Opportunities

The AAWV recognizes that externships are an extremely important aspect of a veterinary student’s learning experience. Therefore, the AAWV Board of Governors has approved a competitive program, AAWV Wildlife Veterinary Externship Grants, to provide funds to assist veterinary students’ participation in wildlife related externships. These grants are $500.00 per student for a total of up to 10 students per year. The funds can be used as the student requires for expenses encountered during an externship (i.e., travel expenses, such as airfare, rental vehicles, lodging, food, etc.).   The grant requirements are: a) A demonstrated and written interest in Wildlife Veterinary Medicine b) The student must be a current student member of the AAWV c) The student must be currently enrolled in an accredited veterinary college d) The externship must include a significant wildlife veterinary medicine focus (as approved by the AAWV Scholarship Committee).   Applications are accepted from January 1 to February 29, 2024 with externships commencing June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025. Send application materials via email to: student.rep@aawv.net.   The following must be provided in order to be considered: 1. Cover letter outlining: i) The students career goals in wildlife veterinary medicine; ii) How the proposed externship experience could help achieve these goals; iii) How the awarded externship grant could help achieve these goals. 2. Current curriculum vitae 3. One letter of reference or faculty assessment 4. Proposed budget for the externship 5. Externship description (e.g., duration, location, objectives, agency/organization, etc.) Applicants will be scored on free-ranging wildlife experience, captive wildlife experience, research experience, involvement in wildlife organizations, written communication, and the letter of reference to capture the diverse range of experience that students may possess. The scoring rubric will be as follows (total maximum points = 30) and final selection of the recipients will be made by the AAWV Scholarship Committee: - Career goals and interest in wildlife medicine (1-5) - Justification for choosing the specific externship experience (1-5) - Quality and content of the planned externship experience (1-5) - Letter of reference/faculty assessment (1-5) - Wildlife medicine experiences (free ranging, captive, research) (1-5) - Budget (1-5)

The Award shall be presented to an individual, group or organization in acknowledgement of either an exemplary contribution or achievement combining wildlife disease research with wildlife management policy implementation or elucidating particularly significant problems in wildlife health. The Award shall be presented no more than once yearly and only when appropriate candidates are identified. Candidates shall be selected by a joint WDA and AAWV committee named the Tom Thorne-Beth Williams Memorial Award Committee. The Committee shall be comprised of 4 members (2 from each organization) appointed by the Presidents of their respective organizations for terms of 2 years.  Terms may be renewable.  All decisions shall be made by majority vote, ties to be broken by consensus decisions of the Presidents of the WDA and the AAWV. The Award shall be presented at joint meetings of the AAWV and WDA unless presented at another meeting as approved by both the WDA Council and the AAWV Officers and Governing Council. Nominees will be sought in the Fall/Winter of each year through advertisement in WDA and AAWV communications to their respective memberships. An initial call for nominations will be advertised no later than January 15th, with a second request for nominations posted no later than February 15.  Submission deadline is generally early March.  However, this deadline might be adjusted depending on the timing of the conference in a given year. Nominations shall consist of a letter stating the nominee’s name, affiliations, brief biographical history and a description of the contribution or achievements for which the individual, group or organization are nominated. Nomination letters shall specifically reference the nominee’s contributions as they relate to the award criteria as outlined in paragraph two of these guidelines. The committee shall select recipients at least 4 months preceding the meeting at which the award is to be presented. When the conference is held earlier than usual in the year, the deadlines for nominations will be adjusted accordingly. It is not a goal to keep the recipient’s name a secret, but is a goal to have the recipient(s) present at the awards ceremony, most often the banquet at the meetings of WDA and AAWV. The Award shall be open to all professionals in the field of wildlife health regardless of membership in the WDA or the AAWV. This includes students. The Award shall consist of a black-footed ferret bronze statute. A Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Memorial Award Fund has been established jointly by the WDA and the AAWV. The purpose of this fund is to cover the cost of the bronze and provide a monetary award. Depending on amount available in the Memorial Award Fund, up to US$1000 shall be awarded to the recipient.  The intent of this award is to provide funds for Award recipient travel to the conference or for funds to be applied as a contribution to a field or research project selected by the recipient.  If the Memorial Award Fund increases substantially in value, the committee and Council will reevaluate award amount. The Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Memorial Award will be awarded to any individual, group, or organization recipient no more than one time. In unique circumstances, the committee may consider recommending to AAWV and WDA that the award be given to a group or organization that includes a previous individual awardee, or to an individual who was a member of a group or organization previously winning the award.

In 2012, The American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) established the Zoological Medicine and Wildlife Health Research Grant program which is funded by the Wild Animal Health Fund (WAHF). The intent of the research grants is to support the AAZV mission to empower our members to advance our profession and enhance zoo and wild animal health, welfare, and conservation. Investigators are expected to disseminate their findings via peer-reviewed publication and any other relevant outreach efforts. The total available fund for the 2024 Zoological Medicine and Wildlife Health Research Grant is $260,000. Typically, WAHF receives 40-60 grant proposals each year, from which 15-20 grants are awarded per year. Two categories of funding are available: the standard grant (maximum $20,000) and small grant (maximum $7,500). Small grants are intended to foster innovation and training in research, and are often trainee-led projects, pilot studies, or opportunistic additions to an ongoing research effort. Small grants may be narrower in scope than standard proposals but must meet the same scientific standards.

Given in honor of the late Wildlife Disease Association (WDA) member and AAWV founder, Al Franzmann. AAWV works with annual WDA conference and program organizers to identify a premier speaker to give a special presentation on a cutting-edge topic of particular regional or global concern or a new topic to WDA and AAWV members. AAWV will cover the cost of registration, travel, and lodging for this speaker. The recipient is provided a crystal sculpture.

Recipient of the US$1000 award must meet the following criteria: Be a current student in veterinary medicine, graduate studies, or intern/resident in a field related to the mission of USAHA Have an interest in regulatory or public medicine Be an active AAWV member (does not have to be a USAHA Student Member, although joining is encouraged) Be available to attend the USAHA Annual Meeting in the fall of that year and present research or a topic relevant to the USAHA Wildlife Committee Interested students must submit an application to the AAWV Secretary containing the following: Student name, contact information, University affiliation, and relevant information for his/her field of study/specialization Cover letter CV Once a suitable candidate has been identified, AAWV nominates that individual to USAHA. Deadlines vary from year to year, contact secretary@aawv.net for more details.

In keeping with their close relationship with WDA, AAWV sponsors an award for either a veterinary student or a veterinarian currently enrolled in a graduate program, residency or equivalent educational endeavor. This award acknowledges outstanding academic and research accomplishment, productivity and potential to contribute to the field of wildlife medicine/research. The award has a value of US$500 and includes a plaque. To be considered, students must: a) be an AAWV member at the time of application and b) must also submit an abstract to present their work at the annual international WDA conference and have the abstract accepted as an oral presentation.

The Linda Munson Pathology Manuscript Award offers a first place $250 award and a second place $150 award for the best zoo or wildlife pathological manuscript published each year by a graduate student or resident in either the Journal of Wildlife Diseases or the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. Criteria is established by the Education Committee and manuscripts reviewed by a designated group of individuals in the practice of pathology.