Liss Receives Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree, College Awards
URBANA - David Liss, son of Mr. Ken and Mrs. Sheri Liss of Mundelein, Ill., graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree on May 16. The college is one of only 30 veterinary schools in the United States. Dr. Liss was valedictorian of his class of more than 150 students.
Dr. Liss and his fellow graduates in the Class of 2020 were educated under an innovative veterinary curriculum pioneered at Illinois. The Illinois curriculum focuses on integrating the clinical skills and basic sciences relevant to veterinary practice throughout the four-year doctoral degree program. Students in the Illinois program, unlike those in other veterinary curricula, spend 15 weeks during the first two years of study embedded in veterinary practice areas and practicing clinical skills in an extensive learning center equipped with models and simulations.
In March, when on-campus experiences were replaced with virtual ones due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Class of 2020 had already completed their clinical rotations. They completed the spring semester taking "professional development" courses, primarily through online learning.
Dr. Liss graduated from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Mundelein, Ill., in 2010. He is also a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., where he earned a bachelor of science degree in biology and psychology in 2014.
This spring Dr. Liss was recognized by the college with the Dr. Norman and Helen Levine Scholarship, given for academic merit and financial need, and with the Merck Veterinary Manual Award, for fourth-year students with a grade-point average of 3.50 or greater.
Dr. Liss will be entering a small animal rotating internship at Colorado State University.