Originally reported in UGA Today.

Dr. Paige Carmichael, professor of veterinary pathology in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine and professor in the online Master of Science (M.S.) in Comparative Biomedical Sciences program, will deliver the address at UGA’s Spring 2024 Graduate Commencement ceremony on May 8 in Stegeman Coliseum. The master’s and specialist ceremony begins at 10 a.m. with the doctoral ceremony following at 2:30 p.m.

Carmichael is a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor and a leading researcher in inherited neurological diseases in dogs, with groundbreaking work on conditions affecting breeds such as Bernese mountain dogs, Jack Russell terriers and Irish setters. Her research team was the first to describe FeLV-associated myelopathy, a spinal cord disease linked to feline leukemia virus.

A graduate of Tuskegee University’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, Carmichael’s career at UGA began as a temporary instructor on the Tifton campus. She later completed a pathology residency and Ph.D. at UGA, becoming a board-certified pathologist in 1995. Over the years, she has earned numerous honors, including the Carl Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teaching Award and the Fulfilling the Dream Award. Beyond her research, she is dedicated to mentorship and co-founded the Teaching Academy Fellows Program to support early-career faculty in their teaching.

“Teaching satisfies more than research or receiving tenure,” Carmichael says. “I get “teacher’s high” when I witness my students learning. It’s rewarding when they’re learning because they want to, and when they come to class with something new that I haven’t talked about because they want to learn on their own.”

The undergraduate Commencement ceremony will take place the following day, May 8th, in Sanford Stadium, where four-time Paralympian Jarryd Wallace will address the graduating class.

For more information about Commencement, visit commencement.uga.edu.