Merck Animal Health Furthers Commitment to Next Generation of Veterinarians
Madison, N.J., April 8, 2019 – Merck Animal Health is pleased to announce five scholarships have been awarded to veterinary students attending the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine (TUCVM). Each student will receive a $5,000 scholarship to further their education as they pursue careers in either companion or large animal care.
“Veterinary expertise – both for companion and large animals – is imperative in today’s times,” said Scott Bormann, Senior Vice President of North America, Merck Animal Health. “With pet ownership on the rise and a population that is booming, veterinarians are essential to the care of our companions and to helping maintain a protein supply to support our growing world, respectively. At Merck Animal Health, we are eager to support these talented student recipients who will help to ensure the science of healthier animals.”
“I commend Merck Animal Health for their ongoing support of our veterinary college and students. We at Tuskegee focus on our students being career-ready veterinarians when they complete the curriculum and encourage their pursuits of the vast areas of career choices in the veterinary profession including companion and large animal medicine as Merck Animal Health’s scholarship promotes,” said Ruby L. Perry, D.V.M., TUCVM Dean. “We are honored to continue to partner with Merck Animal Health to support the future of veterinary medicine.”
“The Merck Animal Health scholarship continues to not only be an asset to our scholarship program, but also gives students an incentive to maintain high standards for academics and to become actively involved in service to the veterinary college and their communities,” said Deidre Quinn-Gorham, D.V.M., TUCVM Coordinator of Educational Programs and Instructional Technology, and Roslyn Casimir, D.V.M., TUCVM Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.
The five recipients are:
- Maria Colon of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, is a third-year student at the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. Maria participated in the University of California-Davis Pre-Veterinary Summer Enrichment Program, volunteered at the Pasadena Humane Society and completed an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Veterinary Forensics externship. Upon graduation, she plans to complete an ASPCA surgical externship and a shelter medicine internship.
- Khadijah Martin of Bronx, N.Y., is a second-year student at the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. Khadijah gained experience working at Banfield Pet Hospital and plans to work as a mixed animal veterinarian and create her own line of pet food after she graduates.
- Lorena Sandoval of Los Angeles, Calif., is a third-year student at the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. She gained experience serving as a teaching assistant at the Center for Engaged Learning Abroad in Belize in 2018 and currently works as a peer tutor for gross anatomy for the TUCVM. Upon graduation, Lorena plans to ultimately practice mixed animal veterinary medicine while working and teaching in third world countries.
- Kimberly Melara Snook of Houston, Texas, is a third-year student at the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. She has experience working as a kennel technician at Longenbaugh Veterinary Hospital and as a veterinary technician at Banfield Pet Hospital of Willowbrook and Copperfield. Kimberly is a histology tutor at the TUCVM. She plans to work as a small animal veterinarian and become a board certified veterinary neurologist after graduating.
- Jamie Wall of Indianapolis, Ind., is a third-year student at the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. She has experience working as a veterinary assistant in general practice. Upon graduation, Jamie plans to work in small animal general practice and specialize in internal medicine.
About Merck Animal Health
For more than a century, Merck, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases. Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada, is the global animal health business unit of Merck. Through its commitment to the Science of Healthier Animals™, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of the widest range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services. Merck Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of animals. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. Merck Animal Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit www.merck-animal-health.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter at @MerckAH.
About Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine
Tuskegee University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is one of only two veterinary programs in the state, and both are located within the 3rd Congressional District. The college is the only veterinary medical professional program located on the campus of a historically black college or university (HBCU) in the United States. The college has educated more than 70 percent of the nation’s African-American veterinarians and has been recognized as the most diverse of all 30 schools/colleges of veterinary medicine in the nation. Its primary mission is to provide an environment that fosters a spirit of active, independent and self-directed learning, intellectual curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, ethics, and leadership; and promotes teaching, research and service in veterinary medicine and related disciplines. For more information, visit www.tuskegee.edu/vetmed or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter at @CVMTU.