1990 Gift Powers Today's Cat Heart Imaging Breakthrough

Students gasp "Oh, wow" when they see three-dimensional images of cats' hearts beating in real time, captured by veterinary professor Giulio Menciotti. This breakthrough in feline cardiac imaging exists because of a gift made in 1990, long before anyone imagined such technology.

Anne Hunter established an endowed professorship in veterinary medicine 35 years ago at Virginia Tech. While she could never have predicted 3D cat heart imaging, her donation created permanent funding that lets researchers pursue risky ideas before anyone knows they'll work.

An endowed professorship works like a perpetual engine. The original donation stays invested, earning 4 to 5 percent annually, and those returns fund research forever. The principal never gets touched, so the gift keeps giving across generations.

This kind of permanent funding solves a problem that traps many researchers. Federal grants favor proven methods, and you need preliminary data to win those grants. But you need funding to get preliminary data in the first place.

Menciotti's 3D imaging project illustrates this perfectly. Capturing hearts that beat faster than human hearts, in bodies much smaller, presents technological barriers that make traditional funders nervous. "Endowed professorships give you access to unrestricted, uncommitted funding," Menciotti said. "If you need this money, you do you. We trust you."

The same endowment support attracted Mohamed Seleem, who now holds a different endowed chair at Virginia Tech. When he was job hunting, he specifically sought positions with endowed support because they signal stability beyond federal budget cycles.

Seleem's work focuses on antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a major cause of death worldwide. He holds 21 U.S. patents for repurposing existing medications to fight these infections faster and cheaper than developing new drugs. Two of his technologies are moving toward real-world use, and he was named a 2025 fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

John Rossmeisl holds an endowment that his mentor held before him. "It's not just funding," he said. "It's carrying forward someone's legacy who believed in you." His endowment paid for preliminary data that led to a major grant for a clinical trial using laser therapy for brain cancer in pets, starting in early 2026.

The Ripple Effect

The impact extends beyond individual researchers. Virginia Tech's veterinary college faces challenges that grants alone cannot solve, including a national specialist shortage and rising student debt. Endowed positions help recruit top talent and retain them through budget uncertainties.

Menciotti's own journey shows how exposure changes what seems possible. He didn't want to be a veterinarian, then loved it. He didn't want to do research, then loved it. He didn't want to teach, then loved it. Each new experience opened doors he didn't know existed.

His team now stands as experts in 3D echocardiography in veterinary medicine, pushing boundaries with smaller animals and faster heartbeats. The work that makes students gasp exists because someone invested in possibilities she would never see.

Thirty-five years after Anne Hunter's gift, her vision continues generating discoveries that transform animal medicine, one beating heart at a time.