7/22/05 Contact: David M. Granger, 334/844-9999 (grangdm@auburn.edu)
Deedie Dowdle, 334/844-9999 (ddowdle@auburn.edu)

AUBURN STUDENT WINS NATIONAL VETERINARY AWARD

AUBURN – An Auburn University veterinary student has won first place in the national 2005 Hill’s Public Health Award writing competition.

Elizabeth Caldwell, a second-year student from Signal Mountain, Tenn., took top honors with her project, “Seeing into the Future! Recommendations for the Veterinary Care of Guide Dogs,” which proposes guidelines to assist veterinarians in their interactions with visually impaired persons.

Her proposal recommends adopting American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines for veterinary care of guide dogs, including a payment structure, and advising veterinarians about how to adapt their facilities to better serve visually impaired clients.

“It also looks at targeting specific problems that affect guide dogs, such as sight and mobility,” said advisor Dr. Charles Hendrix of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Plus it outlines how to create veterinary clinic materials for the visually impaired.”

Caldwell received $1,000 from Hill's Pet Nutrition, which sponsors the annual competition that is designed to stimulate interest in the public health aspects of veterinary medicine, encourage creative thinking in regard to preventive health care and develop veterinary students’ writing skills.

Fellow Auburn veterinary student Allison Cloutier teamed up with medical student Lee Carter of the University of Alabama-Birmingham to win second place. Their proposal, “Docs on a Roll,” aims to eliminate health disparities in rural areas with an ambulatory truck equipped with information on chronic diseases and conditions that affect both animals and humans.

Dr. Jamillah Johnson of Tuskegee University took third place with “Lost and Found Through Unity in the Community,” which proposes a community-based program to educate families about child and pet safety.

The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges coordinated the competition.

Auburn University is a preeminent land-grant and comprehensive research institution with nearly 23,000 students and 6,500 faculty and staff. Ranked among the top 50 public universities nationally, Auburn is Alabama’s largest educational institution, offering more than 230 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs.

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(Contributed by Charles Martin.)

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