ICLAS Scholarship Program for Veterinarians

The Deadline for Applications is August 1st 2023

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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 2022 awardees:

Ursa Lampreht Tratar, (Slovenia)

Claudette Garingan, (Philippines)

Jose Luiz de Paula Rolo, (Brazil)

Agustina Resasco, (Argentina)

Melissa Rondina, (Philippines)

Daria Savina, (Russia)

Sareh Tavakol, ( South Africa)

Viram Hemaini, (Pakistan)


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


If your course meets these criteria and you would like your course to be considered for inclusion in the ICLAS scholarship program, please click here for an application form.

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

In order to be considered for a scholarship, applicants must:


  • 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

Application Form

If you are a qualified veterinarian and would like to apply for a scholarship,
please click here for an application form.

Funding:

ICLAS seeks support from foundations and companies engaged in the LAS field or in educational philanthropy and partners with likeminded associations such as IACLAM to seek funding.

Money received is kept in a fund managed by the ICLAS and disbursed directly to the training programs for specific participants selected by ICLAS.

If you or your organization would be interested in sponsoring an applicant on this program, please contact Ekaterina Rivera, acting ICLAS Secretary General, email: info@iclas.org

Selection process

A selection committee composed of the chairs of each ICLAS regional committee evaluates the applicants according to a numerical rubric, with points based on stated need, language proficiency, recommendations, and statement of how the training will be used.
Applicants must have already applied to the desired training program, and let the program know that they are requesting financial aid from ICLAS in order to participate.
Applications may be made at any time but are due no later than 1 September. Applicants are informed of the outcome within 30 days of the deadline (1 October).

Awardees to date

Dr. Marina Snitcofski, Argentina, 2014

Dr. Muhammad Rafiq, Pakistan, 2015

Dr. Marina Abreu, Brazil, 2015

Dr. Sarawoot Yama, Thailand, 2017

Dr. Claudia Delgado, Chile, 2017

Dr. Mangala Gunatilake, Sri Lanka, 2017

Dr. Lucía de la Rosa, Argentina, 2018

Dr Luiz Cavalcanti, Brasil, 2019

Dr Angelina Quintero, Panamá, 2020

Dr Daniela Montagna, Argentina, 2020

Dr Dalia Madrigal, Mexico, 2020

Dr Peter Eguia, Philippines, 2020

This program is sponsored by:

IACLAM

ACLAM

AAALAC

CALAS (Canada)

AALAS

Charles River

Labcorp

First ICLAS Veterinary Scholarship Awarded

Dr. Marina Snitcofsky, a laboratory animal veterinarian from Argentina, is the first recipient of an ICLAS Veterinary Scholarship.  Dr. Snitcofsky will apply the financial support from ICLAS to her tuition in a Masters of Laboratory Animal Science program at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, in Spain.  

Her interests and research work have been in the area of neuroscience and animal welfare.  However, she found herself increasingly taking on responsibility for oversight of animal husbandry and production, training and supervising animal care personnel, and advising researchers on experimental design, sample size calculation, and animal research techniques. In addition, her university is planning a new research facility, and she was asked to assist with developing the new animal care and use program. Although she has attended workshops and meetings in the field, she felt the need to complete a training program that would provide her specific understanding of laboratory animal science and medicine, to carry out her increased responsibilities. However she could not find a local source for the necessary training.

She chose the master’s degree program in Barcelona, because it fit her needs, and as a plus the coursework is offered in Spanish. As neither she nor her home research institute had the resources to pay for her participation, she applied to the ICLAS Veterinary Scholarship Program for support.  Upon completion of the program, Dr. Snitcofsky says she is particularly interested in teaching and training others at her own institution, as well as conducting workshops, courses, and conferences with the national laboratory animal science association (ACCyTAL) of Argentina.


AAALAC International to continue Sponsoring the Harry Rozmiarek Memorial Scholarship Award

AAALAC International will keep sponsoring the veterinary scholarship awards. The support is given in honor of the late Dr. Harry Rozmiarek, who was ICLAS Secretary General at the time of his sudden and unexpected death in June of 2013.

Dr. Rozmiarek was a laboratory animal veterinarian who cared greatly about education in laboratory animal science and medicine. During his long and distinguished career, he took on many leadership positions in national and international organizations that promote the humane treatment of animals in science including AAALAC, AALAS, ACLAM, and ICLAS.  

To honor and to continue the work that meant so much to him, the AAALAC, International Harry Rozmiarek Memorial Award allows access to training for veterinarians from parts of the globe in which training in laboratory animal science and medicine is unavailable or difficult to obtain.  ICLAS is extremely grateful to AAALAC for supporting the scholarship program, and for memorializing Harry Rozmiarek in this most fitting manner.


ICLAS thanks the Charles River CHARTER Program for a donation sufficient to cover a veterinary scholarship

The Charles River CHARTER Program (Commitment to Humane Animal Research Through Excellence and Responsibility) is committed to funding organizations and projects that support the objectives of the Humane Care Initiative.

Part of the CHARTER mission includes enhancing education that furthers the humane care of laboratory animals and advances the values of the 3Rs (Reduction, Refinement and Replacement). This includes but is not limited to research, development, and testing related to best practices and fostering the health and quality of laboratory animals. Veterinarians benefitting from the scholarship program will be empowered to more effectively assist in improving the care, consideration, and welfare of laboratory animals, and the quality of the science that depends on animal models.


click here for information about the CHARTER Program

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