Three AASV Members Receive Dr Conrad and Judy Schmidt Family Student Debt Relief Endowment Scholarship

February 28, 2021 — AASV Staff

During 2021, the AASV Foundation increased the number of student debt-relief scholarships. Three $5000 scholarships were awarded to early-career swine practitioners through the "Dr Conrad and Judy Schmidt Family Student Debt Relief Endowment," which was renamed to honor the donors who established the scholarship program. Recipients Drs Claire LeFevre, Henry Johnson, and Daniel Gascho were announced February 28 during the American Association of Swine Veterinarian's 52nd annual meeting, held virtually.

The purpose of the $5000 scholarship is to help relieve the student debt of recent veterinary graduates engaged in swine practice who still have significant debt burden. Qualified applicants must have been engaged in private practice with at least 50% of their time devoted to swine, providing on-farm service directly to independent pork producers.

All three recipients were 2017 graduates and have been continuous members of the AASV since joining as students. As students, all attended the annual meeting multiple times.

Dr LeFevre, a University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine graduate, is the commercial farm veterinary lead at Carthage Professional Swine Management, LLC. Approximately 31,000 sows are under her direct care. She is responsible for herd health, development of herd health protocols, and on-farm employee training through programs such as PQA Plus. Dr LeFevre explained that opportunities provided by the AASV were critical to her education, professional development, and success as a swine veterinarian. She is an active member of the newly formed AASV Early Career Committee and enjoys giving back to the association.

Dr Johnson, a University of Illinois graduate, is veterinarian with the Swine Vet Center in Saint Peter, Minnesota. He works with various sized family farms to better the health and production of their animals to ensure a safe and reliable food product for consumers. He strives to teach production staff how important they are in maximizing day one piglet care and identifying sick animals. He enjoys supporting students, providing the same mentorship he received through the AASV, and fostering the next generation of swine veterinarians.

Dr Gascho, a graduate of Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, is the top associate veterinarian at Four Star Veterinary Service, LLC, Swine Health Care, in Indiana. His clients range from potbellied and show pigs to large commercial herds. He serves almost exclusively private and family farm clients. Taking advantage of the multiple student events and opportunities offered at the AASV annual meetings, Dr Gascho made long-lasting connections he continues to rely on.

The AASV Foundation thanks Drs Ross Kiehne, Lisa Tokach, and Nathan Winkelman for reviewing the applications.

The scholarship was initiated with a generous $110,000 contribution to the foundation by the Conrad Schmidt and Family Endowment. Dr Schmidt, a charter member of AASV, explained, "Together, Judy and I noticed that many new DVM graduates interested in swine medicine begin their professional life with heavy educational debt obligations. As a long-time AASV member and animal industry supporter, it was our desire to help AASV members who have dedicated their professional skills to swine herd health and production. We hope that this endowment will grow over time to assist in reducing the educational debt load of AASV members as they begin their professional journeys."

---

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