August 11, 2003

‘Heart to Heart’ educational program wins first place nationally

Veterinary junior Michelle Goree of Deatsville, Ala., and Sarah Matteson of the Medical College of Georgia teamed for top honors in the Secretary’s Award for Innovations in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They won the interdisciplinary division which is open to students in all health fields.

Their “Heart to Heart” educational program encourages pet owners to have their blood pressure checked on the same day they administer their dog’s once-a-month heartworm medication. Included in their proposal were plans for posters, informational kits, heartworm test kits, and medical supplies.

The innovative program also led to Goree capturing second place in the Hill’s Public Health Award competition for veterinary students. She traveled to Denver in July to accept the award at the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“This has been an enjoyable project and it was really nice to represent Auburn in both competitions,” Goree said. “Hill’s Pet Nutrition and the Department of Health and Human Services are very supportive of students and their projects to improve both animal and human health.”

In April, Goree and Matteson held a special clinic for dogs and their owners at a local park, where Goree tested dogs for heartworm disease while Matteson checked the owners’ blood pressure.

Faculty advisor Dr. Charles Hendrix of the AU College of Veterinary Medicine says Goree is the sixth Auburn veterinary student in the past five years to win high honors in the Health and Human Services competition.

“Michelle and Sarah are our first first-place winners,” Dr. Hendrix said. “Many excellent ideas are presented by health care students from across the country, so it’s a tremendous honor to win first place this year.”

They hope to have the winning paper published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Interprofessional Care.