(Alameda, CA - November 2004) Maddie's Fund has revised its grant guidelines to give colleges of veterinary medicine more opportunities to apply for shelter medicine funding.
In addition to the current multi-year comprehensive grants that support teaching, research and service programs, the foundation is adding new segmented grants to involve more universities in the field of shelter medicine. Individual grants will be awarded for:
- teaching and research
- coursework
- seminars
- externships
- research projects
Over the years, many colleges of veterinary medicine have worked closely with animal shelters to help provide students with spay/neuter surgical experience.
Meanwhile, recent changes in sheltering practices have led many facilities to value staff veterinarians more highly and recognize their critical importance. With trained veterinarians, animal shelters can minimize disease transmission, maximize the animal care they provide and ultimately improve public perception through lifesaving success stories--all great news for the animals!
Maddie's Fund grants to colleges of veterinary medicine serve as a bridge, linking the talent, research capability, and resources of the University to the needs of animal shelters, while exposing veterinary students to the exciting possibilities of a career in shelter medicine.
"With our funding, veterinary colleges have published important new research; contributed chapters to the first shelter medicine textbook; given hundreds of veterinary students an introduction to shelter medicine through coursework and externships; trained Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Residents in the areas of animal behavior and infectious disease; and helped dozens of animal shelters establish "wellness" programs, animal behavior programs and protocols to lessen and treat infectious disease, " proclaims Maddie's Fund Veterinary Consultant, Dr. Laurie Peek. "We are thrilled with the progress that has been made in shelter medicine and hope to continue to build upon these developments with our newly revised guidelines."
For information on the new guidelines for colleges of veterinary medicine, read more ».
