Contacts:
Dr. Locke Karriker, ISU Swine Medicine Education Center, 515-294-2283
Ms. Tracy Raef, College of Veterinary Medicine, 515-294-4602
May 29, 2013
AMES, Iowa – Phibro Animal Health Corporation (Phibro) has donated a gift for a new Swine Medicine Education Center (SMEC) Student Support Fund of $5,000 annually that will provide financial assistance to offset costs visiting veterinary students from across the nation incur while participating in swine veterinary rotations at SMEC.
SMEC is a joint collaboration between Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Audubon-Manning Veterinary Clinic in Audubon, Iowa. Many veterinary students have limited access to on-farm, clinical swine medicine training at their home institutions. SMEC provides veterinary students, and also practicing veterinarians, from across the United States and around the world with extensive hands-on experiences and education in swine health and production.
“Phibro Animal Health Corporation is committed to educating young veterinarians with a future in the swine production industry,” said Douglas Weiss, technical services manager at Phibro Animal Health. “We need these interested young people with the strengths and skill that training at SMEC provides to raise our industry to the next level. This partnership with Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine creates more opportunities for better knowledge that in the end, increases human health with increased food safety.”
The first recipients of the SMEC Student Support Fund award were announced at SMEC during the Swine Production Management and Consultation Course earlier this spring — Emily Kuntz of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and Josh Barker of Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
We appreciate the support of Phibro Animal Health’s gift to the SMEC Student Support Fund,” said Dr. Locke Karriker, director of SMEC and associate professor of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. “This funding is critical so that students from across the nation and world are able to attend SMEC swine courses. The students still have a tangible investment in their education, but this student support fund makes the training at SMEC more accessible to them. We hope that Phibro’s leadership has set a precedent that will be appealing to other stakeholders in swine medicine as SMEC grows.”