Thanks to support from the ASPCA, students and veterinary professionals are able to save more homeless animals with online graduate education.
With crucial help from our partners at the ASPCA, Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program provides talented students and professionals the opportunity to advance their skills in shelter medicine and make a difference in the lives of homeless animals.
We are proud to announce the recipients of this semester’s ASPCA scholarships: Dr. Liz Gray of the Humane Society of Central Oregon and BrightSide Animal Center, and Dr. Mellissa Yuen of the Spay Neuter Project of LA. Both scholarship recipients are currently enrolled in Shelter Animal Behavior and Welfare, our spring online shelter medicine course, which is a required course in both the Maddie’s® Graduate Certificate in Shelter Medicine and the Maddie’s® Master of Science, Concentration in Shelter Medicine.
Thanks to generous support from the ASPCA, veterinary students and professional veterinarians alike are able to expand their knowledge and learn lifesaving techniques that they can use to improve the welfare of homeless cats and dogs across the United States and around the world.
Congratulations to Drs. Gray and Yuen, and please join us in saying ‘thank you’ to the ASPCA for supporting shelter medicine education!
Meet Our ASPCA Shelter Medicine Scholarship Recipients
Liz Gray, DVM
Humane Society of Central Oregon and BrightSide Animal Center
“I grew up on the East Coast. I worked as a carriage driver, giving historical tours of Portsmouth, N.H. We lived on a farm with a goat, horses, and two greyhounds. As a girl, I always wanted to be a James Herriot-type veterinarian, but I had no idea that I would end up in the field of animal behavior and shelter medicine.
I received my BA in Biology from Middlebury college in 1998 and went on to pursue a masters in Zoology (specializing in Applied Animal Behavior) at Colorado State University (CSU). In order to gain a more holistic perspective of mental health in animals, I then applied to the professional veterinary medicine program at CSU and graduated with honors (top 25%) from the program in 2006.
I am very lucky to have enjoyed a varied career in the veterinary field including work in general practice, emergency medicine, mobile diagnostic ultrasound, and shelter medicine. I also volunteer yearly with VIDAS (www.vidas.org) to spay and neuter dogs and cats in Playa del Carmen, which helps me remember all the reasons I got into this field!
Currently, I am lucky to live and work in Bend, OR, where I provide diagnostic ultrasound services and behavior consultations to a local general practice. I also work at the Humane Society of Central Oregon as a part time shelter veterinarian, and at BrightSide Animal Center as the veterinary behavior consultant. I have two young daughters, a purebred Mayan street dog and cat. I am truly looking forward to all the helpful information I will learn in the Shelter Animal Behavior and Welfare course.”
Mellissa Yuen, DVM
Spay Neuter Project of LA
“Dr. Mellissa Yuen was born and raised on the east coast of Canada in Nova Scotia. Upon realizing her dream of becoming a veterinarian, she was delighted to be accepted into the Atlantic Veterinary College on Prince Edward Island. In 2006, she graduated with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and pursued a career in small animal medicine and surgery on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawai`i. After nine years in private practice, Dr. Yuen realized that her passion for veterinary medicine had evolved into an interest in the field of shelter medicine and caring for those animals who have no home or families. She then moved to Los Angeles to participate in the No Kill Los Angeles movement which aims to drastically reduce or eliminate shelter euthanasia in the city of Los Angeles by 2017. She currently works at Spay Neuter Project of LA to help provide spay and neuter services to low-income communities as well as at Best Friends Animal Society to provide medical care to many dogs and cats who are saved from various shelters in Los Angeles. Each day, Dr. Yuen is thankful to be able to provide the services that help to improve the lives of dogs and cats in need. ”
Learn more about the Maddie’s® Online Graduate Certificate in Shelter Medicine
Learn more about the Maddie’s® Online Master’s Degree Concentration in Shelter Medicine