UPAV Scholarships

What is the Wildlife Bushfire Relief Scholarship?

The Wildlife Bushfire Relief Scholarship is offered by the Unusual Pet and Avian Veterinarians (UPAV) Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Australian Veterinary Association, and funded by the generous donations of international colleagues.  After seeing the effects of the horrific bushfires of 2019/2020, Dr Todd Driggers (US) spearheaded fundraising to provide assistance to Australian veterinarians on the frontline of dealing with burnt and injured wildlife.  The amount donated will cover years of wildlife scholarships, as well as workshops. 

The Wildlife Bushfire Relief Scholarship aims to encourage veterinarians to share their experience and clinical skills, gained throughout the bushfires of the 2018/2019 summer season, with the UPAV community via their annual conference.  The hope is that this will store and archive the lessons learned, leaving the information available for those dealing with subsequent bushfires. 

To be considered for this scholarship, applicants are asked to submit a conference manuscript on a wildlife topic relating to bushfire or injury. If successful, the applicant will be asked to present this paper at the next available UPAV Annual Conference. This year the UPAV group will be combining with ASAV (Small Animals), AVDS (Dental) and AVCB (Conservation Biology) special interest groups for a special conference in Cairns, QLD. The applicants will gain experience in conference presentation skills and professional development, while adding to their professional and social network.  This is particularly useful for more rural colleagues. 

What does the scholarship provide?

The Wildlife Bushfire Relief Scholarship provides:

1. One x FREE 2-Day UPAV Stream registration plus a ticket to the UPAV Dinner at the ASAV Annual Conference.
2. $1,000 stipend for contribution to travel and accommodation expenses to attend the UPAV Stream at the ASAV Annual Conference.
3. Conference paper presentation opportunity.

What is the eligibility criteria?

Applicants for the Wildlife Bushfire Relief Scholarship must:

1. Be a currently registered Australian Veterinarian at the time of application.
2. If successful, agree to present the submitted conference paper at the UPAV Stream of the ASAV Annual Conference.
3. If successful, agree to include the conference paper in the conference proceedings.

How do I apply?

1. Complete the application e-form below - questions marked with an asterisk are mandatory.
2. Upload your conference manuscript. Preference will be given to submitted presentation papers on a wildlife topic relating to bushfire or injury.  Papers discussing the mental health impacts of the situation will also be highly regarded.

Note: Manuscript should be submitted in Microsoft Word format. Your presentation format is to be approximately 15 minutes duration, with the manuscript not exceeding 2,000 words. 

1. Upload your current Curriculum Vitae (CV).

Applications close:  Friday 4 July 2025.

Past Winners:

2021 – Not awarded 

2022 (Awarded in 2023) – Michelle Campbell-Ward - Wild animal welfare and ethical dilemmas in the black summer bushfires: veterinary perspectives.

2023 - Not awarded

2024 - Not awarded

What is the Anne Martin Memorial Scholarship?

The Anne Martin Memorial Scholarship is offered by the Unusual Pet and Avian Veterinarians (UPAV) Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Australian Veterinary Association in memory of Dr Anne Martin.  Anne was one of the initial members of the UPAV SIG, and was passionate about ongoing education.  She was a dedicated wildlife veterinarian, with monotremes and amphibians being her favourite groups of animals.

The Anne Martin Memorial Scholarship aims to encourage veterinary student participation in the UPAV Annual Conference through providing an opportunity to gain experience in conference presentation skills, professional development, and networking opportunities. To be considered, applicants are asked to submit a conference manuscript, and if successful, this will be presented at the next available UPAV Annual Conference. This year the UPAV group will be combining with ASAV (Small Animals), AVDS (Dental) and AVCB (Conservation Biology) special interest groups for a special conference in Cairns, QLD.  Preference will be given to papers on a wildlife topic, preferably on a monotreme, reptile or amphibian topic. Conference manuscripts may be in the form of a case report, case series or literature review. Literature reviews must include appropriate acknowledgement.

What does the scholarship provide?

