Scholarships Supported by the Zoetis Foundation Benefit Purdue Veterinary Medicine Students

March 29, 2024

A total of seven students in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine were selected to receive scholarships supported by the Zoetis Foundation. Five of the recipients are DVM students in the Classes of 2025 and 2026. The other two recipients are veterinary nursing students in the VN Class of 2025.

DVM Scholarships

The DVM student scholarships funded by the Zoetis Foundation are administered by the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), which awarded more than 200 $7,000 scholarships to veterinary students enrolled in AAVMC member institutions. Congratulations to the following Purdue Veterinary students who are among the recipients: Kyle Barron, Tyler Bright, Audrey Evans, and Mattisyn Gebhardt, all of the DVM Class of 2026, and Naja Williams of the DVM Class of 2025.

The scholarships are for second- and third-year veterinary students. In addition to the traditional selection criteria of academic excellence and financial need, the scholarships focus on meeting ongoing needs of the veterinary profession – diversity, sustainability, and mixed/rural medicine practices. During the first five years of this scholarship program, Zoetis Inc. awarded scholarships to more than 2,700 exceptional veterinary students.

Veterinary Nursing Scholarships

In addition, the Scholarship Review Committee of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) announced recipients of the Zoetis Foundation/AVMF Veterinary Technician Student Scholarship program, including two Purdue veterinary nursing students. Congratulations to Stephanie Stewart and Mae Varda, both of the VN Class of 2025.

Through the scholarship program, the Zoetis Foundation awards more than 200 scholarships in the amount of $2,000 each to eligible veterinary technician students enrolled full-time in an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology, veterinary nursing, or animal health technology program in the United States or Puerto Rico. The AVMF administers the program.

AVMF Programs and Operations Manager Shanita Anderson said, “On behalf of the AVMF and the Zoetis Foundation, our volunteers and staff, we congratulate the recipients on this outstanding accomplishment in their veterinary career. There was a highly qualified and exceptional group of applicants for this award.”

The Zoetis Foundation supports communities and the people who care for animals, with a specific focus on advancing opportunities for veterinarians and farmers around the world. The Foundation’s grantmaking and strategic efforts help provide access to education and mental wellness resources, expand veterinary debt relief, support diversity and inclusion efforts, and enable thriving livelihoods by funding programs that help veterinary practices and livestock farmers adopt sustainable business practices.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

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

The Wellness Committee would like to extend a heartfelt Paws Up to Laurie Marsh, who is a supervisor for the Emergency Critical Care & Small Animal Reception team.

Purdue VBMA Club Hosts Picture-perfect Activity

When veterinary students in the Purdue Chapter of the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) were looking for a new event to host as a student organization, an intriguing idea came to mind that was easy to “picture” as a perfect success! So the club set out to plan the activity in order to meet an important need of the club members while also providing a fun chance for the students to get keepsake images of their furry study buddies.

PVM Faculty Legends Honored at 25th Annual Healing Oasis Wellness Center Conference

The theme “Knowledge – Like a Precious Metal, is PRICELESS,” proved especially appropriate for the 25th anniversary of the annual Healing Oasis Wellness Center Conference spearheaded by a Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumnus, Dr. Pedro Rivera. That’s because the conference, held at the end of 2025 at the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Illinois, gave special recognition to legendary Purdue Veterinary Medicine educators Kathy Salisbury and Ron Hullinger.

How the Brain Recognizes What It’s Seen Before and Why It Matters for Autism Research

When you walk into a familiar place — your kitchen, a classroom, or your neighborhood — your brain instantly starts matching what you see with memories of past experiences. A new study from Purdue University reveals a key piece of how that recognition process works, and why it may be disrupted in conditions such as Fragile X syndrome, a leading inherited cause of autism.

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

Today we are recognizing Chloe Morris, RVT, who is a veterinary technologist in Anesthesiology in the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital.

Partnership to make Purdue Veterinary Nursing Distance Learning program available to employees at more than 1,000 general practice veterinary hospitals

Already Purdue’s largest online program, the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Nursing Distance Learning program is partnering with National Veterinary Associates General Practice to offer the VNDL program to technicians at NVA’s more than 1,000 general practice veterinary hospitals.

PVM Distinguished Professor Suresh Mittal to Speak at Purdue’s Westwood Lecture Series

The Westwood Lecture Series is part of Purdue President Mung Chiang’s efforts aimed at enhancing the intellectual vibrancy of the Purdue West Lafayette campus, and the next featured speaker is Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Professor of Virology, Dr. Suresh Mittal. His presentation entitled, “Universal Influenza Vaccine — An Aspiration or Reality?” is scheduled for January 28, and registration for the lecture is now open.

PVM Concludes 2024 with Recognition of Service Anniversaries and Award-winning Staff

As 2024 came to a close at Purdue University, the College of Veterinary Medicine continued a long-standing tradition of celebrating staff service anniversaries and recognizing staff and faculty accomplishments at the Staff Service Recognition Ceremony. Held in Lynn 1136 on Wednesday, December 18, the ceremony honored more than 70 PVM personnel.