Maddie's Fund donates $1.7 million to Cornell

ALAMEDA, CALIF. - 10/20/05 - Maddie's Fund awarded Cornell University a six-year, $1.7 million grant to develop a shelter medicine program.

The goal of the program is to educate veterinarians and students in the field of animal shelter medicine and to promote animal adoptions with a "no kill" philosophy.

The shelter program consists of residency training, veterinary student training, diagnostic and consultative support for shelters and shelter medicine research.

The program will establish a three-year residency. Residents will complete training for a Masters of Science in Epidemiology while becoming certified by the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell.

Two elective courses will be available to students - Issues and Preventative Medicine in Animal Shelters and Managing Infectious Disease in Small Animal Populations.

The program will be named Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program in honor of the Miniature Schnauzer that inspired the donors.