CVM’s Joiner recognized with Leischuck Award for Teaching Excellence
By Mike Jernigan
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Ask that age-old question to Dr. Kellye Joiner, Auburn alumna and Associate Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Pathobiology, and she could no doubt give a convincing lecture on both possibilities. That’s just one of the reasons Joiner was recently selected as a 2024 winner of the Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching.
Established in 2005 by Dr. Gerald and the late Emily Leischuck, both 1964 graduates and former university administrators, the awards honor two full-time Auburn faculty members who have demonstrated effective and innovative teaching methods, as well as a continued commitment to student success through advising and mentoring.
Joiner, whose research interests focus on genetic resistance or susceptibility to several common poultry diseases, has been a faculty member in the Department of Pathobiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine since 2007. In addition to coordinating multiple courses in both the DVM program and graduate curricula, she serves as an instructor in various team-taught courses.
Beyond the classroom, Joiner mentors both professional and graduate students, oversees research projects, advises graduate students and supports post-DVM pathology residents. She also plays a crucial role in addressing the national shortage of avian veterinarians by leading the development of a training program in poultry pathology at Auburn, which was recently approved and is now one of only nine programs worldwide able to certify diplomates to the American College of Poultry Veterinarians.
Joiner says her teaching style integrates storytelling and anecdotes with theory. Her success at helping students engage with and contextualize complex materials has led to numerous student accolades, including the Student Government Association Teacher of the Year, the Student American Veterinary Medical Association Teacher of the Year and the coveted Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award.
“I have been actively engaged in the instructional mission of the CVM for almost 25 years, instructing 2,524 veterinary graduates in various capacities,” Joiner noted. “In addition, I have contributed to the training of 22 post-DVM residents in anatomic and avian pathology and served on 23 graduate student committees.
“I genuinely hope the small amount of information I have provided to each of these students along their educational journey has given them both the knowledge and confidence to not only treat patients and support the human-animal bond, but has also provided lasting values for their own success.”
Joiner comes by her goal of having a lifetime impact on her students honestly.
“While navigating options early in my career,” she recalled, “the influence that numerous educators had not only on my education, but also by instilling a strong moral compass was a recurring theme. I was raised in a home of educators and was well aware of the enduring effect a teacher can have on students.
“My decision was simple. My calling in veterinary medicine could be found in the classroom, educating professional veterinary students, graduate students and residents. Imparting knowledge is a wealth that can never be erased.”
Now that concern for students’ lifetime success has been recognized by her alma mater with a 2024 Leischuck Award, an honor Joiner said came as a pleasant surprise.
“To say I was both honored and extremely humbled is an understatement. My first thought was there must be some kind of mistake. I am simply in the classroom teaching veterinary students to give back in kind what was given to me.
“When I was an Auburn veterinary student, I was so fortunate to have outstanding instructors and mentors,” she concluded. “My hope is to continue that tradition with today’s students. I will be forever grateful to the individuals that contributed to my nomination and of course all the wonderful veterinary students that have filled my classroom for many years.”