LSU Vet Med Launches 2026 Summer Scholars Program with 17 Veterinary Students Pursuing Biomedical Research
核心洞察
Seventeen first- and second-year veterinary students have been selected for the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (搜索)'s 2026 Veterinary Summer Scholars Program, each receiving a $6,500 stipend for mentored biomedical research.
The competitive program, funded by Boehringer-Ingelheim (搜索), the Kenneth F. Burns Trust, LSU Vet Med Equine Health & Sports Performance, and other sources, introduces students to research careers beyond clinical training.
Research projects span diverse areas including equine laminitis, prostate cancer cell dormancy, stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles, e-cigarette pulmonary effects, and vaccine vector development.
Seventeen veterinary students from across the United States and Puerto Rico have been selected to participate in the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (搜索)'s 2026 Veterinary Summer Scholars Program, an intensive biomedical research experience that pairs aspiring veterinary scientists with faculty mentors for hands-on investigation into human and animal diseases.
The competitive program, coordinated by Britta Leise, DVM, Ph.D., DACVS, associate dean of staff and faculty advancement and associate professor of equine surgery, requires first- and second-year veterinary students to develop their own research proposals under faculty guidance. A faculty committee selects participants based on the merit of these proposals.
"This competitive program requires students to apply and, if selected, work with a faculty mentor throughout the summer," according to program documentation. Each student receives a $6,500 stipend and will present their findings at the international 2026 Veterinary Scholars Symposium, coordinated by the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges at North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine from August 6-8, 2026.
Funding and Program History
The 2026 program is supported by Boehringer-Ingelheim (搜索), the Kenneth F. Burns Trust, LSU Vet Med Equine Health & Sports Performance, the LSU Vet Med Dean's Office, and individual faculty laboratory funds. Since its inception in 2000, when Merck-Merial provided a $30,000 grant covering seven projects, more than 460 veterinary students have participated in the Summer Scholars Program. LSU Vet Med was one of only eight of 28 U.S. veterinary schools in 2004 to receive funding from both Merck-Merial and the National Institutes of Health.
Diverse Research Portfolio
The 2026 cohort's projects reflect a broad spectrum of biomedical inquiry. Saige Annison (Class of 2028) is investigating "Mechanistic insights into laminitis: Macrophage-driven regulation of mTOR activity in equine epithelial cells" under the mentorship of Dr. Leise. Kristi Bell (Class of 2029) is exploring "Investigating the intrinsic drivers of prostate cancer cells that dictates cell dormancy," mentored by Shang Su, Ph.D., assistant professor of cancer biology.
Several projects focus on equine health, including Yadhiel Diaz-Rosario's study on "Effects of electroacupuncture on borborygmi, duodenal motility and GI transit time in clinically normal horses," funded by LSU Vet Med Equine Health & Sports Performance, and Taylor Dickson's "Evaluation of racetrack fatalities," mentored by Frank Andrews, DVM, DACVIM, director of EHSP.
Other notable investigations include Yulitza Carrasquillo-Sanchez's work on "Impact of e-cigarette aerosol flavors and cooling agents on pulmonary responses in male mice," mentored by Alexandra Noël, Ph.D., director of the Inhalation Laboratory; Kaitlyn Morgan's "Development of a swinepox-virus vector for vaccination against emerging group A porcine Rotaviruses," funded by the Kenneth F. Burns Trust; and Gabrielle Bourgeois's study on "Safety and Tolerability of intravenous and rectal administration of stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles in healthy dogs."
Program Impact and Alumni
The Summer Scholars Program has launched numerous careers in veterinary medicine and biomedical research. Notable alumni include Ashley Stokes, DVM, Ph.D., the program's first dual DVM-Ph.D. graduate, who now serves as dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis; Lauren Stump, DVM, now deputy under secretary for the USDA's Research, Education, and Economics mission area; and Mark Bates, DVM, director of the Division of Animal Resources and attending veterinarian at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The program serves to "further students' learning and experiences in research beyond the required classroom and clinical training and encourage innovative studies in human and animal diseases to lend further understanding to veterinary careers in biomedical research," according to LSU Vet Med.
Students from outside LSU Vet Med are also eligible to participate, with past scholars hailing from Tuskegee University, Iowa State University, and the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vetagro-Sup Lyon in France.