Please be aware that the hosting of a summer fellow at Cornell University is dependent upon securing funding through the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP). Funding announcements occur in the late fall. 

ATTENTION: DURING A PERIOD OF DEPARTMENTAL RESTRUCTURING, THE CENTER FOR ANIMAL RESOURCES AND EDUCATION HAS DECIDED TO PAUSE THE SUBMISSION OF AN APPLICATION TO FUNDING A 2024 ASLAP FELLOW. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN FALL 2024 FOR INFORMATION REGARDING THE 2025 ASLAP SUMMER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. THANK YOU.

The Center for Animal Resources and Education (CARE) at Cornell University (CU) is pleased to offer a summer fellowship for a veterinary student to explore the field of Laboratory Animal Medicine (LAM). This 10-to-12-week fellowship [supported by the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP) Foundation] runs from mid to late -May to late late-July/early- August. The successful candidate and the CU ASLAP liaison will mutually decide upon the definitive dates of the fellowship. To qualify for the fellowship, applicants must be enrolled in the first or second year of an AVMA-accredited college of veterinary medicine.

Cornell University has a large and diverse Animal Care and Use Program that offers students a broad and rewarding exposure to the field of LAM. The CARE summer fellowship provides experiences in many key aspects of a LAM career, such as hands-on experience in animal husbandry and clinical veterinary care, introduction to a variety of animal research models, exposure to aspects of facility design, participation in didactic training programs, and provision of LAM research and support services. In addition, the fellow will:

• Receive guidance and mentorship from a team of ACLAM-boarded veterinarians, laboratory animal residents, veterinary technologists, and administrative support staff.
• Be integrated into management plans for clinical cases and facility issues.
• Gain experience with a variety of traditional and non-traditional laboratory animal species.
• Receive education on the role of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and the Animal Users Health and Safety Program in the day-to-day operation of CU’s Animal Care and Use Program.
• Participate in surgeries, necropsies, breeding colony management, and management of mouse quarantine and disease surveillance programs.
• Attend activities in partnership with the CU Veterinary Investigators Program (VIP), e.g., weekly lecture series and optional team-building events.
• Conduct a clinical research project and present findings at the 2023 National Veterinary Scholars Symposium. Further information on the Veterinary Scholars Symposium is available at the following link: https://veterinaryscholars.boehringer-ingelheim.com/

Application Process:

• A current resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• A statement of interest which incorporates the information described below:
  • Outline how you developed your interest in LAM.
  • Highlight previous laboratory animal experience.
  • State your goals for attending an ASLAP Summer Fellowship.
  • Convey why you want to participate in the ASLAP Summer Fellowship at Cornell University.
• Veterinary school transcript (does not have to be an official transcript)
• Two letters of reference with “ASLAP Summer Fellowship” included in the subject line of the email sent from the references.

Selection Process:

• After receiving and reviewing all applications, the selection committee promptly offers Zoom interviews to a short list of candidates.
• After the interview, the committee will offer the fellowship position to the candidate the committee deems the best fit based on the application package and interview.

Participating ASLAP Fellowship Programs may make an offer before the application deadline. Applicants may accept or decline at any time; however, all programs have entered into a respectful agreement that applicants will not be required to accept offers before an agreed-upon date.

The application and offer deadlines are subject to revision determined by agreement amongst the participating ASLAP programs made early in 2025.

Elizabeth Moore, DVM, PhD
Center for Animal Resources and Education
Cornell University, T1-010J VRT, CVM Box 14
Ithaca, NY 14853-6401
E-mail: esm84@cornell.edu