UTCVM’s 2025 Veterinary Summer Scholar Research Program
Each summer, the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) provides veterinary students with an extraordinary opportunity to engage in hands-on research through the Veterinary Summer Scholar Research Program (VSSRP). This ten-week immersive program encourages students to explore careers in biomedical science and veterinary research by pairing them with faculty mentors on meaningful research projects.
Coordinated by co-leaders Sreekumari Rajeev and Andrea Lear, the 2025 VSSRP cohort included eighteen veterinary students representing three departments—Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, and Small Animal Clinical Sciences. Projects covered a wide range of topics, including antimicrobial resistance, livestock reproduction, feline obesity, diagnostic imaging, and tick-borne diseases. Students were funded through the Center of Excellence in Livestock Diseases and Human Health or the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars Program.
In addition to full-time research, students participated in weekly seminars to enhance their scientific and professional skills. These sessions covered literature review, data analysis, public speaking, poster design, and responsible research conduct. Notable faculty member contributors included Jeanine Fletcher, Brian Whitlock, Andrea Lear, Jennifer Lord, and Nora Springer, among others.
The program culminated in a local poster symposium held on August 1, where students presented their research to UTCVM faculty, students, and peers. Several students also traveled to Spokane, Washington, for the National Veterinary Scholars Symposium, where they joined cohorts from veterinary schools across North America to present their work on a national stage. On September 24, the students also presented their work in a “five-minute findings” style presentation at the annual Phi Zeta Research Day held at UTCVM.
Mentorship was a key component of the program’s success. UTCVM faculty provided close guidance to students throughout the summer, fostering critical thinking, curiosity, and scientific communication. “This program helped me see research as an essential part of veterinary medicine,” one student shared. “It opened doors I never considered before.”
The VSSRP continues to demonstrate UTCVM’s commitment to advancing animal and public health through research. With strong institutional support and generous funding partners, the program prepares future veterinarians not only to care for animals but also to contribute to the scientific discoveries that shape the field.
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