Winn/AVMF scholarship goes to UF veterinary student
Demitria Vasilatis, a junior veterinary student at the University of Florida, has received the Winn Feline Foundation and American Veterinary Medical Foundations’ annual joint scholarship award. The Winn Board of Directors selected Vasilatis at their June board meeting in New Orleans.
The scholarship award is for $2,500.
She plans to become a cat specialist through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners and to continue her education by pursuing a master’s and eventually a doctoral degree in immunology and virology.
Vasilatis has served as president of UF’s student chapter of the American Association of Feline Practitioners. Among her other activities are regularly participating in Operation Catnip, a large monthly trap-neuter-return program in the Gainesville area; working as a clinical pathology student laboratory technician, as a veterinary student club financial liaison, as president of Pets are Wonderful Support — a nonprofit student-run veterinary clinic for low and disabled persons — serving as her class historian and working as a UF student ambassador.
Other past activities include private practice clinical exposure, working as a shelter technician, as a biochemistry student research assistant and as a student biology laboratory instructor at the University of Central Florida.
Winn Feline Foundation and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation join together annually in presenting two awards designed to promote and encourage feline health studies by both established veterinary research scientists and by those entering this field of study.
The Winn Feline Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1968 that supports studies to Improve cat health. Since 1968, the Winn Feline Foundation has funded over $4 million in health research for cats at more than 30 partner institutions world-wide.