Professor Emeritus
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota
Dr. Pluhar is a small animal surgeon and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the University of Minnesota. She retired in July this year. She received a Master of Science degree in molecular biology from Northern Illinois University, completed a D.V.M. degree from Oregon State University in 1989, an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Animal Medical Center in New York, and then earned a second Master of Science degree while completing a residency in small animal surgery from Washington State University. She completed her studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Ph.D. in veterinary sciences/comparative orthopaedics and became a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1999. She started her career as an orthopedic specialist at Colorado State University and was honored with the William Harris Award for outstanding work in orthopaedic research from the Orthopaedic Research Society. She accepted a position as an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Minnesota in 2003. Dr. Pluhar initiated a canine brain tumor clinical trial program in 2008 and treated dogs with primary brain tumors across the country in this program. Her clinical trials have been supported by NINDS, the American Cancer Society, the American Brain Tumor Association and several other smaller foundations. Her work has demonstrated how closely dogs with spontaneous brain tumors parallel the disease in humans and is developing alternatives to chemo- and radiation therapy including vaccine-based immunotherapy and adenoviral-mediated gene therapy. Her expertise in translational animal models and novel brain cancer therapies has been recognized by awards including the MVMA Hero Award and the Mark of Excellence Award and the Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence from the College of Veterinary Medicine and nomination for the Excellence in Research Award from the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.
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abs: Sonodynamic Therapy for High-Grade Glioma
Friday, October 24, 2025
11:45 AM - 12:00 PM