Thanks to the generosity of Merck Animal Health, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Foundation (AASVF) awarded $5000 scholarships to each of five veterinary students during the AASV Annual Meeting February 29 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Merck Animal Health provided $25,000 to support the AASVF-Merck Veterinary Student Scholarship Program to identify and assist future swine veterinarians with their educational expenses.

Second- and third-year veterinary students enrolled in AVMA-accredited or -recognized colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean Islands were eligible to apply. All applicants were required to be current student members of AASV. Each applicant submitted a resume and the name of a faculty member or a member of the AASV to serve as a reference, and answered four essay questions. A committee of four, including two AASV Foundation Board members and two AASV members-at-large, reviewed the applications.

The 2016 AASVF-Merck Veterinary Student Scholarship recipients are

• Alyssa Anderson (University of Minnesota);
• Daniel Carreno (North Carolina State University);
• Emily Mahan-Riggs (North Carolina State University);
• Rachel Schulte (Iowa State University);
• Thomas Wurtz (Washington State University).

The AASVF wishes to thank Merck Animal Health for their support of this program and the members of the review committee for their work to evaluate the applications and select the scholarship recipients.

AASV Foundation announces research funding for 2016

The AASV Foundation selected four research proposals to receive a total of $60,000 in funding for 2016. The research will study a wide range of topics important to swine veterinarians, including emerging diseases, disease introduction into the US swine herd, vaccine efficacy, and biosecurity. Dr Daryl Olsen, chairman of the AASV Foundation, announced the proposals selected for funding during the foundation’s annual luncheon on February 28 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

A grant of $17,500 was awarded to Dr Steve Tousignant at Swine Vet Center to fund a proposal designed to determine the seroprevalence of Seneca Valley A virus in a convenience sample collected from US sow farms. The research will also explore risk factors associated with the presence of the Seneca Valley A virus in sow farms.

Dr Scott Dee at Pipestone Veterinary Services was awarded a grant of $15,000 to assist with funding for a study to evaluate a shipping model using viral proxies to investigate whether foreign-animal diseases could survive in feed ingredients shipped from Asia to the United States. The study will also evaluate whether two chemical mitigants could reduce the risk of pathogen survival.

The foundation allocated $15,000 to fund a proposal submitted by Dr Mike Murtaugh at the University of Minnesota toward designing a challenge-free model to predict vaccine efficacy.

The fourth research grant, totaling $12,500, was awarded to Dr Derald Holtkamp at Iowa State University to support a study to compare the effectiveness of standard entry versus bench entry biosecurity protocols in a commercial swine facility.

Dr Nathan Winkelman chaired the scientific subcommittee responsible for reviewing and scoring the proposals received for consideration, and he joins the foundation in thanking Drs John Baker, Tim Blackwell, Tom Gillespie, Peggy Anne Hawkins, and Jerry Torrison for their service on the subcommittee. The subcommittee considered a record 17 proposals.

An overview of past and current projects funded by the foundation is available at https://www.aasv.org/foundation/ research.htm. The foundation will issue its next call for research proposals in the fall of 2016.

AASV Foundation Auction and Mini raffle

The 2016 American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) Foundation held its annual fundraising auction on February 29 during the 47th AASV Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s auction raised $96,812! This tremendous effort was aided by the generosity of MVP Laboratories/Phibro Animal Health through the donation of a 2016 Mini Cooper which raised $26,100! The raffle drawing was held during the AASV Board of Directors meeting in Perry, Iowa on March 21. Dr John Howe, American Veterinary Medical Association Executive Board liaison to AASV, drew the winning ticket belonging to Dr Jodie Pettit.

 

The funds raised during the auction support foundation programs, including student travel stipends, research projects, scholarships, student externships, summer internships, awards, and other opportunities to enhance the personal and professional aspects of swine veterinary medicine.

Auctioneer and AASV Executive Director Dr Tom Burkgren called the auction with the assistance of Dr Shamus Brown. The spirited live auction raised $41,850. This was in addition to the $16,362 collected during the silent auction and $12,500 in generous cash donations. The foundation thanks all those who participated in the auction by bidding on or donating items, as well as those who served on the auction committee chaired by Dr Daryl Olsen. Visit the AASV Foundation Auction page on the AASV Web site at https://www.aasv.org/foundation/2016/auctionlist.php to view auction wrap-up.

A special thanks goes to the ring men: Drs Butch Baker, Shamus Brown, Tom Gillespie, Darrell Neuberger, David Reeves, Craig Rowles, and John Waddell, who kept the bids coming. In addition, the following folks were invaluable behind-the-scenes and front-end help: Wes Johnson, Joel Burkgren, Sue Kimpston, Kay Kimpston-Burkgren, Karen Menz, Karen Richardson, Lee Schulteis, Sue Schulteis, Tina Smith, and Harry Snelson.

An extra-special thanks goes out to Lee Schulteis for driving the truck and trailer containing all the auction items and meeting materials from Perry, Iowa, to New Orleans and back again.

Dr Nathan Winkelman received the Legacy Fund donor award in recognition of his contribution during the AASV Foundation luncheon in New Orleans.

Winkelman establishes foundation’s first Legacy Fund

During the recent AASV Foundation luncheon in New Orleans, chairman Dr Daryl Olsen announced the creation of the first Legacy Fund, established by Dr Nathan L. Winkelman. The Legacy Fund represents the highest level of the foundation’s triad of endowed giving programs (Leman-Heritage-Legacy), with a minimum $50,000 contribution required to establish a named endowment. The foundation board instituted the Legacy giving level 2 years ago.

In making the contribution to establish the fund, Winkelman noted “The AASV is important enough to me to not have missed a meeting since 1982, when I was a sophomore at the University of Minnesota. The organization keeps me educated and motivated. Its members are my mentors, colleagues, past and present dear friends, and our industry’s future.”

“It is for this reason that my wife (also a veterinarian) and I are proud and privileged to be able to donate to the AASV Foundation’s Legacy Fund. My hope is that the foundation will reach its financial goals to be self-sufficient to achieve its mission to fund research, education, and the long-range issues of the swine veterinary profession.”

As Legacy Fund is an endowed giving program, contributions are invested to generate income in the form of interest, dividends, and capital gains. The income is used to fund foundation activities, while the original contribution is conserved, helping to assure the organization’s long-term stability and success.

The foundation board created the Legacy program in 2014 to provide an opportunity to recognize a principal donor – or an honoree – through a significant contribution. A donor (or multiple donors) may establish and name a Legacy Fund with a gift of $50,000 or more. The fund may be named after the donor or another individual or group. Additionally, the donor has the opportunity to designate which of three foundation mission categories the fund proceeds will support: research, education, or long-range issues.

The AASV Foundation has set a goal to establish a $2 million endowment by the 2019 celebration of AASV’s 50th Anniversary, while at the same time maintaining its ongoing commitment to fund research, scholarships, externships, tuition grants, and other programs and activities that benefit the profession of swine veterinary medicine. For more information about the AASV Foundation, see www.aasv.org/foundation.