ICLAS Scholarship Program for Veterinarians

Description

The ICLAS Scholarship Program for Veterinarians in Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine was founded in 2014. Since its inception, the program has provided funding for eight veterinarians in many regions of the world, particularly in areas with emerging economies where medical research is in developmental stages. For many veterinarians, the time and financial and personal cost of leaving employment and family to attend an established training program in a distant area is too big an obstacle to overcome. One option that can minimize these concerns is a program of modular, on-line classes combined with short periods of practical training in accredited programs. There are several such programs in Europe and North America.  These programs are recognized by groups such as FELASA, CALAM, and ECLAM, and provide official certificates of training, or an academic degree, upon completion.
The scholarship award is for 2/3 the total costs, up to maximum of €7,000. The student or his/her employer should fund the remaining 1/3 of the costs, paying for the initial training module, to demonstrate commitment to completing the program, as well as the ability to meet the academic and language requirements.

ICLAS thanks the generous sponsors for making this education opportunity a reality for veterinarians who would not otherwise be able to obtain specialty knowledge and training in laboratory animal medicine and science. The sponsors include AAALAC, International, Charles River CHARTER Program, the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science (CALAS), the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) and the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM), ICLAS additionally provides a portion of the funding.
Find additional information on candidate requirements, training programs and the application form below.

Congratulations to the recent 2023 awardees:

Dr. Tapiwa Makwavarara, South Africa

Objectives and Training Program Requirements

To offer scholarships to enable veterinarians who live in areas without access to training and who lack the necessary funds to complete specified training programs which meet the following criteria.
The program must:

• be affiliated with a formal institution of higher learning (university, veterinary college, training institute)
• have an on-line/modular education format
• be completed within a short time frame, i.e., 1 to 3 years
• require only a limited time spent physically at the institution offering the program or affiliated with the program to complete the practical component of the training
• provide a certificate or degree upon completion
• be recognized within the laboratory animal science community by national associations
• be designed so that completion is achievable for students currently employed in a full-time job

Training Programs Available

The following programs meet these criteria and have agreed to participate in the scholarship program:

• USA: Laboratory Animal Anesthesia and Handling Techniques Certificate, Eastern Virginia Medical School: https://www.evms.edu/education/masters_programs/las/certificate/ Please note that applications must be submitted no later than 15 November. For early application review and provisional acceptance, please contact Alireza Hosseini: HosseiA@evms.edu

•  USA: Laboratory Animal Science Master’s Program, Eastern Virginia Medical School: www.evms.edu/las Please note that applications must be submitted no later than 15 November. For early application review and provisional acceptance, please contact Alireza Hosseini: HosseiA@evms.edu 

• USA: Drexel University’s Master’s in Laboratory Animal Science (MLAS) Program: https://drexel.edu/medicine/academics/graduate-school/master-of-laboratory-animal-science/online-mlas/ For details of application procedure, please contact Erin Vogelsong: eev25@drexel.edu

• Denmark:  LabVet Europe, University of Copenhagen: https://emed.ku.dk/courses/labvet-europe/ For details of application procedure, please contact Klas Abelson: klasab@sund.ku.dk
• Spain:  Master of Laboratory Animal Science and Welfare, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona: Master of Laboratory Animal Science and Welfare, UAB For details of application procedure, please contact Patri Vergara: Patri.Vergara@uab.cat
• Germany: M.Sc. Laboratory Animal Science, Aachen University: https://master-laboratory-animal-science.com/ For details of application procedure, please contact: mlas@academy.rwth-aachen.de
  
  Other programs that meet the criteria may be added as they come to ICLAS’s attention and with the approval of the ICLAS Governing Board.

  
  

Applicants

• posses a degree in Veterinary Science that allows practice as a veterinarian
• have a desire to participate in laboratory animal science and medicine
• live in an area in which training in laboratory animal science and medicine is not available
• lack the funds necessary for tuition, travel and accommodation to study on one of the accredited programs
• have already been provisionally accepted on one of the programs accredited by the scholarship program and send proof of provisional acceptance of said course to ICLAS
• be proficient in the language in which the proposed course is presented
• provide two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from the applicant’s employer recommending the applicant and agreeing to allow the applicant the necessary time to complete the coursework, including travel, within the program’s specified time period
• provide a statement explaining how the applicant will make use of the training in his or her country, including sharing the knowledge with others
• agree in writing to complete the training within a specified time period, typically less than 3 years