Thomas Witte
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Tom is a Lecturer in Equine Surgery. Recognised as an RCVS, American and European Specialist, his clinical interests include head and neck surgery and minimally invasive surgery. His research focuses on the biomechanics and control of the locomotor system and upper respiratory tract.
Biography
Tom qualified from The Royal Veterinary College in 2000. After a period in first opinion equine and farm animal practice (Garston Veterinary Group, Frome, Somerset) Tom returned to the Structure and Motion Lab at the Royal Veterinary College to complete a Horserace Betting Levy Board funded PhD in Equine Biomechanics, with a focus on the locomotor capacity of performance horses. A subsequent move to the USA enabled him to undertake an Internship in Equine Surgery at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Kentucky and a Residency in Large Animal Surgery at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals in New York State.
After a role as Emergency Surgeon at the Equine Hospital of the Vetsuisse Fakultät, University of Bern in Switzerland, Tom is back at the RVC to pursue his clinical and research interests. Tom is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and the European College of Veterinary Surgeons and is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Recognised Specialist in Equine Surgery.
Research
Click here to find out more about my research.
Tom developed an interest in the biomechanics of the equine athlete whilst an undergraduate in Veterinary Medicine at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). During this time, he undertook research into the effects of shoe material on the biomechanics of foot-off in the horse.
Subsequently, his Horserace Betting Levy Board-funded PhD focused on the constraints to high-speed locomotion in the racehorse, and involved the development and validation of a suite of tools for determining limb load, trunk motion and animal velocity. These techniques enable the locomotion of a variety of species, including the horse, ostrich and camel, to be measured under ‘natural’ field conditions and form the basis of ongoing work at the Structure and Motion Lab. Key questions regarding the limitations to high-speed locomotion in the equine athlete, and how these relate to injury risk, remain unanswered, and these will be the main focus of Tom's ongoing research at the RVC.
Upper respiratory tract diseases can result in critical performance limitations across all equine athletic disciplines. During his residency, Tom's research work at the Cornell University Equine Performance Testing Clinic focused on the biomechanics of surgical techniques for the treatment of dynamic upper respiratory tract obstruction. Tom aims to continue to work in this area via collaborations with other workers at the RVC.
PhD Students:
Anna Liedtke (co-supervisor: Andrew Spence) - Comparative sensory biomechanics of locomotion in horses dogs, and insects
Rebecca Parkes (co-supervisors: Thilo Pfau and Renate Weller) - Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting the loading environment of the equine distal limb. Funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board
Teaching
Tom enjoys teaching at all levels, from undergraduate veterinary students through to post-graduate clinical training scholars and continuing professional development (CPD) courses. He is actively involved in teaching on the BVetSci and BVetMed courses. He also contributes to the teaching of communication skills to pre-clinical and clinical students as a facilitator of practical sessions involving role-playing actors.
Tom co-ordinates and teaches on the Equine Surgery Core Rotations for final year veterinary students (Soft Tissue and Orthopaedics) as well as the Equine Soft Tissue Surgery Tracking Rotation. He also runs the Equine Soft Tissue Surgery Elective week for post rotational students.
Clinical
Tom's clinical interests lie in the area of general (soft tissue) surgery, including Equine, Farm Animal and Camelid species. In particular, through working at the Cornell University Equine Performance Testing Clinic he has developed a keen interest in upper respiratory tract surgery. A current focus is on refinement of the treatment of sinunasal disorders, including new techniques for dental extraction in the standing patient, and minimally invasive approaches to the treatment of diseases of the paranasal sinuses of the horse.
Selected Publications
See also: scholar.google.co.uk/citations
Hand-assisted laparoscopic closure of an extensive mesojejunal rent in a gelding T.H. Witte, M. Wilke, C. Stahl, V. Jakesova, R. Haralambus, R. Straub (In Press, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association)
Three horses with bilateral sinonasal progressive haematomata not associated with the ethmoidal labyrinth W. Barker, J. Perkins and T.H. Witte Equine Veterinary Education [epub ahead of print]
Development and validation of an equine nerve block simulator to supplement practical skills training in undergraduate veterinary students P. Gunning, A. Smith, V. Fox, D.M. Bolt, J. Lowe, C. Sinclair, T.H. Witte, R. Weller Veterinary Record [epub ahead of print]
Theriogenology question of the month RM Radcliffe, T.H. Witte, S.L. Fubini, N.G. Ducharme, S.H. Cheong & R.O. Gilbert (2012) Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 241(4), 439-442 PMID: 22852567
Accuracy and precision of hind limb foot contact timings of horses determined using a pelvis-mounted inertial measurement unit S.D. Starke, T.H. Witte, S.A. May & T. Pfau (2012) Journal of biomechanics 45(8),1522-8 PMID 22483227
Intra-lesional insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) injection for the treatment of superficial digital flexor tendonitis in Thoroughbred racehorses: 40 cases (2000-2005) T.H. Witte, A.E. Yeager and A.J. Nixon (2011) 239(7), 992-997
Early diagnosis may hold the key to successful treatment of nasal and paranasal sinus neoplasia in the horse T.H. Witte & J.D. Perkins (2011) Equine Veterinary Education 23(9), 441-447
Fungal sinusitis resulting in suspected trigeminal neuropathy as a cause of headshaking in five horses A.R. Fiske-Jackson, P.J. Pollock, T.H. Witte, L. Woolford & J.D. Perkins (2011) (Published online, Equine Veterinary Education)
Association of owner-reported noise with findings during dynamic respiratory endoscopy in Thoroughbred racehorses Witte SHP, Witte TH, Harriss F, Kelly G & Pollock P. Equine Vet J. 2011 Jan;43(1):9-17. doi:10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00152.x. PubMed PMID: 21143628.
