Virginia Maryland veterinary professor promotes pathology without borders

Francisco Carvallo returned to Nicaragua this summer to provide veterinary pathology education, trading his comfortable classroom for 100-degree heat and outdoor necropsies, building on his ongoing efforts to bridge veterinary knowledge gaps across international borders.

Carvallo, a clinical professor in veterinary pathology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, worked at makeshift tables set up under the trees in the relentless Nicaraguan sun, performing a necropsy on a pig, while 22 veterinary students crowded around him after cramming into a small mini-bus for the 50-mile journey from Managua to the rural ranch.

No stainless-steel tables. No controlled lighting. No proper ventilation system. Here, behind the trees, the "classroom" was whatever clean space they could find. Local faculty had arrived at 5 a.m. to prepare the outdoor laboratory, setting up tables and organizing equipment before the students' arrival. The tools were a knife and his expertise.

"This is not just opening an animal's body," Carvallo recalled explaining to his students as flies buzzed around the makeshift outdoor laboratory. "This is a procedure. It has a lot of precise steps that you have to follow."

This scene from July 2025 represents something larger: a systematic effort to address a troubling gap in veterinary education across Latin America.

Bridging knowledge gaps

Limited access to current veterinary literature has created knowledge gaps across Latin America, often putting learning decades behind current knowledge. The challenge lies in accessing recent advances in veterinary pathology that could enhance diagnostic capabilities.

"The gap exists in accessing current literature," said Carvallo, who serves as vice president for Latin America for the Davis Thompson Foundation. "Universities have strong programs, but much of the recent research hasn't been translated into Spanish or isn't readily available." 

In response, Carvallo has learned to adapt his teaching approach for different audiences and engagement levels across various countries.

Collaborative learning in extreme conditions

The July workshop exemplified Carvallo's collaborative approach to international veterinary education. Working with the Global Health Pathology Network and Universidad de Ciencias Comerciales in Managua, he and local colleagues performed a three-day intensive program that combined lectures with practical experience.

The three-day program included necropsies on mammals—dogs, cats, goats, and pigs—followed by avian necropsies on chickens back at the university's anatomy laboratory. Among the lesions they discovered were fibrinous polyserositis in a pig, gastric dilation and volvulus in a dog, and heartworm infection—concrete examples of the diagnostic challenges veterinarians face in the field.

The workshops benefit both sides of the exchange. "I've seen so many things in other countries that I can relate," Carvallo said about how international experience enhances his U.S. teaching. "I tell the students, 'You don't have foot and mouth disease here, but I've seen it, I saw a case, and this is how it looks.' Having real-life experience, I think it's much better than reading about it."

Carvallo has evolved his teaching style to become animated and interactive.

"I go on my knees and then I stand up, I move around, so I try to make them follow me," he said. When students need a break, he implements the "broken telephone" game – passing morphologic diagnoses from student to student to test information retention and maintain energy in the room.

Carvallo demonstrated each necropsy step while students gathered around, then they returned to their own tables to practice the technique before moving to the next phase—a method that kept all 22 students engaged throughout the lengthy procedures. 

At one Brazilian workshop, participants described his presentation as "illuminating" – they understood everything despite the multilingual complexity of the slides, which were in English, and the instruction, which was in Spanish, presented to a Portuguese-speaking audience.

Learning different approaches

One of Carvallo's key observations is that different educational systems develop distinct diagnostic strengths. In regions with limited access to advanced technology, veterinarians often develop exceptional observational and clinical reasoning skills.

This fundamental approach offers valuable lessons. Students present findings on whiteboards rather than PowerPoint, relying on visual observation and clinical reasoning rather than advanced diagnostics.

"More is lost by not looking than by not knowing," Carvallo told students. "Maybe you see something and say, 'I don't know what this is,' but maybe you take a picture, maybe you describe it well, and then you can tell somebody that you saw this."

Addressing global challenges

Working beyond individual workshops, Carvallo's efforts with the Davis Thompson Foundation's Latin American initiatives aim to create systematic knowledge exchange across the region. This year alone, his travels included Nicaragua and Brazil, with an upcoming workshop in Ecuador, each requested by local institutions seeking to expand diagnostic capabilities.

"Every country is different. Every country has its own challenges and its own background," Carvallo said. 

In Brazil, audiences tend to be specialized pathologists. In Nicaragua, audiences include general veterinarians seeking foundational knowledge. The diversity across Latin America makes regional coordination challenging but valuable.

Looking toward sustainability, he envisions establishing a Latin American College of Veterinary Pathologists with standardized certification requirements. This would establish a consistent baseline of knowledge across the region, while recognizing existing expertise.

"Maybe we can have like a Latin American College of Veterinary Pathologists so we can organize it in a way that they're all on the same level when they're going to get certified," he said.

Giving back

For Carvallo, this work represents professional responsibility and personal connection. He completed his Ph.D. studies in Mexico, where merit-based education policies enabled his career advancement.

"Mexico, for me, is very important. The Mexican government funded my Ph.D. studies. They didn't ask me, 'Oh, where are you from?' Good grades, perfect. That's it. That's all we want," he said.

This experience shaped his view of knowledge sharing as a professional obligation that transcends borders. The challenging conditions – extreme heat, basic facilities, and complex logistics – become secondary to the larger mission of strengthening global veterinary capabilities.

"My life needs to be paid back," he said. "In Mexico and other countries, I see it now as a personal thing to do, to go there and teach." 

Looking forward

For other faculty considering similar international work, Carvallo's message is direct: "Get involved and don't be scared. People are super nice. They will take good care of you."

The success in Nicaragua has encouraged expansion throughout Central America. But Carvallo measures real success by the individual students who demonstrate genuine engagement and curiosity.

The vast majority of students gave the workshop perfect 5-out-of-5 ratings, according to workshop evaluation forms. One student wrote: "The methodology was different from most workshops where you sit and listen for hours. From day one, it was dynamic and interactive."

"In this group, there are students who really want to know, want to be there," he said. "That's my focus. I can see whoever wants to know."

The ultimate goal remains ambitious: To ensure that veterinary students worldwide have access to current, high-quality pathology education, regardless of their geographic or economic circumstances.

One necropsy at a time, conducted at makeshift tables under the trees in 100-degree heat, that's exactly what's happening.