AASV Honors Purdue Veterinary Medicine Alumna and Students with Awards and Scholarships

March 10, 2023

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) has announced the recipients of scholarships and awards given during the association’s recent annual meeting, and several of the honorees have ties to Purdue Veterinary Medicine. The 54th AASV Annual Meeting was held March 4-7 in the Denver, Colorado area. 

Dr. Beckman and fellow scholarship awardees join together for a photo outside
Dr. Katie Beckman (PU DVM 2019), left, with two fellow early career swine practitioners, Drs. Daniel Brown and Alyssa Betlach, who are graduates of the University of Illinois and University of Minnesota, respectively. Each received student-debt relief scholarships that were announced at the AASV Annual Meeting.

Three $5000 scholarships were awarded to early-career swine practitioners, including Dr. Katie Beckman (PU DVM 2019). The scholarships are supported through the Dr. Conrad and Judy Schmidt Family Student Debt Relief Endowment for the purpose of relieving the student debt of recent veterinary graduates engaged in swine practice who still have a significant debt burden. Qualified applicants must have been engaged in private practice with at least 50% of their time devoted to swine, providing on-farm service directly to independent pork producers.

All three recipients have been continuous members of the AASV since joining as students. As students, each attended the annual meeting during their veterinary education. Dr. Beckman is a swine veterinarian at AMVC Management Services in Audubon, Iowa. She provides veterinary services to sow farms and wean-to-finish sites in Iowa, and teaches Swine Medicine Education Center students through AMVC. Dr. Beckman enjoys spending time on farms and building strong relationships with dedicated and passionate growers eager to improve herd health. She cites mentorship from AASV colleagues as an essential building block to a strong foundation as a swine veterinarian, and she hopes to support new graduates in the future.

The scholarship was initiated with a generous $110,000 contribution to the foundation by the Conrad Schmidt and Family Endowment. Dr. Schmidt, a charter member of AASV, explained, “Together, Judy and I noticed that many new DVM graduates interested in swine medicine begin their professional life with heavy educational debt obligations. As a long-time AASV member and animal industry supporter, it was our desire to help AASV members who have dedicated their professional skills to swine herd health and production. We hope that this endowment will grow over time to assist in reducing the educational debt load of AASV members as they begin their professional journeys.”

Paul joins fellow award winners for a group photo
Purdue veterinary student Paul McDonald (right), of the DVM Class of 2025, was one of the AASV Student Poster Competition Awardees.

Also at the AASV Annual Meeting, the AASV Foundation announced Student Seminar awards and scholarships. A total of $25,000 in scholarships funded by the Zoetis Foundation and Elanco Animal Health was awarded to 15 veterinary students. Purdue veterinary student Kendall Sattler, of the DVM Class of 2026, was one of three student presenters who received $500 scholarships supported by Elanco Animal Health. A total of 35 veterinary students from 14 universities submitted abstracts for consideration by a panel of volunteer judges. From those submissions, 15 students were selected to present during the annual meeting. The Zoetis Foundation provided $750 to each student selected to participate to offset the costs of presenting.

The AASV also gave 15 veterinary students the opportunity to compete for awards in the Veterinary Student Poster Competition. United Animal Health sponsored that competition, offering awards totaling $4000. Based on scores received in the original judging of abstracts submitted for the AASV Student Seminar, the top 15 abstracts not selected for oral presentation at the annual meeting were eligible to compete in the poster competition. A panel of three AASV practitioners and volunteers interviewed the students in the competition and scored their posters to determine the scholarship awards. The award recipients, who were announced during the AASV luncheon on March 6, included Purdue student Paul McDonald, of the DVM Class of 2025, who received one of three $300 scholarships. In addition to the poster competition awards, each student poster presenter received $250 from the Zoetis Foundation to offset the costs of poster production and presentation.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr

Source: Abbey Canon, American Association of Swine Veterinarians

Recent Stories

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

This week our gratitude goes to Andrea Kellogg, who is the director of Lifelong Learning.