The complex role of veterinary clinical teachers: how is their role perceived and what is expected of them? Bolt DM, Witte TH, Lygo-Baker S. J Vet Med Educ. 2010 Winter;37(4):388-94. PubMed PMID: 21135407.
Equine Laryngoplasty Sutures Undergo Increased Loading During Coughing and Swallowing. Witte TH, Cheetham J, Soderholm LV, Mitchell LM, Ducharme NG.
Vet Surg. 2010 Dec;39(8):949-56. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-950X.2010.00742.x. Epub 2010
Nov 2. PubMed PMID: 21044095.
A transducer for measuring force on surgical sutures Witte TH, Cheetham J, Rawlinson JJ, Soderholm LV, Ducharme NG. Can J Vet Res. 2010 Oct;74(4):299-304. PubMed PMID: 21197230; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2949343.
Cytokine and catabolic enzyme expression in synovium, synovial fluid and articular cartilage of naturally osteoarthritic equine carpi. Kamm JL, Nixon AJ, Witte TH.
Equine Vet J. 2010 Nov;42(8):693-9. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00140.x. Epub 2010 Sep 14.
Racing performance after combined prosthetic laryngoplasty and ipsilateral ventriculocordectomy or partial arytenoidectomy: 135 Thoroughbred racehorses competing at less than 2400 m (1997-2007). Witte TH, Mohammed HO, Radcliffe CH, Hackett RP, Ducharme NG. Equine Vet J. 2009 Jan;41(1):70-5. PubMed PMID: 19301585.
In vitro model for testing novel implants for equine laryngoplasty. Cheetham J, Witte TH, Soderholm LV, Hermanson JW, Ducharme NG. Vet Surg. 2008 Aug;37(6):588-93. PubMed PMID: 19134110.
Intra-articular stabilisation of the equine cricoarytenoid joint. Cheetham J, Witte TH, Rawlinson JJ, Soderholm LV, Mohammed HO, Ducharme NG. Equine Vet J. 2008 Sep;40(6):584-8. PubMed PMID: 18487098.
Gene therapy in musculoskeletal repair. Nixon AJ, Goodrich LR, Scimeca MS, Witte TH, Schnabel LV, Watts AE, Robbins PD. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007 Nov;1117:310-27. Review. PubMed PMID: 18056051.
Effect of speed on stride parameters in racehorses at gallop in field conditions. Witte TH, Hirst CV, Wilson AM. J Exp Biol. 2006 Nov;209(Pt 21):4389-97. PubMed PMID: 17050854.
Centre of mass movement and mechanical energy fluctuation during gallop locomotion in the Thoroughbred racehorse. Pfau T, Witte TH, Wilson AM. J Exp Biol. 2006 Oct;209(Pt 19):3742-57. PubMed PMID: 16985191.
A method for deriving displacement data during cyclical movement using an inertial sensor. Pfau T, Witte TH, Wilson AM. J Exp Biol. 2005 Jul;208(Pt 13):2503-14. PubMed PMID: 15961737.
Accuracy of WAAS-enabled GPS for the determination of position and speed over ground. Witte TH, Wilson AM. J Biomech. 2005 Aug;38(8):1717-22. PubMed PMID: 15958230.
Accuracy of non-differential GPS for the determination of speed over ground. Witte TH, Wilson AM. J Biomech. 2004 Dec;37(12):1891-8. PubMed PMID: 15519597.
Determination of peak vertical ground reaction force from duty factor in the horse (Equus caballus). Witte TH, Knill K, Wilson AM. J Exp Biol. 2004 Oct;207(Pt 21):3639-48. PubMed PMID: 15371472.