Young white female in lab coat and stethoscope around neck kneels down in indoor pig pen, surrounded by 8 young white pigs Young white female in lab coat and stethoscope around neck kneels down in indoor pig pen, surrounded by 8 young white pigs

FFAR & AAVMC Open Applications for 2024 FFAR Vet Fellows

Washington, D.C.

  • Production Systems
  • Scientific Workforce

The United States is facing a shortage of livestock and poultry veterinarians. Food animal veterinarians are vital to maintaining a safe U.S. food supply and play a critical role in protecting public health. According to a recent report, only 3%-4% of new veterinary graduates have entered food animal-related practices over the last 20 years, a 40% reduction from about 40 years ago. With many current food animal practitioners approaching retirement, the U.S. needs more veterinarians with experience in medicine, animal sciences and public health to solve critical food and agriculture challenges.

The Vet Fellows program is one of the only programs that allows veterinary students to conduct cutting-edge research that can have significant impacts to global food security and sustainable animal production. FFAR’s collaboration with the AAVMC is essential to our mission to build partnerships to support scientific workforce development and fund audacious science addressing food and agriculture challenges. Nikki Dutta
Scientific Program Officer

To support the development of future veterinary researchers, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) established the Veterinary Student Research Fellowships (FFAR Vet Fellows) in 2018. The program is accepting applications for the 2024 cohort.

Veterinary research is critical to solving challenges affecting nutritional security, environmental sustainability and public health. However, most fellowships available to veterinary students are limited to traditional biomedical research, with limited opportunity to conduct research outside that scope. To ensure students are aware of the numerous opportunities for veterinarians, FFAR and AAVMC established the FFAR Vet Fellows to support veterinary student research ranging from climate change to pandemic prevention. The fellowship prepares fellows for multi-faceted careers in science and public service. The fellows complete their research with a qualified mentor and present their findings at the annual Veterinary Scholars Symposium.

The 2024 FFAR Vet Fellows program is providing a $10,000 stipend for up to 15 students to perform research including, but not limited to, agricultural economics; nutritional security and food access; environmental sustainability of agriculture; advanced technologies; zoonotic diseases and pandemic prevention; and antimicrobial stewardship.

The fellowship is open to domestic and international students currently enrolled in a DVM or VMD degree program who are conducting research with a qualified mentor at an AAVMC member institution. Students do not need to have prior research experience, and matching funds are not required for this program. Students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in agriculture are strongly encouraged to apply.

The fellowship application period opens Thursday, February 15, and closes March 27, 2024. Each application must include a letter of support from a program director. Information about this program and the application process is available on the Vet Fellows webpage.

“Collaborating with FFAR to support the Vet Fellows program aligns with AAVMC’s goal of preparing the veterinary workforce for the future through global research programs,” said Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe, AAVMC chief executive officer.

The Vet Fellows program is one of several Scientific Workforce Development programs that FFAR funds to prepare today’s scientific workforce to address the food and agriculture challenges of tomorrow.

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Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.

Connect: @FoundationFAR

About the AAVMC

The member institutions of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) promote and protect the health and wellbeing of people, animals, and the environment by advancing the profession of veterinary medicine and preparing new generations of veterinarians to meet the evolving needs of a changing world. Founded in 1966, the AAVMC represents more than 40,000 faculty, staff, and students across the global academic veterinary medical community. Our member institutions include Council on Education (COE) accredited veterinary medical colleges and schools in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand as well as departments of veterinary science and departments of comparative medicine in the U.S.

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