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Benjamin, Pairis-Garcia Selected to Receive Scholarships

November 1, 2017 — AASV Staff

Earlier this year, in an effort to increase the number of swine veterinarians who are board certified in the American College of Animal Welfare (ACAW), the AASV Foundation instituted the ACAW Scholarship program. The foundation is pleased to announce that a review committee led by foundation board member Dr. Lisa Tokach has approved two applicants to receive the new scholarships: Drs. Madonna Benjamin and Monique Pairis-Garcia.

Dr. Benjamin is an assistant professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University, where her clinical activities include serving as swine health extension veterinarian for MSU Extension. In her role on the extension team, she has been a part of efforts to contribute to swine welfare through low stress handling, digital imaging for body composition and locomotion scores, and using simulator pigs for training on effective, safe, and humane methods of swine euthanasia. Dr Benjamin's research interests include human-animal interaction, the use of systematic observation techniques to identify compromised animals within a population, and factor determinants of timely euthanasia.

Dr. Benjamin received her DVM degree from the University of Guelph in 1995, and a Master's degree in applied ethology from Michigan State University in 1998. She was employed by Elanco Animal Health in research and technical support, with early research that included cause and effect of downer pigs during transport. Madonna established Veterinary Science Consulting Inc in Alberta, Canada, a swine practice with an "overarching goal to improve the well-being and prosperity of both livestock (pigs) and producers," before returning to join the faculty at Michigan State. She has already made significant progress towards the completion of her plan of study. The scholarship funds will support her attendance at numerous welfare workshops, short courses, and symposia to prepare for the board examination, which she anticipates sitting for in the summer of 2018.

Dr. Pairis-Garcia received her DVM degree from Iowa State University in 2011, followed by a PhD in animal physiology in 2014, also earned at Iowa State. Since then, she has been employed as an assistant professor in The Ohio State University College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences, with a 65% extension/35% teaching appointment focused primarily on animal welfare and behavior in livestock industries. Despite not having a research appointment, she values applied research as an effective means of extension to improve swine welfare, and has directed her research efforts toward timely and humane euthanasia, on-farm welfare assessments and audits, and alternative management practices to improve animal welfare on-farm.

Dr. Pairis-Garcia is a member of AASV's Pig Welfare Committee as well as the National Pork Board's Animal Welfare Committee. She holds PAACO certification in swine, poultry, and slaughter facilities, and works extensively in training auditors. Like Dr. Benjamin, she hopes to take the board examination in 2018, and plans to use the scholarship funds to support attendance at ACAW conferences as well as to purchase textbooks to assist with her studies preparing for the exam. She looks forward to supporting science-based improvement in swine welfare, and ensuring that swine veterinarians have a voice in future decision-making related to animal welfare expectations and legislation.

For more information about the ACAW Scholarship program, or to apply, see www.aasv.org/foundation/ACAW_Scholarship.php.

The AASV Foundation was formed in 1989. Its mission is to empower swine veterinarians to achieve a higher level of personal and professional effectiveness by:

  • Enhancing the image of the swine veterinary profession,
  • Supporting the development and scholarship of students and veterinarians interested in the swine industry,
  • Addressing long-range issues of the profession,
  • Supporting faculty and promoting excellence in the teaching of swine health and production, and
  • Funding research with direct application to the profession.

For more information about the AASV Foundation, see www.aasv.org/foundation.

AASV staff contributed to or researched this story. For more information about the AASV, please visit http://www.aasv.org/.