Congratulations to Our Latest Nestlé Purina Scholarship Recipient!

linking_logoMaddie’s® Online Certificate Program in Shelter Medicine joins with the Nestlé Purina PetCare Company to provide training for future shelter veterinarians.

Thanks to generous support from the Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, future veterinarians are getting the training they need to make a difference in the lives of homeless animals! Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program has partnered with Nestlé Purina to provide scholarships for talented veterinary students seeking to complete our Online Graduate Certificate in Shelter Medicine.

The recipient of the Nestlé Purina Scholarship for the spring semester is Abby Patterson, a third-year veterinary student at Colorado State University. Abby is currently enrolled in our Shelter Animal Behavior and Welfare course, one of three courses that compose the Online Graduate Certificate.

Read about Nestlé Purina’s involvement in shelter programs.

Meet Our Nestlé Purina Scholarship Recipient

Abby Patterson
Abby Patterson

Abby Patterson

Hello! My name is Abby Patterson, and I am a third year vet student at Colorado State University. I am honored to be a recipient of one of the Nestle-Purina scholarships. I am currently in the “Shelter Animal Behavior and Welfare” course, and I have already completed the “Integrating Veterinary Medicine with Shelter Systems” course. I have always wanted to be a vet, but I didn’t discover the opportunities in shelter medicine until after undergad. I felt drawn to the specialty because it offered help to one of the most vulnerable animal populations; it combined my interests of working towards the greater good in the community and public health; and it was profession where I felt like I could make a difference improving the lives of un-homed animals every day. The education and knowledge I have gained from the University of Florida Maddie’s Online Shelter Medicine Certificate courses has been immensely valuable. These courses offer a perfect supplement to my veterinary medical education by building on the individualized animal medical framework with shelter specific concerns. To have access and learn from some of the leaders in shelter medicine is amazing! Because of these courses, I feel I will be able to enter the shelter medicine world with practical and the most recent knowledge so I can truly bring my best to the profession and the animals. Thanks so very much for allowing me this opportunity!

About the Online Certificate in Shelter Medicine

Supported by a grant from Maddie’s Fund®, our on-campus shelter medicine certificate program is now available online as the Maddie’s® Online Graduate Certificate in Shelter Medicine.

The graduate certificate program includes three comprehensive online courses: Integrating Veterinary Medicine with Shelter Systems, Shelter Animal Physical Health, and Shelter Animal Behavior and Welfare. They feature in-depth instruction from leading shelter medicine experts combined with the convenience of online education.

Students in the Maddie’s® Online Graduate Certificate focus on enhancing three important skills…

  • Understand the critical role played by veterinarians in protecting the health and welfare of sheltered dogs and cats.
  • Recognize and respond to compromised physical health of sheltered animals.
  • Recognize and respond to compromised behavioral health of sheltered animals.

Please contact us for more information about the Online Graduate Certificate or any of our educational opportunities.