faculty mentors through the College’s graduate programs’ requirements. DGCs can help students and faculty navigate milestones like supervisory committee meetings, qualifying exams, and networking opportunities.

Department: Department of Comparative, Diagnostic & Population Medicine

Heather D S Walden

Associate Professor – Parasitology

Phone: (352) 294-4125

Email: hdstockdale@ufl.edu

Department: Department of Infectious Diseases & Immunology

Mary B Brown

Professor

Phone: (352) 294-4029

Email: mbbrown@ufl.edu

Department: Large Animal Clinical Sciences

Iske V Larkin PhD

Senior Lecturer, Education Coordinator and Aquatic Animal Health Program Director

Phone: (352) 294-4095

Email: ivlarkin@ufl.edu

Department: Department of Physiological Sciences

John A Bowden

Associate Professor

Phone: (352) 294-4063

Email: john.bowden@ufl.edu

Department: Small Animal Clinical Sciences

Domenico Santoro

Purina Endowed Professor, Service Chief, Dermatology

Phone: (352) 392-2235

Email: dsantoro@ufl.edu

Graduate Student Peer Mentors

Each of the five departments within the College of Veterinary Medicine appoints a senior graduate student to provide guidance and assistance to all graduate students within their department. Peer mentors help students by sharing their experiences with classes, events, and general questions about the practicalities of graduate student life- housing, transportation, socializing, etc.

Department: VM-RESEARCH – GRADUATE

Trey D Tomlinson

Email: tomlinsontrey@ufl.edu

Department: VM-RESEARCH – GRADUATE

Marcela De Oliveira Platenik

Email: marceladeoliveir@ufl.edu

Department: Large Animal Clinical Sciences

Maria B Ugarte Marin

Email: mugarte.marin@ufl.edu

Department: Department of Physiological Sciences

Qaim Mehdi

Email: mehdiqaim@ufl.edu

Veterinary Graduate Student Association

Mission

• To foster an environment which encourages excellence in graduate research, scientific ethics, and exchange of ideas
• To increase communication and promote fellowship among College of Veterinary Medicine graduate students and faculty
• To provide graduate students with a forum in which to present academic and professional opportunities or concerns to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies at the College of Veterinary Medicine

Officers

• Faculty Advisor: Dr. Iske Larkin
• President: Ahmad Ali
• Vice President: Rithu Chandran
• Secretary: Rita Sacharia
• Treasurer: Maria Ugarte Marin
• Social Chair: Stephen Mwalimu
• Webmaster: Alexis Slack

Department: VM-RESEARCH – GRADUATE

Ahmad Ali

GRADUATE AST-T

Phone: (352) 870-6347

Email: aliahmad@ufl.edu

Department: VM-RESEARCH – GRADUATE

Rithu Chandran

GRADUATE AST-T

Phone: (352) 294-4241

Email: rithuchandran@ufl.edu

Department: VM-RESEARCH – GRADUATE

Rita Grace Sacharia

GRADUATE AST-T

Phone: (352) 756-0315

Email: r.sacharia@ufl.edu

Department: Large Animal Clinical Sciences

Maria B Ugarte Marin

PhD Student

Phone: (352) 871-4741

Email: mugarte.marin@ufl.edu

Department: Department of Infectious Diseases & Immunology

Stephen M Mwalimu

PhD Student

Phone: (352) 756-0893

Email: smwalimu@ufl.edu

Department: VM-RESEARCH – GRADUATE

Alexis M Slack

PhD Student

Email: alexisslack@ufl.edu

Graduate Assistants United

Graduate Assistants United (GAU) became official at UF in 1972. Since then, it has been a powerful instrument for improving the working relationship between graduate assistants and the University of Florida. UF CVM welcomes a GAU representative to New Graduate Student Orientation every Fall, to introduce our students to this valuable organization.