Pfizer announces 2013 animal health scholarship

//02 Oct 2012
In partnership with American Veterinary Medical Foundation, Pfizer will award a minimum of US$660,000 to students in all areas of veterinary medicine.
For the fourth consecutive year, Pfizer Animal Health and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) invite second- and third-year students of veterinary medicine to apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Scholarship.

In an effort to help alleviate some of the burden of student debt, a minimum of 330 scholarships of US$2,000 each will be awarded to assist students across various disciplines in veterinary medicine.

To apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program, students can visit www.vetstudentconnect.com or www.avmf.org/pfizer from October 1 to December 2, 2012.

Scholarship recipients will be selected based on traditional scholarship selection criteria, such as academic excellence and financial need. In addition, the scholarship will focus on meeting the ongoing needs of the veterinary profession: increasing diversity among practitioners in ethnic heritage, gender, socioeconomic background, professional aspirations, and improving the availability of veterinarians to serve in areas of the profession that have increased demand.

In 2013, Pfizer Animal Health will provide a minimum of US$660,000 in student scholarships to eligible students in colleges of veterinary medicine in the US and the Caribbean. Scholarships will be awarded to students in all areas of study, including food animal medicine, equine and small animal medicine, research, academia, and government services, among others. Award eligibility is subject to the guidelines established by individual schools.

In 2012, the program awarded 331 students with scholarships. The group included:

31% from diverse backgrounds
47% studying to practice food and mixed animal veterinary medicine
28% going into small animal practice
8%entering academia (research and clinical)
Remaining students going into other areas of practice, such as public health, lab animal medicine and poultry

“In part because of the Pfizer-AVMF scholarship, I was able to begin research this summer on the challenges veterinary students face and how a variety of factors – including Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) and other vital programs for veterinary school curricula – impact their success after graduation,” said 2012 scholarship recipient Tammy J. Oseid, a University of Minnesota DVM/MPH class of 2014 student. “The scholarship enabled me to take the time off of work this summer to begin investigating this area of great personal interest as well as potential benefit to the entire profession.”

The scholarship program is a part of Pfizer Animal Health’s Commitment to Veterinarians platform—which offers support through training and education, research and development, investing in the future of the veterinary profession, and philanthropy. The scholarship complements a number of other Pfizer Animal Health programs supporting the veterinary profession, including millions invested in universities, industry education and training, scholarships, and allied organizations each year.

To learn more or apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program, students can visit www.vetstudentconnect.com or www.avmf.org/pfizer.

Related websites:

Pfizer Animal Health
American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF)