Merial Hosts 27th Annual Veterinary Scholars Symposium at The Ohio State University

DULUTH, Ga., July 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 570 veterinary researchers and students are attending Merial's 2016 Veterinary Scholars Symposium this weekend, representing veterinary schools in the United States, Canada, France and The Netherlands. The annual event exposes students to veterinary research as part of the Merial Veterinary Scholars Program (MVSP).

In addition to supporting industry-leading research through keynote speakers, cutting-edge scientific sessions and poster presentations, Merial recognizes and awards one graduate student and one undergraduate student for their exemplary research during the symposium.

Dr. Victoria Baxter will receive the 2016 Merial Research Award for Graduate Veterinarians. Baxter earned her DVM from Texas A&M, is boarded in Laboratory Animal Medicine and completed her Ph.D. in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Cellular and Molecular Medicine program in January 2016. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Baxter will present on interferon gamma modulation of disease manifestation and the local antibody response to alphavirus encephalomyelitis.

Laura LoBuglio, a third-year veterinary student at the University of Minnesota, will receive the 2016 Merial Veterinary Scholar Research Award. LoBuglio conducted the research for which she is being awarded at the University of Minnesota Stem Cell Institute and Schulze Diabetes Institute. She will present on the identification and inhibition of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis pathways in beta cells in diabetes.

Both award recipients are contributing significantly to industry biomedical knowledge, and support Merial's greater program goal of advancing world-renowned and industry-leading research.

"A large percentage of MVSP participants end up with a career in science," said Fabian Kausche, Global Head of R&D, Merial. "To me, that's a clear long-term benefit of this program. Merial's priority is to provide solutions to help care for the well-being of animals, and this program furthers the advances in veterinary and human health research that make that possible."

In 2017, Merial will continue to co-sponsor the symposium with the National Institute of Health at the NIH headquarters in Washington, D.C. For more information on the program, visit www.merialscholars.com.

About MERIAL®
MERIAL is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products that focus on disease prevention and overall health and wellness in animals. MERIAL has three main business areas: pets, farm animals and veterinary public health, and our health solutions target more than 200 diseases and conditions across a variety of species. MERIAL employs 6,900 people and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide with over €2.5 billion of sales in 2015. MERIAL is a Sanofi company. For more information, please see www.merial.com; @Merial.

SOURCE Merial

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