Dr Laura Carroll, a 2016 graduate of North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and continuous member of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) since joining as a student, received the AASV Member Student Debt Relief Scholarship in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 9th during the association’s 51st annual meeting.
The purpose of the $5,000 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.
For the last four years, Dr Carroll has been a veterinarian at Four Star Veterinary Service in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, where she dedicates her entire time in practice to swine medicine. She oversees health on sow farms, grow-finish sites, and farrow-to-finish farms. Passionate about keeping small family farms alive and profitable, she serves a diverse clientele including niche-market farms, show pigs, and pet pigs. She enjoys spending time on farms and developing strong relationships with clients.
As an early career swine veterinarian, Dr Carroll regards AASV as a valuable resource. Opportunities for student and professional development, veterinary information, peer support, and mentorship offered through AASV have helped to increase her knowledge base and effectiveness as a practitioner.
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." This is the second year this scholarship has been awarded to an AASV member veterinarian.
When asked to comment about receiving the scholarship, Dr Carroll replied, "I am honored to have been selected for the student debt relief scholarship. Like many new graduates, trying to manage educational debt while growing professionally can be a challenge. Receiving this scholarship will help to alleviate some of that burden, and I truly grateful to the Schmidt family for their generous support."