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Sunshine M. Lahmers, DVM, PhD, DACVIM–Cardiology

Clinical Associate Professor
  • Cardiology
Sunshine Lahmers
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine
Virginia Tech
205 Duck Pond Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061

PhD, Veterinary Sciences, 2005
Washington State University
Pullman, WA

DVM, 1998
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH

BA, Biology, 1994
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY

  • American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine—Cardiology, 2007

  • Heritable cardiovascular diseases
  • Pharmacogenomics

2017-present
Clinical Associate Professor, Cardiology

Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

2013-2017
Clinical Assistant Professor, Cardiology

Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

2007-2013
Clinical Assistant Professor

Department of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology, and Physiology/Veterinary Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Washington State University
Pullman, WA

2007
Resident, Cardiology

Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Washington State University
Pullman, WA

1998
Intern

Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Washington State University
Pullman, WA

  • Jerry Newbrey Teaching Scholar, 2010-12
  • Harriett B. Rigas Award (Honorable), Pullman, WA, 2005
  • American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
  • American Veterinary Medical Association
  • Phi Zeta Honor Society
  1. Predictors of reoccurrence of congestive signs within 180 days after successful treatment of the first episode of congestive heart failure in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease. JVC. Franchini A, Borgarelli M, Menciotti G, Lahmers S, Haggstrom J, Crosara S, Tyrrell B, Rosenthal S. JVC accepted Dec 7, 2020.
  2. A missense variant of the titin gene in Doberman pincher dogs with familial dilated cardiomyopathy and sudden death. Meurs KM, Friedenberg SG, Kolb J, Saripalli C, Tonino P, Woodruff K, Olby NJ, Keene BW, Adin DB, Yost OL, DeFrancesco TC, Lahmers S, Tou S, Shelton GD, Granzier H. Hum Genetics 2019 May; 138(5):515-524.
  3. Menciotti G, Borgarelli M, Aherne M, Camacho P, Häggström J, Ljungvall I, Aherne M, Lahmers SM, Abbott JA. Comparison of the mitral valve morphologies of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Dogs of other Breeds using 3D transthoracic echocardiography. JVIM 2018 Sept; 32 (5):1564-1569.
  4. Borgarelli M, Lanz O, Pavlisko N, Abbott JA, Menciotti G, Aherne M, Lahmers SM, Lahmers KK, Gammie JS. Mitral valve repair in dogs using an ePTFE chordal implantation device: a pilot study. J Vet Cardiol. 2017 June; 19(3):256-267.
  5. Stern JA, Lahmers S, Meurs KM. Identification of striatin, a desmosomal protein, in the canine corneal epithelium. Res Vet Sci. 2015 Oct;102:182-3. Epub 2015 Aug 10.
  6. Meurs KM, Stern JA, Reina-Doreste Y, Maran BA, Chdid L, Lahmers S, Keene BW, Mealey KL. Impact of the canine double-deletion β1 adrenoreceptor polymorphisms on protein structure and heart rate response to atenolol, a β1-selective β-blocker. Pharmacogenet Genomics. 2015 Sep;25(9):427-31.

Book Chapters

Lahmers, S. (2019).  ‘Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapeutics’ in Mealey, (ed.) Pharmacotherapeutics for Veterinary Dispensing. Hoboken, NJ; Wiley Blackwell. pp231-268.