Purdue Veterinary Students Get Up Close View of Veterinary Care at Professional Bull Riding Event

During a weekend dedicated to championship-level competition, students from the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine gained a first-hand perspective on a unique aspect of the livestock industry with a behind-the-scenes pass to the Professional Bull Riding event held recently in Indianapolis.  Ram Trucks PBR Indianapolis presented by Cooper Tires was held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse March 21-22, even as first- and second-round NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games were held across the country the same weekend.

In Memory – Professor Emeritus of Veterinary Physiology Gerald Bottoms

The Purdue Veterinary Medicine community is deeply saddened to learn that Dr. Gerald D. Bottoms, a longtime faculty member and Professor Emeritus of Veterinary Physiology, passed away on February 24, 2026.  He was 95.

PVM Scholars Recognized at Purdue One Health and Well-Being Research Event

Purdue University’s recent One Health and Well-Being Research Event: A Celebration of Interdisciplinary Health Research, put the spotlight on several scholars in the College of Veterinary Medicine.  The one-day event was organized by the College of Health and Human Sciences in partnership with several other colleges including Purdue Veterinary Medicine. It is estimated that more than 300 people attended the event at the Purdue Memorial Union North and South Ballrooms March 10.

In Memory – Dr. Jeffrey Hanssen (PU DVM ’71)

The College of Veterinary Medicine mourns the passing of an alumnus and longtime practitioner from Greenfield, Indiana. Dr. Jeffrey Hanssen died March 12, 2026, at Brandywine - Brickyard Healthcare Center in Greenfield. He was 71.

Beautiful Spring Lilies Pose Serious Danger to Cats

Spring weather heralds the arrival of the beautiful blooms of true lilies (Lilium sp.) and daylilies (Hemerocallis sp.). Unfortunately, many cats have been poisoned by these lovely plants. The poisoning is so severe and the possible consequences so dire (even death) that in 2021, the FDA issued this warning: “Lilies in the “true lily” and “daylily” families are very dangerous for cats. The entire lily plant is toxic: the stem, leaves, flowers, pollen, and even the water in a vase. Eating just a small amount of a leaf or flower petal, licking a few pollen grains off its fur while grooming, or drinking the water from the vase can cause your cat to develop fatal kidney failure in less than 3 days. The toxin, which only affects cats, has not been identified. Dogs that eat lilies may have minor stomach upset but they don’t develop kidney failure.”

Through study abroad opportunities, Purdue’s Veterinary Technology Distance Learning program is helping students think globally

Promoting animal health is a value that transcends cultures and unites the world. That’s why there are veterinary professionals practicing in nearly every country around the globe. But access to high-quality, affordable veterinary care is far from universal — in many nations, particularly developing nations, access to veterinarians is inconsistent, and affordability is a concern all over the world. To confidently address these issues, veterinary professionals must be able to think globally. That’s why Purdue Veterinary Medicine encourages students to study abroad, including those in the Veterinary Technology Distance Learning Program (VTDL). “Study abroad enriches our online curriculum by bringing classroom concepts to life in a global, real-world context,” said Addison Sheldon, the college’s director of global engagement. The VTDL program offers students the option to study abroad in Guatemala, Japan and Zimbabwe by partnering with local universities and organizations.

Public Invited to Learn about Veterinary Medicine at 2026 PVM Open House April 18

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine will welcome the public for its annual Spring Open House at Lynn Hall on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the event will feature a hands-on look at the world of veterinary medicine.

Annual Purdue Veterinary Technician Symposium Remains Popular in 12th Year

The enduring popularity of the annual Purdue Veterinary Technician Symposium was evident again this spring as more than 125 participants turned out for the day-long continuing education program in Lynn Hall. The 12th annual symposium on Sunday, March 8, attracted attendees from Indiana and seven other states, including Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Alabama and Ohio.

Ruby’s Road to Recovery

When Ruby first came to the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital, she was just nine months old, and her injuries were more complex than when they first appeared. Ruby is a toy poodle and over a month earlier, while playing, she jumped off a couch and fractured both of her front legs. Despite several weeks of treatment with splints and casts, her legs were not healing properly. She had surgery performed on both her front legs and received a bone graft to help speed up the healing process. With meticulous surgical aftercare and a planned series of rechecks, Ruby began her journey to recovery.