The AASV Foundation plans to award up to $100,000 in 2024 to support research with direct application to the swine veterinary profession and is now receiving proposals to be considered for funding.
Proposals are due by 12:00 pm Central Time on December 15, 2023, and may request a maximum of $30,000 per project. The announcement of projects selected for funding will occur during the 2024 AASV Annual Meeting on Monday, February 26.
Proposed research should fit one of the 5 action areas stated in the AASV Foundation mission statement (see sidebar). The instructions for submitting proposals are available on the AASV Foundation website at aasv.org/foundation/2024/research.php.
A panel of AASV members will evaluate and select proposals for funding, based on the following scoring rubric:
- 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 previously funded by the foundation is available at aasv.org/foundation/research.htm.
For more information, or to submit a proposal, contact the AASV Foundation: 515-465-5255; foundation@aasv.org.
Let’s have a grand ole auction, y’all!
Yee haw! AASV is headed to Nashville, Tennessee, the home of country music, Honky Tonk Highway, and the Grand Ole Opry! As you dig those cowboy boots out of the closet and start practicing your line dance moves, take a few minutes to think about how you can “step up” to support the AASV Foundation fundraising auction!
For starters, “scoot” over to the AASV Foundation website to download the donation form at aasv.org/foundation/2024/auctioninfo.php. Need ideas for your donation? Just “weave” through the list of last year’s donations at aasv.org/foundation/2023/auctionlist.php. Please don’t “brush” us off – we would not want that to get on the “grapevine.” We hope you will “kick” it up a notch with your unique and creative donation! But you had better “hustle” because donations are due December 1!
To donate, submit the donation form with a photo of your item. Your contribution will be recognized in the auction catalog as well as on the auction website, and your name will appear in the full-page JSHAP spread recognizing our auction item donors.
As in recent years, the silent auction will be conducted virtually via ClickBid, and auction donors are asked to hold onto their donation for shipment to the winning bidder after the auction. The live auction will be held immediately following the Monday evening awards reception at the 2024 AASV Annual Meeting in Nashville.
Whether you choose to donate cash or an auction item, this annual fundraiser is essential for providing immediate and ongoing support for the many scholarships and grants awarded by the foundation each year, including scholarships, travel stipends, and externship grants for veterinary students as well as research grants, debt relief, and scholarships for graduate veterinarians. See aasv.org/foundation for details about these and additional programs supported by the foundation.
Questions about the auction or what to donate? Contact a member of the Auction Committee (listed at aasv.org/foundation/2024/auctioninfo.php) or send a message to foundation@aasv.org.
Questions about line dancing? See YouTube!
We’ll see y’all in Nashville for the AASV Foundation’s grand ole auction!
Hogg Scholarship available to practitioners seeking MS or PhD
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. Nineteen swine practitioners, recognized at aasv.org/foundation/hoggscholars, have been awarded the scholarship since it was established in 2008.
Applications for the scholarship will be accepted until December 1, 2023. The scholarship recipient will be announced Monday, February 26 during the AASV Annual Meeting.
Dr Alex Hogg’s career serves as the ideal model for successful applicants. After 20 years in mixed animal practice, Dr Hogg pursued a master’s degree in veterinary pathology. He subsequently became the 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 here, and on the AASV website at aasv.org/foundation/hoggscholarship.htm.
Hogg Scholarship application requirements
An applicant for the Hogg Scholarship shall have:
- Three or more years of experience as a swine veterinarian, either in a private practice or in an integrated production setting
- Five or more years of continuous membership in the AASV
Applicants are required to submit the following for consideration as a Hogg Scholar:
- Current curriculum vitae
- Letter of intent detailing his or her plans for graduate education and future plans for participation and employment within the swine industry
- 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 emailed to foundation@aasv.org or mailed to:
AASV Foundation
830 26th Street
Perry, IA 50220
Veterinary students invited to apply for $5000 scholarship by December 31
To assist future swine veterinarians with their educational expenses, the AASV Foundation and Merck Animal Health are pleased to offer the AASVF-Merck Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarships. Ten $5000 scholarships will be awarded to sophomore and junior veterinary students in 2024. Applications are due December 31, 2023 for scholarships that will be announced during the 2024 AASV Annual Meeting.
