Two Students Receive 2023-2024 AKC Scholarships

Two Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University students are among 18 selected to receive 2023–2024 American Kennel Club (AKC®) Veterinary Outreach Scholarships. 

Cummings School’s Diana Chan, V24 (she/her), received an AKC scholarship for the third consecutive year, in the amount of $5,000, and Jamie Wells, A20, V24 (she/her), earned a $2,000 scholarship. The awards aim to support individuals with backgrounds in AKC events and programs seeking to promote animal health and medicine.

Mari-Beth O’Neill, AKC vice president of sport services, applauds this year’s winners. “These students have not only shown their dedication to bettering the lives of animals through their study of animal health and medicine, but they’ve also balanced it with AKC events and more, rising above the challenge … we’re excited to see the difference they make in the world of veterinary medicine.” 

Diana Chan, V24, earns third AKC Veterinary Outreach Scholarship

Born in Hartford, Connecticut and raised in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, Diana was among two students to receive an AKC Scholarship for the third consecutive year. After taking a dog handling class at a young age, Diana later became a handler, showing dogs in junior showmanship and in the breed ring. 

She gained experience working for a professional handler during the summers and went to Australia after graduating from high school to serve as a handler. She is also an AKC junior showmanship judge and thankful to the Windham County Kennel Club for sponsoring the scholarship and appreciative of AKC’s continued support. 

“My involvement with the AKC has truly shaped the woman I am today,” says Chan. “Showing dogs and working in the handling business has given me confidence and helped me to face and overcome personal challenges.”

In addition to her coursework, Diana worked part-time at a small animal general practice prior to the start of clinical rotations in the spring. 

She also volunteered for a week through Rural Area Veterinary Service (RAVS) in South Dakota as a vet student after two previous volunteer stints as a technician. RAVS offers free veterinary care to companion animals on native American reservations.

Diana holds an associate’s degree in veterinary technology from Northwestern Connecticut Community College and a B.S. in animal science from the University of Connecticut.

After graduation, she plans to move back to Connecticut and return to the privately-owned small animal general practice, where she has gained much experience. “I started at this hospital as an extern in 2017 and worked there as a certified vet technician prior to enrolling at Cummings School. I have wonderful mentors and supportive colleagues there that I would be honored to work with again.”

Jamie Wells, A20, V24, selected to receive AKC Veterinary Outreach Scholarship

Involved with horses at a young age while growing up in Rhode Island, Jamie decided that she wanted to be a horse veterinarian. The first in her family to graduate from college, she earned a B.S. in biopsychology from Tufts University in 2020. “I did some psychology research there and decided that I liked research, but not really with people,” she jokes. Accepted early into Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, she gained experience working at a small animal hospital during her undergraduate years, before transitioning to the vet school.

As a member of Cummings School’s Veterinary Educational Review Committee, Jamie serves as a liaison between students and faculty/administration, providing feedback to improve the students’ educational experience. 

She has also worked with Dr. Elizabeth Rozanski, associate professor, Department of Clinical Sciences, conducting research on brachycephalic [short-nosed] dogs and their respiratory issues. “That increased my interest in French bulldogs, now America’s most popular breed, and led to a follow-up study I conducted of French bulldog owners’ and their perceptions of their dogs’ respiratory symptoms,” she explains. “I’ve learned much about the breed through treating them in the hospital and conducting the research.”

Jamie has also validated a point-of-care blood work machine for canine pancreatic lipase, used for diagnosing acute pancreatitis, and has worked in both emergency and critical care, as well as neurology. “I have lots of interests and love the research aspect of medicine, ultrasound, neurology, surgery,” she says, which makes it more difficult to decide what to pursue upon completion of her D.V.M.. 

“I’m still deciding whether I want to continue on in academia or get into private practice,” Jamie shares, as she explores externship opportunities in either urgent care and either general or specialty practices. “I’m keeping my options open.”

The world’s largest purebred dog registry, AKC awarded a total of $73,000 in scholarship this year and Cummings School was among only three institutions that had two scholarship award winners.