Sarah Zalar

Veterinarian

GoodVets

Present

Passionate care for pets, care and support for their parents Foster team growth through training of veterinary support staff and new veterinarians

Associate Veterinarian

Banfield Pet Hospital

Veterinary Student Tutor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

As a tutor, I provide aid to students having trouble understanding the challenging coursework. The student and I work through the material and come up with memory cues, analogies, and I explain difficult concepts in different ways. Additionally, I provide students with ways to combat test anxiety and test taking phobias.

Veterinary Student Extern

Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine · Blacksburg, Virginia, United States

During this role, I performed and assisted with all necropsies of varying species (small animal, large animal, exotics). I gained skills in tissue preparation for histology and histopathology interpretation.

Summer Research Fellow

The National Institutes of Health · Bethesda, Maryland, United States

During my second summer at the National Institutes of Health, I was able to further develop my molecular techniques in unique cell culturing and sequencing. Expression and purification of virus-like particles (VLPs) in insect culture were at the forefront of my project. I used VLPs for antigenic studies of noroviruses, testing reactivity and blockage against various norovirus strains using ELISA and blockade assays. Additionally, I sequenced archival sapoviruses with custom oligonucleotide primers to type and better understand viral phylogeny.

Veterinary Technician (Not Certified)

Midwest Animal Hospital

Kennel Assistant/Veterinary Assistant

Midwest Animal Hospital

Summer Intern in Biomedical Research for Veterinary Students

National Institutes of Health (NIH): Intramural Research Program (IRP)

As an intern in the Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research for Veterinary Medical Students, I worked on noroviruses, a leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. As there is still many challenges facing gastrointestinal research, I hoped to develop successful culture systems to better study the virus and its' tropism using a 3-D mouse enteroid culture system. Additionally, I worked on sequencing and cloning the viral polymerase (NS7) from a specific recombinant strain of the virus that is newly emerging. I was fortunate to receive a NIH/NCI Summer Cancer Research Training Award to support this project.

Resident Assistant

Purdue University

As a resident assistant, I acted as a resource and leader for residents of a residence hall by creating a community that fosters involvement, acceptance, and cultural awareness. Additionally, I was responsible for enforcing policies and following correct procedures in the case of an emergency and reporting incidents in a thorough and timely matter

Undergraduate Researcher

Purdue University

During my time in the Mesecar lab group, I was invested in a project hoping to crystallize feline infectious peritonitis virus papain-like protease 2 (FIPV PLP2) to provide a basis for preventative measures such as vaccinations. I frequently expressed and purified FIPV PLP2 using protein chromatography to create samples ideal for crystallization. In order to create crystals optimal for X-ray crystallography I performed optimization of crystal trays. Additionally, I studied the binding and possible interactions of FIPV PLP2. With no current crystal structure of FIPV PLP2, I frequently used MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV models to anticipate the residues at which FIPV PLP2 would bind to Ubiquitin versus interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15). To eliminate the Ub/ISG15 activity of FIPV PLP2 would allow the possible design of a live-attenuated virus for modified vaccine design. During my time working on this project I was also able to perform SDS PAGE, sterile technique and transformation, site-dire…

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

Purdue University

As a teaching assistant, I was responsible for guiding students in weekly laboratory experiments for Cell Structure and Function laboratory. It was necessary for me to accurately answer questions regarding both laboratory work and class work during office and laboratory hours, as well as on an individual basis.

Undergraduate Researcher

Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine & Veterinary Teaching Hospital

I worked under the supervision of Dr. Laurent Couetil to attain laboratory samples and examine animals while following PACUC and OHS protocols thoroughly. Responsibilities involved performing assessments of animal health and recording abnormalities as well as collecting bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from horses to better understand recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) by viewing expression patterns of proteins found.