Approximately 700 attendees, including veterinary students from across North America and Europe as well as animal health researchers and leaders from more than 40 top veterinary schools, convened in Worcester MA in July 2019 for the 30th annual National Veterinary Scholars Symposium hosted by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

The National Veterinary Scholars Symposium, the premier annual scientific colloquium which showcases research accomplishments by veterinary students completing summer research internships, provides an opportunity for students participating in the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars program to present their research findings by oral and/or poster presentation. In addition to scientific sessions, students have the opportunity to learn more about potential careers in biomedical research, as well as related, practical topics such as grant and manuscript writing and time management. The Veterinary Scholars also have the opportunity to network with each other and with various mentors from academic, industry and government backgrounds.

Presentations and panel discussions at this year’s National Veterinary Scholars Symposium – from academia, government, private research institutions and industry – provided students with exposure to and perspective on a variety of topics related to this year’s theme: "Engaging Veterinarians to Advance Human and Animal Health."

The mission of the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars Program is to provide an opportunity for veterinary schools to introduce first and second-year veterinary medical students to biomedical research. By providing a supportive environment in which students can experience research in an established laboratory, complemented by seminars and discussion groups on the scientific process, ethics, and research opportunities, the participants gain practical insight into the skills required and opportunities for careers in biomedical research.

“This type of hands-on experience is essential for students to understand the role of research in innovation for both animal and human health,” said Dr. Eric Haaksma, Global Head of Research and Development for Boehringer Ingelheim’s Animal Health business. “Over the past 30 years more than 3,500 veterinary students have benefited from this tremendous experience and exposure to career pathways. The impact of such experiential learning programs to the students involved, to industry and to human and animal patients is significant.”

At each of the more than 40 participating institutions, Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars are assigned to a mentor and laboratory. Each scholar conducts a hypothesis-driven research project developed jointly by the scholar and mentor. The research project is typically conducted over a 10-12 week period during the summer. At the end of the program, scholars present their findings to their peers and attending faculty. Scheduled activities supplement the research work, to provide opportunities for the students to learn about the broad aspects of research.

The Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholar Program and the associated Symposium have grown over three decades from sponsorship of a handful of students to a well-established and highly competitive program. The number of sponsored students has grown from 54 at eight schools in 2000 to just over 200 students at 42 schools in 2019. Attendance at the annual Symposium has increased from 43 to 700 during the same period.

As part of the Veterinary Scholar Program, each year Boehringer Ingelheim presents awards to one graduate student and one undergraduate student for exemplary research. The 2019 Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Graduate Award was presented to Dr. Amy Stieler Stewart, currently a graduate student at North Carolina State University pursuing her PhD, for her research on the study and use of intestinal stem cells in repair following ischemic injury. The 2019 Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Research Scholar Award was presented to Mariel Covo, an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, for her study involving the delivery of vectors to generate CAR T cells in canine patients with B cell lymphoma.