CVM Student to Receive National Veterinary Leadership Honor

Hannah Varnell, a third-year student at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, is among this year’s recipients of the Dr. Jack Walther Leadership Award from the Western Veterinary Conference

Varnell is one of 37 third-year DVM students and two veterinary technician students across the county to receive the award that recognizes students with exceptional leadership skills. She’ll pick up the honor at the WVC’s annual conference in Las Vegas, held Feb. 17-20.

Walther was a former president of the WVC and the American Veterinary Medical Association who celebrated his now name-bearing program that brings one student from each veterinary school in the United States and Canada to the conference.

Varnell has long been devoted to work making a global impact. This summer, as an International Livestock Research Institute graduate fellow, Varnell surveyed the safety of milk sold in informal markets in Nairobi, Kenya. Before joining the CVM’s Class of 2020, she was part of an international nonprofit specializing in sustainable agriculture and worked with rural farmers in South Africa. Varnell is also a veterinary assistant for a CVM mobile health clinic.

Several CVM faculty members representing various veterinary fields are scheduled to speak at the conference, including Geof Smith, professor of ruminant medicine, Margaret Gruen, assistant professor of behavior, radiologist Maria Evola and Allen Cannedy, director of diversity and multicultural affairs.

For more information on the WVC and the annual conference, go here.