Student externship stipend program expanded with food supply focus
Beginning in 2008, the number of veterinary students participating in the AVMA Student Externship Stipend Program will be increased from 10 to 15 students, with the five additional stipends awarded to students working in food supply veterinary practice settings.
The Executive Board approved the Member Services Committee's recommendation to expand the program, which started in 2004 with five stipends at $1,000 each. The stipends provide funding for veterinary students to have the opportunity to work in public and corporate employment settings.
Because of the program's success, the board previously approved an increase in funding for stipends to $10,000 in 2006.
In 2007, there were 39 applicants, 10 of whom were selected to work in a variety of settings, including the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Johns Hopkins University, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The awardees are Rivkah Bradsky of St. George's University, Ellen Carlin of Cornell University, Julianne Davis and Michelle Mehalick of North Carolina State University, Danielle Downs and LaDawn Reed of University of Georgia, Jesse Fallon of Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeffrey Richards of Oklahoma State University, Karen Woodberry of Tufts University, and Kimberlee Zahller of Washington State University.
In response to the shortage of food supply veterinarians, the MSC recommended, and in April the board approved, expanding the program to include five additional thousand-dollar stipends, specifically for students participating in externships in food supply veterinary practice. With the added stipends, the AVMA is now funding the externship stipend program at a total of $15,000.
Applications for the 2008 stipends can be found at avma.org/savma/services.asp and will be due to the AVMA Jan. 15, 2008.