Riccio Receives Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree
Riccio Receives Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree
URBANA - Gabrielle Riccio, daughter of Mr. Robert Podlasek and Ms. Angela Riccio of Barrington, 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. Riccio and her 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. Riccio graduated from Barrington High School in Barrington, Ill., in 2012. She is also a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, earning a bachelor of science degree in animal science in 2016.
Dr. Riccio will be completing a rotating internship at Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center.