2022 AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest winners announced
(SCHAUMBURG, Illinois) November 22, 2022—The 22nd annual American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Assessment Contest (AWJAC) took place this past weekend at North Carolina State University with 225 registrants representing 23 universities from across North America completing in-person assessments of the welfare of animals in a variety of settings.
Participants included undergraduates, veterinary students, graduate students and AVMA member veterinarians, who were provided a structured opportunity to practice their assessment skills and present their findings to an expert panel of scientists and veterinarians with special expertise in animal welfare. Species covered in the 2022 contest scenarios included show chickens, dairy-beef cattle, an octopus in an aquarium and dogs and cats in an animal shelter. The event also included interactive tours at the North Carolina Zoo, Carolina Tiger Rescue and the Perdue Farms Poultry Learning Center.
The expert panel for this year included: Drs. Sara Bennett, Jeannine Berger, Lisa Gunter, Judi Stella, Whitney Knauer, Bobwealth Omontese, Jessica Pempek, Jose Linares, Kate Barger, Krysta Morrissey, Jeff Boehm and Jennifer Mather.
Individual winners in the Undergraduate Junior Division were:
- 1st place: Erin Stockland, Texas A&M University
- 2nd place: Iris Mackenzie, The Ohio State University
- 3rd place: Megan Hohman, The Ohio State University
- 4th place: Jillian Gordon, Texas A&M University
- 5th place: Shelby Jones, The Ohio State University
Team winners in the Undergraduate Junior Division were:
- 1st place: Texas A&M University, Team 1
- 2nd place: The Ohio State University, Team 2
- 3rd place: Texas A&M University, Team 2
- 4th place: The Ohio State University, Team 1
- 5th place: Colorado State University, Team 1
Individual winners in the Undergraduate Senior Division were:
- 1st place: Anna Nicklas, University of Guelph
- 2nd place: Jessie Bouterse, The Ohio State University
- 3rd place: Jenna Volinski, Michigan State University
- 4th place: Elizabeth Schafer, The Ohio State University
- 5th place: Taylor Altman, North Carolina State University
Team winners in the Undergraduate Senior Division were:
- 1st place: Ohio State University
- 2nd place: North Carolina State University
- 3rd place: University of Guelph Team Gold
- 4th place: Michigan State University, Team 1
- 5th place: Michigan State University, Team 2
Individual winners in the Graduate Division were:
- 1st place: Guadalupe Ceja, Texas A&M University
- 2nd place: Gillian Power, University of Guelph
- 3rd place: Brooke Parrish, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- 4th place: Hannah Spitzer, Atlantic Veterinary College
- 5th place: Kiana McDole, University of Guelph
Team winners in the Graduate Division were:
- 1st place: University of Minnesota
- 2nd place: University of Guelph
- 3rd place: Purdue University, Team 1
- 4th place: University of Kentucky
- 5th place: Purdue University, Team 2
Individual winners in the Veterinary Division were:
- 1st place: Jacob Maxwell, Ontario Veterinary College
- 2nd place: Magnus Yoshimura, Long Island University
- 3rd place: Shaela Hurley, Ontario Veterinary College
- 4th place: Emily Merry, Ontario Veterinary College
- 5th place: Nena Stanekovic, Ontario Veterinary College
Team winners in the Veterinary Division were:
- 1st place: Ontario Veterinary College, Team Gold
- 2nd place: Atlantic Veterinary College, Team 1
- 3rd place: Atlantic Veterinary College, Team 2
- 4th place: Long Island University, Team 1
- 5th place: Ontario Veterinary College, Team Red
Top Placing Individuals in the Live Assessment were:
- Undergraduate Junior Individual: Nick Prosek, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Undergraduate Senior Individual: Rhiannon Hall, University of Kentucky
- Veterinary Individual: Shannon Kelley, The Ohio State University
- Graduate Individual: Hannah Spitzer, Atlantic Veterinary College
Top Placing Teams in the Live Assessment were:
- Undergraduate Junior Team: Texas A&M University, Team 1
- Undergraduate Senior Team: North Carolina State University
- Veterinary Team: Ontario Veterinary College, Team Gold
- Graduate Team: University of Minnesota
“On behalf of the AVMA, I would like to congratulate everyone who took part in this year’s Animal Welfare Assessment Contest,” said Dr. Lori Teller, AVMA president. “This event is so important to the AVMA’s efforts to help our next generation of veterinary professionals enhance their understanding and awareness of issues affecting the welfare of all animals, and so I applaud everyone who took that extra step to further educate themselves about these critical issues.”
The Animal Welfare Assessment Contest was founded at Michigan State University in 2001 as the Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Contest (AWJAC) and was modeled after traditional livestock, horse and meat judging competitions. Funded in part through an educational grant from Merck Animal Health, today’s Animal Welfare Assessment Contest brings students together from across the United States and internationally.
To learn more about the Animal Welfare Assessment Contest, visit AWJAC.org.
For more information, contact Michael San Filippo, AVMA media relations manager, at 847-732-6194 (cell/text) or msanfilippo
avma [dot] org (msanfilippo[at]avma[dot]org).
Serving more than 100,000 member veterinarians, the AVMA is the nation's leading representative of the veterinary profession, dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of animals, humans and the environment. Founded in 1863 and with members in every U.S. state and territory and more than 60 countries, the AVMA is one of the largest veterinary medical organizations in the world. Informed by our members' unique scientific training and clinical knowledge, the AVMA supports the crucial work of veterinarians and advocates for policies that advance the practice of veterinary medicine and improve animal and human health.