March 29, 2017 – The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study is one of the most ambitious studies ever undertaken in veterinary medicine. It takes an extraordinary person to shepherd a program that has over 3,000 canine participants, hundreds of dog owners and supporters, and hundreds of thousands of data points, and we’re lucky to have Dr. Rodney Page as the principal investigator for the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study.
A fourth-generation Colorado native, Dr. Page earned his veterinary degree from Colorado State University. After completing an oncology residency at the esteemed Animal Medical Center in New York City, he helped establish the comparative veterinary oncology program at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. After spending 15 years at NC State, Dr. Page became the founding Director of the Sprecher Institute for Comparative Cancer Research and Chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University.
In 2010, Dr. Page returned to the mountains of Colorado as Director of Colorado State University’s Flint Animal Cancer Center. Dr. Page was attracted to veterinary oncology to fulfill a personal and professional desire to create more cancer treatment options for pets, develop educational programs in oncology for veterinary students, and provide emotional support for owners of dogs and cats with cancer.
He has worked with Morris Animal Foundation for over 20 years, and decided to commit to cancer prevention more deeply by volunteering to serve in a leadership role for the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study at its inception. Dr. Page hopes this study will greatly improve our understanding of how genetics, lifestyle and environment influence the development of diseases, especially cancer.
“I believe we have the only study design that will unlock the influence of spay/neuter timing on the development of conditions such as cancer, orthopedic and metabolic problems,” said Dr. Page. “I believe we also have created one of the few resources that can be used to understand the process of aging and how this influences susceptibility to diseases of dogs, and perhaps humans.”
In addition to his busy schedule at Colorado State University, Dr. Page participates in weekly meetings with the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study staff, chairs the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study steering committee, and is a tireless advocate for the study.
“I can’t overestimate the importance of this study as a model for the way to gather important medical data that will be linked to environmental and lifestyle issues of our patients,” said Dr. Page “This project was developed based on several large-scale human studies, although answers to our questions will be answered in a fraction of the time it takes a similar human study to be completed.”
Thank you, Dr. Page, for your expert guidance and commitment to improving canine health!
