Veterinary students, Katherine Turnbull entering year 4 and Neil Vezeau entering year 2, are the first recipients of the endowed Dr. Larry (DVM) and Barbara Mahr One Health Scholarship, announced April 5, 2018 at the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine Scholarship Recognition Program and Reception.
This scholarship supports students enrolled in the College of Veterinary Medicine whose academic interests, course of study, and research advance the goals of the One Health Initiative. One Health links human, animal, and environmental health care as one medicine that advocates interdisciplinary collaboration between all who study, research, or apply common scientific information in the pursuit of optimal health for all Iife nationally and world-wide.
Mr. Neil Vezeau graduated from Iowa State University with bachelor's degrees in Animal Science and Microbiology, including a minor in Emerging Global Diseases. Current interests include zoonotic antimicrobial resistance, and international policy. He was co-lead on organizing the Governor’s Iowa One Health Month Proclamation. He was the lead in starting a student and faculty conference for health professional students at universities in Iowa, the Iowa One Health Conference (IOHC), which won the One Health Day award in 2017. Neil also founded student organizations, including Iowa One Health. He participated in a legislative internship in Washington D.C. during the summer of 2017. He was elected and holds a student leadership position in the One Health Commission as Vice-President. He was selected and will participate in the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Leadership Program for Veterinary Students during the summer of 2018.
Ms. Katherine Turnbull graduated magna cum laude from Western Carolina University in 2013 with bachelor's degrees in Chemistry and Biology. She helped start and was the initial founding secretary/treasurer of the ISU student United Humanitarian Council (now Iowa One Health). She also organized the funding and expenses for the first Iowa One Health Conference (IOHC). Katherine participated in the ISU Summer Scholars Research Program, and after that experience, took a year away from veterinary medicine when she was awarded a Howard Hughes Fellowship at the University of Michigan. Her research focus in that program is to find methods that can help hospitals diagnose septicemia in patients sooner than is currently possible via the study of endothelial cell response to septicemia. Katherine has returned to Iowa State this May 2018 to complete her veterinary degree.