SHE EARNED A PH.D. IN THE SPRING, ENTERS AS A FIRST-YEAR STUDENT IN THE FALL

BLACKSBURG, Va., Sept. 1 -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University issued the following news release:

In four years, members of the Class of 2030 who just entered the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine will hear themselves called "doctor" for the first time.

But Elliana Vickers Ph.D. '26, can already be called "doctor."

Vickers enters the Class of 2030 having earned a Ph.D. in translational biology, medicine, and health at Virginia Tech, successfully defending her thesis in the spring. She is already an author on 15 peer-reviewed, published papers, primarily focused on histotripsy treatment of osteosarcoma in dogs, with another eight papers in submission or preparation.

But even with a doctoral degree and so m...