Merck Animal Health Expands Veterinary Scholarship Program; Announces New Partnership with Academy of Veterinary Consultants
Madison, N.J., December 6, 2022 – Merck Animal Health (known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada) is proud to announce a new partnership with the Academy of Veterinary Consultants (AVC), a group of veterinarians committed to furthering the beef cattle industry. As part of this partnership, Merck Animal Health has teamed up with the AVC Foundation – the charitable arm of the AVC – to award four $5,000 scholarships to third- and fourth-year veterinary students focused on beef cattle production medicine. The student recipients attend colleges of veterinary medicine in North America that are accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
“The next generation of large animal veterinarians are critical to the sustainability of our industry and to ensuring a safe food supply in the decades to come,” said Justin Welsh, D.V.M., Executive Director, U.S. Livestock Technical Services, Merck Animal Health. “Merck Animal Health is proud to back these four students in their educational pursuits. They represent the future of cattle production and support our mission of the science of healthier animals.”
“The Academy of Veterinary Consultants is pleased to partner with Merck Animal Health to identify and encourage some of the top students who will soon be leading the veterinary profession and providing critical support to the livestock industries in North America,” said Bob Larson, D.V.M., Executive Director, AVC. “These scholarship winners have the skills and abilities to ensure a very bright future for the beef industry.”
The following students are the 2022 scholarship recipients:
- Tristen Fulten, a fourth-year student at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine;
- Courtney Hendley, a fourth-year student in the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine; and
- Zane Hilbig, a third-year student at the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine; and
- Kara Valasek, a fourth-year student in the Iowa State University-University of Nebraska-Lincoln Professional Program of Veterinary Medicine.
The AVC Foundation engages in a broad range of charitable, scientific, and educational activities to support and promote veterinary medicine. It supports improvements and innovations in beef cattle health, wellbeing, productivity and sustainability through scholarship programs that benefit the future of beef cattle production medicine veterinarians, producers and the public. Learn more about the AVC Foundation at http://www.avc-beef.org/default.asp.
About Merck Animal Health
At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than a century, we’ve been at the forefront of research, bringing forward medicines, vaccines and innovative health solutions for the world’s most challenging diseases. Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, is the global animal health business of Merck. Through its commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals®, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services as well as an extensive suite of connected technology that includes identification, traceability and monitoring products. Merck Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of animals and the people who care for them. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. Merck Animal Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit www.merck-animal-health.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.