The American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation will contribute to equine research through a new endowment fund seeded with $150,000 in initial contributions. More than half of the fund came from the estate of the late University of Florida equine reproduction specialist Michelle LeBlanc, DVM, DACT, who died in 2013.
The fund, announced Nov. 18 during the AAEP annual convention, will be allowed to grow before endowment proceeds are spent on research grants.
“The foundation is embarking on a journey of great potential,” said Richard Mitchell, DVM, DACVSMR, chairman of the AAEP Foundation Advisory Council. “From this modest start, there is no limit to how far this initiative can go — no limit to the kinds of important research we can someday invest in.”
Dr. LeBlanc worked at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine for 22 years.
“This endowment embodies everything near and dear to Michelle in one amazing effort,” said Chris Sanchez, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, medical director of UF’s Large Animal Hospital. “She loved the AAEP and everything for which it stands. Michelle also spent her life asking questions. She had an incredibly inquisitive and creative approach to her craft along with the passion to answer as many questions as possible.
“Her answers have helped horses, owners and veterinarians for decades. This endowment will allow her to continue answering questions vicariously for generations to come while hopefully also inspiring us all to continue asking.”
Additional donations are being accepted at http://bit.ly/2hOTknR. Click on “Equine Research.”
In other AAEP Foundation news:
- Five veterinary students committed to careers in equine medicine received $5,000 scholarships sponsored by Merck Animal Health. The recipients were Brittany Bazeley of the University of California, Davis; Travis Miller of Tuskegee University; Rachel Pfeifle of Auburn University; Alexandra Scharf of the University of Georgia; and Kelsey Stoner of Washington State University.
- The Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust funded its first $5,000 scholarships to five equine veterinary students. The recipients were Devon Kartchner of Washington State University, Heather Morrissey of the University of Florida, Jason Smith of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Hayley Sullivan of Western University of Health Sciences and Hanum Wensil-Strow of the University of Pennsylvania.