Second- and third-year veterinary students enrolled in AVMA-accredited or -recognized colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, or the Caribbean Islands are eligible to apply. All applicants must be current (2023-2024) student members of AASV. Students who have previously been awarded one of these scholarships are not eligible to reapply. Previous scholarship recipients are recognized at aasv.org/foundation/scholarshipwinners.htm.
To apply, students must submit a resume and the name of a faculty member or AASV member to serve as a reference, along with written answers to 4 essay questions. The application and instructions are available at aasv.org/foundation/2024/AASVF-MerckScholarships.php.
A committee of 4 conducts the selection process. Two AASV Foundation board members and 2 AASV members-at-large rank the applicants by scoring their past and current activities, level of interest in swine veterinary medicine, future career plans, and financial need. The scholarship recipients will be announced during the luncheon on Monday, February 26 at the 2024 AASV Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee (attendance not required). The scholarship funds will be disbursed after the conference.
The AASVF-Merck Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program is part of how Merck Animal Health and the AASV Foundation fulfill a shared mission of “supporting the development and scholarship of students and veterinarians.” For more information on scholarships and other AASV Foundation programs, see aasv.org/foundation.
Perfect weather graces golfers at rescheduled event
Due to the extreme heat that blanketed the country in late August, the annual AASV Foundation Golf Outing originally scheduled for August 23 was postponed until September 27. The decision to postpone turned out to be a good one, as participants enjoyed a lovely fall day with temperatures in the 70°F range instead of suffering through August’s 110°F + heat index.
Thirty-one golfers competed in the best-ball team contest over Veenker Memorial’s challenging golf course in Ames, Iowa. The AMVC team of Josh Ellingson, Trey Kellner, Shelby Ramirez, and Nick Weihs took top honors with a score of eleven under par. The Fairmont Vet Clinic team (Justin Borchardt, Javen Holm, Brian Roggow, and Steve Sumey) came in a close second at ten under, despite missing their usual teammate and not-so-secret weapon, Deb Roggow. At five under par, a tiebreaker was needed to determine the third-place winner: Aurora Pharmaceutical’s team of Mark Brinkman, David Knock, Roger Rathjen, and Grant Weaver.
Additionally, contests and games were offered at several of the holes to test and reward individual skills. All the teams and contest winners are recognized here, except for the team composed of Marcus Kehrli, Kent Schwartz, Steve Sornsen, Ron White, and Jeff Zimmerman. While these golfers did not make it into the traditional placings, they declared themselves winners in the “over 65 division” (being the only team with all players over the age of 65).
The overall success of this fundraising event is due in large part to the generous support of sponsors. For several years, Boehringer Ingelheim has sponsored the awards dinner and Zoetis has hosted the beverages for the day. Merck Animal Health stepped up to provide the golfers’ lunches this year and seven golf-hole sponsors provided on-course giveaways, games, and contests for the golfers to enjoy. Please join the foundation in thanking Agri-King, APC, Aurora Pharmaceutical, Huvepharma, Insight Wealth Group, Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health, and National Pork Producers Council for their support!
The funds raised by the event help support a variety of AASV Foundation activities, including scholarships for students and graduate veterinarians, research grants, student debt relief, swine externship grants, travel stipends for students attending the AASV Annual Meeting, Heritage videos, and more.
