Inquiring minds lead to gold

WCVM graduate student Dr. Kristyna Musil, the 2011 recipient of the veterinary college's Faculty Gold Medal.

When Kristyna Musil was growing up in Winnipeg, Man., her parents bought a child’s microscope for her and her younger brother so they could explore science together.

“We’d look at different things under the microscope — leaves, flower, paper, hair and anything else that we could find. I used to do my own little experiments,” she recalls.

Two decades later, Musil is doing a lot more microscope work in her new role as a graduate student in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Veterinary Pathology.

She began her MVetSc program in August 2011 — just two months after receiving her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and the WCVM Faculty Gold Medal.

The prestigious award is annually presented to the graduating veterinary student who has displayed the highest general proficiency in the science and art of veterinary medicine during the four-year program.

“Who knows? Maybe that microscope is what set everything in motion,” says Musil, who describes herself as the kid who always wanted answers. “I always liked to try things out for myself so I could find out what was true and what wasn’t.”

Her curiosity led Musil to a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Manitoba. Midway through that program and after two years of focusing on microbiology and biochemistry, she decided that her next step would be working towards acceptance into the WCVM – an opportunity to further her interest in medicine without limiting herself to just one species.

By volunteering at veterinary clinics and spending a summer working at a veterinary practice, Musil confirmed that veterinary medicine was the right fit for her. But she still found time to pursue her interest in research, spending a summer on molecular microbiology research at the U of M and another on veterinary microbiology after finishing her first year at the WCVM.

It was during her second year at the WCVM that Musil found her niche. “All the instructors in the second year clinical pathology course were really great, and I realized that was the area I was most interested in,” she recalls. “Although there’s no specific clinical pathology route to take, I began choosing my electives that I thought would complement my clinical pathology training.”

“I always liked to try things out for myself so I could find out what was true and what wasn’t.”

But Musil’s desire for answers led her to try other options without limiting herself to just one area. She spent a summer working at a Winnipeg veterinary practice and another working at the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre to determine if veterinary practice might be a better choice for her.

She also enrolled in a variety of classes, choosing any area that interested her. “I tried not to limit myself too much, especially during my fourth year rotations. I didn’t discount large animals either. I took the large animal medicine rotation twice just because I hadn’t had a lot of experience with them, and I wanted to make sure that I knew something about them.”

By the time she graduated, Musil was convinced that clinical pathology was the right path for her. Her long-term goal is to become board certified by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) in 2014.

Under the supervision of Drs. Elemir Simko and Beverly Kidney, Musil is currently working on a research project seeking markers that will help to determine prognoses for mammary tumours in cats. As part of a research team, she particularly enjoys the opportunity to learn from the other members.

“I like being able to work with so many great people who are excited about what they’re doing,” she explains. “There are people from clinical pathology as well as from anatomic pathology, and there’s so much enthusiasm and so many questions that arise. We have some great discussions, and you end up learning a lot from everyone.”

As for her future plans, Musil isn’t making any decisions just yet. “I’m not sure whether I’ll be pursuing a PhD or whether I’ll be out in practice. I would like to see how I enjoy the MVetSc before I decide whether research and academia are a good fit for me.”

Her advice for veterinary students? Keep your options open, and explore any new interests that you encounter. She also recommends research as a way of learning about all the avenues that veterinary medicine has to offer.

“It forces you to ask questions, and you start to realize that within veterinary medicine there are so many questions remaining to be answered,” she explains. “You never know what you’ll end up being drawn to, and you never know what you might end up doing after veterinary school.”