Everyone dreams of going to an Ivy League
school. After all, it represents a high caliber of academic standards, a
passion for excellence, and a desire for the best in life.
But knowing that it has the most
selective schools in the world, with an average acceptance rate of just 3%, attending
an Ivy League school remains to be just a dream to many.
This is not the case, however, for John
Valdevieso, a 22-year-old BS Veterinary Studies student at the University of
the Philippines Los Baños. John attended Cornell University in New York State
for a 12-week program under the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars
Program.
The program, created in 1989 in the US
with the mission to expose veterinary students in their fourth year of
veterinary school to biomedical research and career opportunities in academia,
government, and related industry, was expanded in 2023 as a pilot to include
the Philippines and Japan in their country roster. In more than 30 years, the
program has reached more than 5,000 students from North America, Europe, and
Asia.
John is the first representative from
the Philippines to partake in the prestigious program and brought his advocacy
on food security and child nutrition with him. "Many people think that
veterinary is all about clinical practice for companion animals, but little do
they know that it concerns the food we eat and the public health in
general," shares John. "As my focus of study is child nutrition, I
was engaged mainly in milk production. I spent most of my time in the
commercial dairy farm where they had rotating porters. We would enroll 60 cows
each time, and every cow will have 3 minutes milking time which is very
efficient compared to the normal standard. This is the kind of technology I
wish we could bring to our local farmers.”
As part of the program, scholars
conduct hypothesis research projects developed jointly with their assigned
mentor and present them at the National Veterinary Scholars Symposium (NVSS).
The NVSS is a premier annual scientific colloquium showcasing research
accomplishments by veterinary students completing summer research internships.
Aside from poster presentations, the symposium conducts keynote speaker
sessions on scientific and career-related topics.
Apart from learning new skills, John
was also introduced to a world of new possibilities as he went on his program
at Cornell University. "I came from the province, so my upbringing was: go
to school, find a job, then help your community. This experience opened my eyes
to the many opportunities around the world, and helped me realize that I can
help as many people if I expose myself to different ways of learning,"
said John.
Dr. Melvin Cassion, Customer Experience
Lead for Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Philippines, expressed his
appreciation for the brand's first global scholar grant. "We're deeply
honored to have brought one of our Iskolar ng Bayan to such a
prestigious university like Cornell. As Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health
continues to strengthen the practice of veterinary medicine in the country, we
hope to bring more Filipino scholars abroad to expand their learning and
introduce to us new and advanced technologies that will help develop the human
and animal health correlation."
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Boehringer Veterinary Program Scholar, John Valdevieso from
UP Los Banos meets with Dr. Sukje Sung, Head of Animal Health, Boehringer
Ingelheim Philippines. |
This scholar’s program
is just one of Boehringer Ingelheim’s initiatives that demonstrate our
commitment to supporting veterinarians in improving access to veterinary care.
Educational resource and training programs such as the recent 8th
Companion Animals Technical Forum, among others, are regularly conducted. In
2023, Boehringer Ingelheim Philippines also launched the Animal
Health Hub, a free online learning
portal designed for veterinarians to have easy access to various learning
modules.
To know more about Boehringer
Ingelheim's The Veterinary Scholars Program, visit its official website: veterinaryscholars.boehringer-ingelheim.com.
Boehringer
Ingelheim
Boehringer
Ingelheim is a biopharmaceutical company active in both human and animal
health. As one of the industry’s top investors in research and development, the
company focuses on developing innovative therapies that can improve and extend
lives in areas of high unmet medical need. Independent since its foundation in
1885, Boehringer takes a long-term perspective, embedding sustainability along
the entire value chain. More than 53,500 employees serve over 130 markets to
build a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable tomorrow.
Boehringer Ingelheim -
Animal Health business
Boehringer Ingelheim
provides innovation for preventing and treating diseases in animals. The
company offers a wide range of vaccines, parasite-control products, and medicines
for pets, horses, and livestock to veterinarians, animal owners, farmers, and
governments. As a leader in animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim values that the
health of humans and animals is deeply connected and strives to make a
difference for people, animals, and society.
Learn
more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com
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