Meet Our 2021 Compassionate Care Scholarship RecipientsAugust 25, 2021By Heather Schrader, RVT, MCJ HSVMA has been proud to offer our Compassionate Care Scholarships for the past six years to veterinary students who show a dedication to animal welfare and the determination to make a difference in the veterinary profession. We recognize that it is extremely difficult to commit to activities outside of classes, labs and rotations due to the rigorous curriculum that is inherent to a veterinary education. We are committed to empowering students who make animal welfare a priority not only in their education, but in their future as a professional. HSVMA would like to acknowledge and thank every one of the many qualified applicants. They reinforce HSVMA's commitment to student outreach and reveal the remarkable activities that vet students achieve while in school. HSVMA also thanks the supporters of this year's scholarships: Kislak Family Foundation; Dr. Carrie Waters, HSVMA Texas & Maryland State Representative; Dr. Kate Maher, HSVMA Louisiana State Representative; and Dr. Barry Kipperman, HSVMA Board President and California State Co-Representative. 2021 Compassionate Care Scholarship RecipientsReshmi Sensharma, 1st place, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2023 Sophia Chao, 2nd place, University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2022 Stella Elwood, 3rd place, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, class of 2023
RESHMI SENSHARMA (she/her) - 1st Place University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2023
The past two summers, Reshmi has worked in an immunology lab on campus, first as an NIH-BI scholar and then, in 2021, helping to develop a virtual immunology course for veterinary students in Malawi’s Mikolongwe College of Veterinary Science. One of her mentors at PennVet, Dr. Jennifer Punt, Professor of Immunology and Associate Dean of One Health, says Reshmi "engages complex issues with courage, care and the deep compassion that HSVMA values." Perhaps for this reason, she was chosen to receive the Rosenthal Shelter Medicine Student Research Fellowship. This fellowship helps train future shelter veterinarians to become researchers and ultimately improve animal welfare and treatment within the field. Reshmi also serves as Vice President of the student chapter of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine at UPenn. SOPHIA CHAO (she/her) - 2nd place University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2022
All of this work inspired her to focus on shelter medicine and access to care as she entered vet school. Sophia took on roles to coordinate spay/neuter clinics at UW-SVM, volunteered with Pets for Life in Milwaukee, and took on leadership roles as Secretary, then Co-President, of the HSVMA student chapter. Sophia helped coordinate two clinics located at Green County Humane Society during the pandemic. She was responsible for supporting these clinics by obtaining a World Spay Day grant from HSVMA and distributing information to all the volunteers regarding clinic procedures and safety protocols. Sophia was awarded a coveted position as a veterinary student volunteer on a RAVS summer clinic to Washington State which had to convert to a virtual event due to the pandemic. As part of her studies, Sophia also participated in her school's Shelter Medicine Selective which allowed her to work alongside Maddie's Shelter Fellows as they went into shelters and recommended practices to increase positive outcomes. Dr. Susan Krebsbach, HSVMA Wisconsin State Representative, wrote this of Sophia in her letter of recommendation: "She has a deep-seated desire to help the population of pets and their people in need, providing veterinary services to families with limited resources in order to assure their pets are receiving the medical care they need and to keep the pets where they belong - with the families who love them." STELLA ELWOOD (they/them) - 3rd place Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, class of 2023
As a dual DVM/MPH student, Stella was elected to the Animal Welfare Committee, a group of faculty and students which oversees the use of animals on campus. Upon discovering the production-based treatment of pigs for the clinical skills lab, Stella and a classmate proposed a humane alternative, in partnership with Unity Farm Sanctuary, which focuses more on overall care rather than food-animal techniques. The Curriculum Committee has since implemented this new option and vet students are able to choose a more humane, yet still rigorous, track for this lab. Stella was funded by PetSmart Charities to investigate the pandemic's impact on the population served by the full-service, low-cost community clinic, Tufts at Tech. Their commitment to One Heath was reflected in the inclusion of not only data regarding access to vet care for pets, but also access to health services for the pets' people. They presented their findings at the National Veterinary Scholars Program last year. With additional funding, Stella continues to look at client demographics and feedback to improve patient services and outcomes at this clinic. Stella also works at the vet school's Lerner Spay/Neuter Clinic and is active with many clubs on campus including the Tufts Veterinary Council on Diversity, Veterinary Disaster Relief Club, and the Shelter Medicine Club. Click here to read about last year's Compassionate Care Scholarship recipientsThe HSVMA Compassionate Care Scholarship application will be available next year. Contact [email protected] with any questions about the program. |