Dr Josh Ellingson coordinated the event for the foundation and announced the following team and individual contest winners during the concluding awards dinner:
First flight
First place, hosted by AMVC: Josh Ellingson, Trey Kellner, Shelby Ramirez, and Nick Weihs
Second place, hosted by Fairmont Vet Clinic: Justin Borchardt, Javen Holm, Brian Roggow, and Steve Sumey
Third place, hosted by Aurora Pharmaceutical: Mark Brinkman, David Knock, Roger Rathjen, and Grant Weaver
Second flight
First place, hosted by VRI: Ben Crawford, Travis Harrison, Brian Martinson, and Mike Roof
Second place, hosted by Phibro Animal Health: Dennis Dwyer and Mark Rooney
Third place, Jeb Gent, Chelcee Hindman, Jim Lovin, and Anna McGeehan
Fourth place, hosted by Merck Animal Health: Mike Bauer, Darran Miller, Michelle Sprague, and Steve Sprague
Individual contests
Hole #2, Chipping contest, sponsored by Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health: Brian Martinson and Darran Miller
Hole #4, Closest to the pin - second shot: Anna McGeehan
Hole #7, Closest drive to the target: Mark Rooney
Hole #11, Closest to the pin – tee shot, sponsored by Huvepharma: Jim Lovin (1st), Brian Roggow (2nd)
Hole #15, Random club challenge, sponsored by National Pork Producers Council: Justin Borchardt
Hole #16, Closest to the pin – third shot: Ron White
Hole #18, Longest putt, sponsored by Aurora Pharmaceutical: Mark Brinkman
Early-career swine veterinarians: Opportunity to apply for debt relief - twelve $7500 grants to be awarded!
The AASV Foundation is pleased to announce 2 opportunities for AASV members to apply for debt relief. Applications are due December 1 for a total of twelve $7500 grants to be awarded at the 2024 AASV Annual Meeting. While the application process is the same for both opportunities, the eligibility requirements are different, as described below and at aasv.org/foundation/debtrelief.php.
Dr Conrad and Judy Schmidt Family Student Debt Relief Scholarships
The foundation will award two $7500 scholarships to AASV members 2- to 5-years post graduation from veterinary school (2019, 2020, or 2021 graduates) who are engaged in private veterinary practice devoted 50% or more to swine, providing on-farm service directly to independent pork producers. The recipient must have maintained continuous AASV membership since joining as a student and must also have attended the AASV Annual Meeting while in veterinary school.
AASVF/Zoetis Foundation Student Debt Relief Grant Program
New this year - the AASV Foundation has partnered with the Zoetis Foundation to award ten $7500 grants to swine veterinarians to help relieve their student debt burden. In addition to private practitioners, AASV members who work for production companies, universities, or pharmaceutical companies are encouraged to apply. Any member who graduated from an AVMA-accredited college of veterinary medicine in the years 2014 through 2021, joined AASV as a student member, and whose career since graduation has been 50% or more devoted to swine is eligible to apply.
Those who meet eligibility requirements for the Schmidt scholarship also qualify for the AASVF/Zoetis Foundation grant and will automatically be considered for both opportunities from the same application. Previous recipients of either award are not eligible to reapply.
To apply, complete and submit the application available at aasv.org/foundation/debtrelief.php to foundation@aasv.org by December 1. The scholarship recipients will be announced during the 2024 AASV Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.
For more information, contact foundation@aasv.org.
AASV Foundation to fund ABVP candidate
The AASV Foundation Board of Directors has established the Swine Health Management Scholarship Program to annually support one AASV member interested in pursuing board certification through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). As part of its mission to support the development and scholarship of students and veterinarians, the board’s goal with this program is to relieve some of the financial burden associated with achieving board certification.
If you are interested in pursuing board certification, additional information can be found on the ABVP website (abvp.com).
Scholarship applicants must have either a DVM or VMD with at least 5 years of continuous membership in the AASV prior to sitting for the certification entrance examination administered during the AASV Annual Meeting.
The applicant must provide a letter of application including a curriculum vitae, a brief description of the applicant’s background, interest in swine health and reasons for pursuing board certification in Swine Health Management, and how the applicant anticipates serving the swine industry and AASV as a result of becoming board certified. A selection committee designated by the Foundation will review the applications and select one awardee annually to be notified during the first week of January.
Submit applications no later than December 15 to the AASV Foundation by email (foundation@aasv.org) or mail to:
AASV Foundation 830 26th Street Perry, IA 50220
The scholarship will provide reimbursements for Swine Health Management Certification-related expenses incurred within the first 2 years following the scholarship award date. Eligible expenses include such things as travel, course fees, and textbooks. Reimbursement will not cover lost income. Maximum amount of reimbursement will be $10,000. An additional incentive payment of $10,000 will be paid upon successful and timely completion of the Swine Health Management Board Certification.
For more information regarding the scholarship program, contact the AASV Foundation by phone, 515-465-5255, or email, foundation@aasv.org.