- CareVet recognized winners across four categories for veterinary students, team members, veterinarians and veterinary organizations.
- Oklahoma State University’s Kristen Slagle won for a feline hideaway concept designed to reduce patient stress while preserving clinical visibility.
- Sarah Wilmes of Binder Animal Hospital was recognized for prepaid sample-collection kits that helped generate more than 1,000 returned diagnostic samples in 2025.
- Dr. Samantha Gruenwald of Frankenmuth-Birch Run Veterinary Hospital won for integrating preventive wellness assessments into exotic-animal visits.
- Pointer Health received the corporate and group award for technology that uses longitudinal medical records to assess individual patient risk across more than 170 conditions.
CareVet has named four winners of its inaugural Clinical Outcomes Showcase, recognizing ideas designed to improve veterinary patient care through approaches ranging from simple changes in hospital procedures to predictive technology.
The awards were presented during the 2026 Clinical Outcomes Showcase Awards Gala in Nashville. The program brought together veterinary students, team members, veterinarians and industry organizations to highlight approaches with the potential to improve outcomes for patients, clients and veterinary teams.
The four honorees were Kristen Slagle of Oklahoma State University, recipient of the Rising Star Award; Sarah Wilmes of Binder Animal Hospital, winner of the Veterinary Technician and Team Member Award; Dr. Samantha Gruenwald of Frankenmuth-Birch Run Veterinary Hospital, recipient of the Veterinarian Award; and Pointer Health, winner of the Veterinary Corporation and Group Award.
“What makes these winning ideas so exciting is how different they are — and yet they all start with the same question: How can we do better for the next patient?” said Dr. Kent Thornberry, president, co-founder and chief veterinary officer of CareVet.
Supporting Comfort for Hospitalized Cats
Slagle’s winning concept addresses the competing needs of providing hospitalized cats with a secure hiding place while allowing veterinary teams to continuously observe them.
Her proposed solution uses a clear hideaway box lined with perforated privacy film. The design creates a darker, enclosed environment for the cat while allowing hospital staff to maintain visual access to the patient.
CareVet said the concept could support Fear Free principles by reducing stress without compromising patient monitoring.
Improving Diagnostic Follow-Through
Wilmes and her team at Binder Animal Hospital developed prepaid sample-collection kits to make it easier for clients to return urine and stool samples requested after veterinary appointments.
Each kit provides the supplies and instructions necessary for clients to collect and return a sample, addressing a common barrier to completing recommended diagnostic testing.
According to CareVet, more than 1,000 prepaid samples were returned to Binder Animal Hospital for analysis during 2025. The approach is intended to support earlier disease detection and more consistent monitoring of chronic conditions by increasing diagnostic follow-through.
Bringing Preventive Care to Exotic-Animal Visits
Gruenwald was recognized for incorporating preventive wellness into every exotic-animal encounter at Frankenmuth-Birch Run Veterinary Hospital, including appointments initially scheduled because of illness, grooming or other concerns.
Her approach considers species-specific husbandry, nutrition, preventive health risks and appropriate screening while providing owners with individualized education.
CareVet said routine weight and body-condition monitoring, nutritional counseling and earlier screening have helped identify disease sooner, increase acceptance of diagnostic recommendations and reduce recurring husbandry-related problems.
The initiative has also extended into the community. Following Gruenwald’s educational outreach, a local pet store transitioned its budgies and parakeets to pelleted diets, according to the company.
Using Medical Records to Predict Disease Risk
Pointer Health received the Veterinary Corporation and Group Award for a prognostic medicine platform that analyzes information already contained in an animal’s longitudinal medical record.
Using predictive and causal modeling, the platform generates individualized risk assessments for more than 170 conditions without requiring additional diagnostic equipment or testing.
Rather than relying exclusively on population-level averages, the system evaluates changes in an individual patient’s medical history and baseline. The resulting information is intended to help veterinarians and pet owners make more informed decisions about screening, monitoring, preventive care and lifestyle changes.
CareVet said veterinary hospitals participating in a 2025 pilot of the platform experienced increased participation in bloodwork, wellness testing, urinalysis and dental prophylaxis.
Showcase to Continue
The inaugural Clinical Outcomes Showcase evaluated innovations submitted by veterinary students, technicians and other team members, veterinarians and organizations. Finalists were assessed based on the merit of their ideas, potential impact and ability to contribute to improved veterinary outcomes.
CareVet said it plans to continue the program as a platform for veterinary professionals and organizations to share approaches that could improve clinical care.
“The goal of this Showcase was never to suggest there is only one definition of innovation,” Thornberry said. “It was to create a place where people across veterinary medicine could share what they are learning, challenge the way things have always been done and help the rest of the profession see what might be possible.”
Information sourced from the company’s press release.
