MSD Animal Health Opens 2020 Research Bursary for Veterinary Students

Milton Keynes, March 23, 2020 – MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, has opened its 2020 Research Bursary for Veterinary Students and is inviting students from universities across the UK to apply.  Five veterinary students have the opportunity to win an award of £1,000 for their research project, and an additional £1,000 top prize and £500 runner-up prize.  The deadline for entries is Friday 26 June 2020.  

Michelle Townley, Veterinary Advisor at MSD Animal Health, comments:  “Interest in our student research bursaries has grown each year and we are getting extremely high quality applications, which is really encouraging.  It is a great way for veterinary students to gain additional experience while they undertake their research projects. As part of our commitment to the science of healthier animals and the future of the veterinary profession we are therefore encouraging as many students as possible to take the opportunity to apply.”

Vet students given awards will be invited to MSD Animal Health’s Research Bursary annual awards dinner and presentation day.  Last year MSD Animal Health selected Eleanor Robertson from the University of Liverpool for the top £1,000 prize for her exploration on access to and use of antifungal treatments in Ethiopia.  Joanna Gillingham, also from the University of Liverpool, won the £500 runner-up prize for her project assessing mineral difficiency in association with fertility in cross breed cows in Sri Lanka. 

Research bursary awards were also made for completed research projects by veterinary students Jessica Seale, on Cryptosporidium in UK cattle; and Lucy Yarnold, on Aeromonas sp. in canine Cutaneous and Renal Glomerular Vasculopathy (CRGV) cases.  Veterinary surgeons, Dr Jennifer Duncan of the University of Liverpool, and Dr Sarah Caddy from the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, who had both received MSD Animal Health Veterinary Surgeon Research Bursaries, also presented details of their recent research and discussed the value of research as part of an evolving career.

Successful applicants will be announced in June 2020.  For further details, please visit the MSD Animal Health Research Bursary website at www.msdahresearchbursary.co.uk.

About MSD Animal Health

For more than a century, MSD, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases. MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, is the global animal health business unit of MSD. Through its commitment to the Science of Healthier Animals^®, MSD Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services as well as an extensive suite of digitally connected identification, traceability and monitoring products. MSD Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of animals and the people who care for them. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. MSD Animal Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit www.msd-animal-health.com/ or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.