Scholarships

AAFSPHV is pleased to have two scholarship programs available to our members. Learn more about each below

To apply, please Join AAFSPHV, then go to your Member Center and click the blue Scholarship button.

• The AVMA leadership scholarship provides up to $500 for current veterinary students to help defray costs to attend the AVMA convention.

  • To be eligible to apply for the AAFSPHV scholarship, applicants must be at the time of application:
    

  • A current AAFSPHV student member, and

  • A 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th year veterinary student (students graduating in May are eligible).

After the AVMA Convention, the scholarship recipient will be required to:

1. Provide proof of attendance to 8 C.E. units in any combination of the following subsection categories under the Public and Corporate Practice Session: Animal Welfare, Comparative Medicine, Current Issues/Advances, Disaster Preparedness, Global Health Summit, Environmental Health Issues, Food Safety, One Health, or Preventive Medicine.
2. Describe his/her experience at the Convention as it relates to Public Health via a short written report (to be published in the organization’s newsletter) and potentially at virtual annual meeting.
3. The Student Scholarship Selection Committee comprises members of the AAFSPHV BoD, or alternative AAFSPHV members as appointed by the BoD. Committee members will objectively score student responses to screening questions. In the event of a tie, the Selection Committee will select the scholarship recipient(s) based on a review of the leading applications. Each year, depending on AAFSPHV resources, the BoD will determine the number of scholarships to be awarded.

About: 

Daniel E. Lafontaine Sr. grew up in Alvada, Ohio and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at The Ohio State University (1967). Following graduation, he served in the Army Veterinary Corps for 26 years, retiring as a Colonel in 1993.  During his service, he earned a Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota.  Dr. Lafontaine subsequently served as Director of the South Carolina Meat Poultry Inspection Department and was the Assistant State Veterinarian of South Carolina.  He finished his career as a Vice President and associate of the HACCP Consulting Group, LLC.

Dr. Lafontaine was a member of many professional organizations to include a diplomate of The American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine; past president of the former American Association of Food Hygiene Veterinarians (now American Association of Food Safety and Public Health Veterinarians); past chair of the AVMA House Advisory Committee, past member of the AVMA Legislative Advisory Committee, and chaired the AVMA Antimicrobial Use Task Force. In 1996, Dr. Lafontaine was named AAFHV Food Hygiene Veterinarian of the Year. He received the AVMA Public Service Award in 2008.

He traveled worldwide to teach food safety practices to colleagues and soldiers. Dr. Lafontaine took great pride in the Army's Veterinary Corps, his second career with the State of South Carolina, and consulting on food safety and hygiene.  Dr. Lafontaine, 78, Bel Air, Maryland, died Feb. 24, 2021.

Purpose

To honor Dr. Lafontaine’s legacy and efforts in food safety and public health practices.

Qualifications

1. Be a veterinarian working on an advanced degree or be a student working on a veterinary degree with an emphasis on food safety and public health.
2. Enrolled in an advanced university program (DVM, master’s, PhD, DrPH, etc.) focused on food safety and public health.
3. Demonstrate intent to continue in a career focused on food safety and/or public health.

Application Deadline (for 2025): July15, 2025 

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