DENVER/December 10, 2024 – Morris Animal Foundation recently announced that 18 students were accepted into its prestigious Veterinary Student Scholar program. This program offers veterinary students an invaluable opportunity to engage in mentor-guided research, fostering their passion for animal health science and inspiring fulfilling careers.
"Our Veterinary Student Scholar program has been pivotal in providing promising young scientists a chance to explore veterinary research," said Dr. Lara Croft, Veterinary Scientist at Morris Animal Foundation. "We are thrilled to support these students from veterinary schools worldwide to help foster the next generation of animal health researchers."
The program provides students in good standing at accredited veterinary medicine programs with a stipend of up to $5,500 to pursue a research project under the guidance of a mentor.
Since the program's inception in 2005, just over 600 veterinary students have participated, gaining vital hands-on research experience. Many have published their findings in peer-reviewed journals as part of larger research projects. Some have transitioned into established investigators, continuing the mentoring cycle to educate future researchers. Past programs have funded students in Australia, Indonesia, Rwanda, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Kenya and the United States.
The students selected for this year’s awards are:
- Saheed Ahmed – Epidemiology and Molecular Characterization of Multidrug-resistant Salmonellosis in Donkeys in Nigeria, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Madan Bhandari – Prevalence and Risk Factors of Toxoplasma gondii in Owned Cats in Rupandehi District, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS), Paklihawa, Nepal
- Daisy (Sum Yin) Dai – The Impact of Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases on Javan Rhinoceros in Ujung Kuon National Park, Cornell University
- Caitlin Gaffney – IL-6 Receptor Antibody Antagonist in an Equine Arthritis Model Using Equine Synoviocytes and Chondrocytes, Oregon State University
- Alana Gates – Removal of Bacterial Biofilm Matrix Using Novel Anti-biofilm Compounds to Enhance the Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Bacteria Causing Chronic Infections, College of Veterinary Medicine, Long Island University
- Manisha Ghimire – Surveillance of Avian Influenza in Wild Birds of Nepal, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Nepal
- Sarah Hinman – Establishing Normal Hematology and Serum Chemistry Reference Intervals in Neonatal Rangifer Species, University of Alaska
- Andrea Hui – Validation of an ADAMTS13 ELISA to Investigate Equine Coagulopathies, The Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom
- Emily Hunt, The Impact of the RUSVM Feral Cat Project on the Feral Cat Populations of St. Kitts, Ross University, Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Regina Kurandina – Exploring ECG and Genetic Differences in Racehorses with and without Sudden Cardiac Death, University of Minnesota
- Rens Lindeboom – Evaluating Different Immobilization Protocols in Common Hippopotami (Hippopotamus amphibius), Utrecht University, The Netherlands
- Shayna Orens – Health and Disease at the Human-Domestic Animal-Wildlife Interface in Madagascar: Assessing Species Interactions and Infectious Disease in Eupleridae, Cornell University
- Kaitlyn Parker – Deep Genomic Sequencing and Virsu Hunting in Neural Tissue of Dopey Foxes, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
- Sachin Shrestha – Isolation and Antimicrobial Resistance Analysis of Canine Dental Plaques and Intestinal ESBL Producing Escherichia coli, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS), Paklihawa, Nepal
- Isabella Singarayar – Battle of the Bugs: Can Commensal Staphylococcus felis Kill Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus pseudointermedius, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Madeleine Trudgian – Bacteremia in Australian canines: Trends in Signalment, Bacterial Species and Susceptibility Patterns, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Sandrine Uwanyirigira – Assessment of Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Grey Crowned Crane Populations Inhabiting the Rugezi Marshland in Rwanda, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
- Abigail Weir – Efficacy of Mepivacaine vs. Bupivacaine in Preventing Nociception During Surgical Extractions in Canine and Feline patients with Chronic Oral Inflammation, University of California, Davis
About Morris Animal Foundation
Morris Animal Foundation's mission is to bridge science and resources to advance the health of animals. Founded in 1948 and headquartered in Denver, it is one of the largest nonprofit animal health research organizations in the world, funding nearly $167 million in more than 3,000 critical animal health studies to date across a broad range of species. Learn more at morrisanimalfoundation.org.
Media Contact: Lindsey Washington
