Applications are now being accepted for three $5000 scholarships to be awarded to early-career swine practitioners through the Dr Conrad and Judy Schmidt Family Student Debt Relief Endowment. The scholarship recipients will be announced during the 2022 AASV Annual Meeting.

The scholarships are available to AASV members who are between 2 and 5 years post graduation from veterinary school, engaged in private practice, and who carry a significant student debt burden.

The scholarship program was initiated three years ago with a $110,000 contribution to the foundation by the Conrad Schmidt and Family Endowment. Strong interest by applicants prompted the foundation board to increase the number of scholarships awarded to three, beginning in 2021.

The scholarship application form is available at aasv.org/foundation/debtrelief.php. Applications are due January 31, 2022. The following criteria will be used to select the scholarship recipient:

1. Joined AASV as a student enrolled in an AVMA-recognized college of veterinary medicine
2. Attended the AASV Annual Meeting as a student
3. Maintained continuous membership in AASV since graduation from veterinary school
4. Is at least 2 years and at most 5 years post graduation from veterinary school (2017, 2018, 2019 DVM/VMD graduates)
5. Has been engaged in private veterinary practice, 50% or more devoted to swine, providing on-farm service directly to independent pork producers. Veterinarians who work for production companies, pharmaceutical companies, or universities are not eligible for the scholarship.
6. Has a significant student debt burden

For more information, contact the AASV Foundation: aasv@aasv.org, 515-465-5255.

Whatcha gonna bid?

The AASV Foundation is gearing up for its annual live and silent fundraising auctions to be held in conjunction with the 2022 AASV Annual Meeting. While the silent auction will be conducted entirely online using the popular ClickBid site, the live auction will once again close out the Monday evening festivities during the meeting in Indianapolis.

It is time to take a look – a really good look – at the auction items and ask yourself, “Whatcha gonna bid?”

As you peruse the items up for bid at aasv.org/foundation/2022/auctionlist.php, look beyond the posted market value of each item and consider the following:

• Whatcha gonna bid to support research with direct application to what you do every day?
• Whatcha gonna bid to provide opportunities for veterinary students to gain practical, hands-on experience in swine practice?
• Whatcha gonna bid to help relieve student debt for young swine practitioners?
• Whatcha gonna bid to support scholarships for swine veterinarians pursuing an advanced degree or board certification in the American College of Animal Welfare?
• Whatcha gonna bid to provide travel stipends and scholarships for veterinary students attending the AASV Annual Meeting?
• Whatcha gonna bid to preserve the history of organized swine veterinary medicine?

Wen you bid in the foundation auction, you are supporting all of this and more!

Bidding on silent auction items will open in February at https://aasvf.cbo.io. To bid in the live auction, be present at the AASV Awards Reception in Indianapolis, or contact AASV (aasv@aasv.org, 515-465-5255) to make arrangements for off-site bidding.

So, whatcha gonna bid?

Swine practitioners: Apply for Hogg Scholarship to pursue graduate degree

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians Foundation is now accepting applications for the prestigious Hogg Scholarship, established to honor the memory of longtime AASV member and swine industry leader Dr Alex Hogg.

The intent of the $10,000 scholarship is to assist a swine veterinarian in his or her efforts to return to school for graduate education (resulting in a master’s degree or higher) in an academic field of study related to swine health and production. Fifteen swine practitioners, recognized at aasv.org/foundation/hoggscholars.htm, have been awarded the scholarship since it was established in 2008.

Applications for the scholarship will be accepted until January 31, 2022. The scholarship recipient will be announced Sunday, February 27 during the 2022 AASV Annual Meeting.

Dr Alex Hogg’s career serves as the ideal model for successful applicants. After twenty years in mixed animal practice, Dr Hogg pursued a master’s degree in veterinary pathology. He subsequently became Nebraska swine extension veterinarian and professor at the University of Nebraska. Upon “retirement,” Dr Hogg capped off his career with his work for MVP Laboratories. Always an enthusiastic learner, at age 75 he graduated from the Executive Veterinary Program offered at the University of Illinois.

The scholarship application requirements are outlined below, and on the AASV website at aasv.org/foundation/hoggscholarship.htm.

Hogg Scholarship Application Requirements

An applicant for the Hogg Scholarship shall have:

1. Three or more years of experience as a swine veterinarian, either in a private practice or in an integrated production setting
2. Five or more years of continuous membership in the American Association of Swine Veterinarians

Applicants are required to submit the following for consideration as a Hogg Scholar:

1. Current curriculum vitae
2. Letter of intent detailing his or her plans for graduate education and future plans for participation and employment within the swine industry
3. Two letters of reference from AASV members attesting to the applicant’s qualifications to be a Hogg Scholar

Applications and requests for information may be addressed to:

AASV Foundation
830 26^th Street
Perry, IA 50220
515-465-5255
aasv@aasv.org

AASV Foundation issues call for research proposals

As part of its mission to fund research with direct application to the profession, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Foundation seeks research proposals for funding in 2022. Proposals are due by 12:00 pm Central Time on January 14, 2022, and may request a maximum of $30,000 (US$) per project. The announcement of projects selected for funding will take place during the AASV Annual Meeting on Sunday, February 27, 2022. Up to $100,000 will be awarded across three or more projects.

Proposed research should fit one of the five action areas stated in the AASV Foundation mission statement (see sidebar).

The instructions for submitting proposals are available on the AASV Foundation Web site at aasv.org/foundation/2022/research.php.

A panel of AASV members will evaluate and select proposals for funding, based on the following scoring system:

• Potential benefit to swine veterinarians/swine industry (40 points)
• Probability of success within timeline (35 points)
• Scientific/investigative quality (15 points)
• Budget justification (5 points)
• Originality (5 points)

A summary of the research funded by the foundation over the past 15 years is available at aasv.org/foundation/research.htm.

For more information, or to submit a proposal:

AASV Foundation
830 26^th Street
Perry, IA 50220-2328
515-465-5255
aasv@aasv.org