Now in its eighth year, the Food Systems Fellowship (FSF) has provided experience to 87 students interested in food animals with the participation of 23 different partners from the food animal industry.

In partnership with the College of Veterinary Medicine, FSF industry partners provide meaningful and relevant food systems experience to students through summer employment. Partners help design and implement the projects and also provide matching funds to support the summer salary for each student fellow. Students complete projects that are designed to broaden their vision of and experiences in the food industry and to benefit the industry and the industry partner.

“Veterinarians are integral to ensuring a wholesome and safe global food supply, and initiatives like the Food Systems Fellowship Program help prepare future practitioners for this vitally important challenge,” said Dan Grooms, DVM, PhD, professor in the College’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. “Not only do our partners provide scholarships, but they also support students by giving them real-world experiences that they will carry with them throughout their careers. These experiences will prove invaluable now and down the road.”

Partners in the 2013 FSF program were Antel BioSystems, Inc., India FSF, Merck Animal Health, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Animal Industry Division, Michigan Milk Producers Association, the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute for Food and Agriculture, the National Pork Board, Neogen Inc., and Zoetis/Pfizer Animal Health.

In 2013, Merck Animal Health awarded $5,000 scholarships and internship opportunities to three student participants. Recipients Matthew Hint and Brianna Pfluger are third-year DVM students at MSU, and Emily Severtis is a third-year DVM student at The Ohio State University. Pfluger is also pursuing a master’s degree in public health at the MSU College of Human Medicine.

“Food animal veterinarians serve an essential role in our world and Merck Animal Health continues to make investments in their futures,” said Norman Stewart, DVM, livestock technical services manager for Merck Animal Health. “We have a long-standing commitment to education, personal development and the science of healthier animals. Programs such as this allow us to support, as well as recognize and celebrate, these future leaders.”

Agriculture is undergoing profound changes as it becomes more global, involves more public health issues, and increasingly involves non-agriculturalists in its decision-making and public policy. Concurrently, other factors including the emergence of new infectious diseases, increasing threats of exotic pathogens, continuous food safety and security problems, potential for introduction of pathogens by terrorists, decreasing profit margins, and a changing work force have combined to create new realties and challenges.

December 16, 2013