Two veterinarians won’t have far to travel as they prepare to become Congressional Fellows under a program sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Rachel Cumberbatch, DVM, of Washington, D.C., and Honorata “Kuki” Hansen, BVMS, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM, of Silver Spring, Md., were among three professionals selected to participate in the 2015-2016 AVMA Congressional Fellowship Program, the organization announced today. The third member, Lauren Stump, DVM, of Baton Rouge, La., will join Drs. Cumberbatch and Hansen in late August when they go to work in Washington as full-time employees to their members of Congress, AVMA reported. The trio will serve as scientific advisers rather than AVMA employees or lobbyists as they “represent the veterinary profession in the legislative branch of government,” according to AVMA guidelines. The women, selected from among 15 applicants, will receive a $79,000 stipend and $6,000 toward health insurance costs. Cumberbatch, a 2011 graduate of Purdue University, is interested in the human-animal bond, health care services, workforce development and the role of public veterinary medicine in health policy, according to AVMA. Her last job was as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Hansen, from Edinburgh, Scotland, graduated from the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. Her interests include One Health, resilience to climate change and aquatic animal health. She most recently was a chief veterinarian for a municipal animal shelter, according to AVMA. Dr. Stump, a 2015 graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, is focused on leadership in the veterinary profession, AVMA stated. The fellowships run until August 2016, when a new class will take over.
