PARSIPPANY, N.J. - October 5, 2020 - Zoetis Inc. and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) will partner again in 2020 to provide scholarships to second- and third-year veterinary students in the United States and Caribbean as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to support those who care for animals.
Recipients of the 2021 Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship Award will each receive $2,000 for the upcoming 2021-2022 academic year. Interested students can apply now through Dec 2 at www.vetvance.com/opportunities or via the VETVANCE® mobile app, which is available for download from the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store. Winners will be announced in March 2021.
To date, the Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship program has awarded over 3,600 scholarships totaling more than $7 million. “Zoetis’ long-standing commitment to the mission of assisting veterinary students is unwavering,” said Dr. Christine Jenkins, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Veterinary Medical Services and Outcomes Research at Zoetis. “This award has helped ease veterinary education-related financial debt and in many cases, enabled students to participate in experiential learning opportunities such as externships.”
Eligibility criteria include academic excellence, financial need, diversity, sustainability, leadership and career interest. Scholarships will be awarded to students in all areas of professional interest, including food animal medicine, small animal clinical medicine, research, government services, public health, and organized veterinary medicine. Among the 2020 awarded scholars:
• 34% are from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds
• 31% are studying mixed animal medicine
• 12% are studying to practice food animal medicine
• 26% are going into small animal practice
• 4% are going into equine exclusive clinical practice
• 14% are entering academia, public health, government, and industry
• 12% will go into other areas such as Lab Animal, Wildlife or Zoo/Exotic Animal
“The AAVMC is proud to help new generations of veterinarians by partnering with Zoetis on this strategic effort,” said Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe, Chief Executive Officer of the AAVMC. “Scholarship support plays a significant role in the success and wellbeing of our DVM students and we’re extremely grateful to Zoetis for the investment they’re making in the future of the profession.”
Now in its twelfth year, the Veterinary Student Scholarship program operates as part of Zoetis’ Commitment to Veterinarians™, a platform created by Zoetis to support leadership and diversity among future veterinarians, while also helping to offset the significant costs associated with a veterinary education. The average debt load of veterinary students is more than $170,000.1
To learn more about the Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship Award or to apply for a scholarship, please register at www.VETVANCE.com or download the VETVANCE mobile app to get started. VETVANCE is a free educational resource sponsored by Zoetis that provides veterinary students and recent graduates with online content relating to professional development, business skills, professional stewardship, financial literacy, personal wellness, and much more.
About Zoetis
Zoetis is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on more than 65 years of experience in animal health, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines, vaccines and diagnostic products, which are complemented by biodevices, genetic tests and precision livestock farming. Zoetis serves veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals with sales of its products in more than 100 countries. In 2019, the company generated annual revenue of $6.3 billion with approximately 10,600 employees. For more information, visit www.zoetis.com.
Media Contacts:
Garnetta Santiago, MA, LVT
(973) 443-2709
garnetta.santiago@zoetis.com
References:
1Average debt among veterinary students was $173,451 in 2019, according to the Annual Data Report 2019-2020 [Internet]. Washington, DC: Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges; 2020 January p. 1-64. Available from: http://www.aavmc.org/About-AAVMC/Public-Data.aspx.
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