RAHWAY, N.J. — Merck Animal Health recently announced that the company awarded $50,000 in scholarships to second- and third-year veterinary students focused on poultry health. These scholarships are awarded through Merck’s partnership with the American Association of Avian Pathologists Foundation, the charitable arm of the AAAP.
This year marks the 11th year of Merck Animal Health’s partnership with the AAAP foundation, which has awarded more than $280,000 in scholarships to veterinary students to date, Merck said in a statement.
“Merck Animal Health is committed to the veterinary profession and is proud to honor these students in their educational endeavors, knowing they represent the future of poultry production and well-being,” Dr. Ivan Alvarado Ortiz, Merck’s associate director of strategic development and innovation, U.S. poultry business unit, said. “Through our partnership with AAAP, we are enhancing students’ knowledge of poultry health as they prepare for a career in the poultry industry.”
“We are proud to partner with Merck Animal Health to support these talented students, who represent the next generation of leaders in poultry health management,” Dr. Suzanne McComb, AAAP executive vice president, said. “Their dedication and leadership will be essential to advancing safe, sustainable poultry and egg production in the years ahead.”
The 2026 scholarship recipients were announced at the AAAP Annual Meeting, held recently in Orlando, Fla.
Five students were each awarded a $10,000 scholarship. Those students are Miranda Carrisosa Gibbes, Mackenzie Ripper, Christian Rushing, Kelci Teel, and Kristy Ling Trung.
Trung is a second-year veterinary student at the University of Georgia, graduating in May 2028, with plans of becoming a poultry production veterinarian. She has already earned dual bachelor’s degrees from UGA in avian biology, biological sciences, and applied biotechnology.
Trung also serves as a student ambassador for UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine and a student assistant at the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, Merck noted.
Ripper is a veterinary student at North Carolina State University, graduating in May 2028, with plans to become a poultry veterinarian focused on advancing commercial flock health and welfare. She earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture with a major in poultry science from Mississippi State University and has gained research experience at NC State, pathology lab roles at Butterball and Aviagen, and undergraduate research at MSU, Merck added.
Rushing is a third-year veterinary student at Mississippi State University, graduating in May 2027. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry with a minor in biology from the University of Mississippi.
Rushing has experience in commercial poultry, including pullets, breeders, and broilers, which helped shape his interest in the field, Merck noted. He plans to use his expertise to advance an ethical, practical approach to poultry medicine and mentor future professionals.
Teel is a third-year veterinary student at Texas Tech University, graduating in May 2027, working toward being a field veterinarian for the poultry industry. She earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M University, and she has completed poultry-focused internships with Mountaire Farms and Wilson Vet Co., Merck stated.
The final student, Gibbes, is a third-year veterinary student at Michigan State University, graduating in May 2027, with plans of becoming a poultry production veterinarian. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Auburn University in microbial, cellular and molecular biology and poultry science, Merck noted.
She has conducted coccidiosis research and completed internships with Lincoln Premium Poultry and an animal health company. She also serves as the founding president of Michigan State’s AAAP student chapter and a national executive board member of SAVMA, Merck added.
The AAAP Foundation is dedicated to developing the next generation of leaders in poultry health and food safety, and this scholarship is one of the ways the foundation can prepare these students for their careers in the field.
