Ontario Veterinary College student Isabelle Kwon has been selected to receive a 2020 American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) Foundation/Merck Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship.
Kwon, in OVC’s Class of 2022, is focused on pursuing poultry veterinary medicine. Born in Sydney, Australia, she grew up in Toronto until moving to Guelph at the start of her undergraduate studies in 2014. Her urban roots haven’t deterred her from pursuing a career in poultry medicine.
“I knew I liked birds and other exotic animals, but it wasn’t until my second year of my undergraduate studies that I first started working with chickens,” says Kwon.
She began a work-study position helping with data entry for a poultry behaviour and welfare study with Prof. Alexandra Harlander, in the Ontario Agricultural College’s Department of Animal Biosciences, and fell in love with chickens. Kwon continued working with Harlander on various projects throughout her undergraduate studies and again during the summer after her first year of veterinary school.
“The more I learned about chickens, the more I loved them, and last year I realized that my heart is set on pursuing poultry medicine,” says Kwon. “So, now I am moving my focus to learn more about poultry pathology and what poultry veterinarians do in general.”
In addition to serving as the OVC student representative for the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare at the University of Guelph, Kwon is co-vice president and poultry representative on the OVC student Food Animal Club, secretary with the Animal Welfare Club and food animal representative with the Animal Behaviour Club.
Kwon will be recognized at the annual AAAP Awards Banquet in August 2020. The AAAP Foundation and Merck Animal Health are dedicated to promoting scientific knowledge for the health and well-being of poultry and a safe food supply as well as supporting outstanding veterinary students.
Merck Animal Health provides $50,000 in financial support to award ten second and third year student veterinarians with $5,000 scholarships. Merck’s partnership with the AAAP Foundation helps to achieve the Foundation’s goal of assisting students with financial support to encourage a career track in poultry health and well-being, or food safety.