The Anne Martin Memorial Scholarship provides:

1. One x FREE 2-Day UPAV Stream registration plus a ticket to the UPAV Dinner at the ASAV Annual Conference.
2. $1,000 stipend for contribution to travel and accommodation expenses to attend the UPAV Stream at the ASAV Annual Conference.
3. Conference paper writing and presentation opportunity.

What is the eligibility criteria?

Applicants for the Anne Martin Memorial Scholarship must:

1. Be currently enrolled in an Australian Veterinary Science program of study at the time of application.
2. If successful, agree to present the submitted conference paper at the UPAV Stream of the ASAV Annual Conference.
3. If successful, agree to include the conference paper in the conference proceedings.

How do I apply?

1. Complete the application e-form below - questions marked with an asterisk are mandatory.
2. Upload your conference manuscript. Preference will be given to submitted presentation papers on a wildlife topic, preferably relating to monotreme, reptile, or amphibians. 

Note: Manuscript should be submitted in Microsoft Word format. Your presentation format is to be approximately 15 minutes duration, with the manuscript not exceeding 2,000 words.

1. Upload your current Curriculum Vitae (CV).

Applications close:  Friday 4 July 2025. 

Past Winners:

2014 – Phillipa Beale - Harmful algal bloom toxins as potential cofactors for the emergence of fibropapillomatosis of marine turtles in Australia 

2015 – Jackie Bice - A review of the role of climate change in the emerging infectious diseases of wildlife 

2016 – Madeleine Rowe

2017 – Not awarded 

2018 – Jana Schader - Sarcocystis in a Collared Sparrowhawk 

2019 – Helena Tran - Serpentine dermatomycoses formerly classified as CANV complex 

2020 – Not awarded 

2021 – Not awarded (Covid-19)

2022 – Katie Pasfield - Help, my frog won’t eat! A case study on protozoal burden in anurans 

2023 – Not awarded 

2024 - Karen Kam - A literature review of comparison of gut microbiota between wild and captive vertebrates in zoo settings.

What is the Stephen Ross Memorial Scholarship?

The Stephen Ross Memorial Scholarship is offered by the Unusual Pet and Avian Veterinarians (UPAV) Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Australian Veterinary Association in memory of Dr Stephen Ross.  Stephen was our first UPAV (known then as UEP, Unusual and Exotic Pets) newsletter editor.  He had a small animal/wildlife practice in Mackay, with diverse interests in practice and conservation.

The Stephen Ross Memorial Scholarship aims to encourage veterinary practitioners to participate in the UPAV Annual Conference through providing an opportunity to gain experience in conference presentation skills, professional development, and networking opportunities. This year the UPAV group will be combining with ASAV (Small Animals), AVDS (Dental) and AVCB (Conservation Biology) special interest groups for a special conference in Cairns, QLD.

To be considered for this scholarship, applicants are asked to submit a conference manuscript in the form of a case report or literature review. If successful, the applicant will be asked to present this paper at the UPAV Stream of the ASAV Annual Conference. 

What does the scholarship provide?

The Stephen Ross Memorial Scholarship provides:

1. One x FREE 2-Day UPAV Stream registration plus a ticket to the UPAV Dinner at the ASAV Annual Conference.
2. $1,000 stipend for contribution to travel and accommodation expenses to attend the UPAV Stream at the ASAV Annual Conference.
3. Conference presentation experience.

What is the eligibility criteria?

Applicants for the Stephen Ross Memorial Scholarship must:

1. Have graduated from a Veterinary Science program of study within the previous four years (at the time of application) OR be a Veterinary Science student who has not previously presented at the UPAV Stream of the ASAV Annual Conference.
2. If successful, agree to present the submitted conference paper at the UPAV Stream of the ASAV Annual Conference. Note:  Manuscripts must not have been published elsewhere.
3. If successful, agree to include the conference paper in the conference proceedings.

How do I apply?

1. Complete the application e-form below - questions marked with an asterisk are mandatory.
2. Upload your conference manuscript. Preference will be given to case reports written from a personal experience.  Literature reviews may be accepted, however must include appropriate acknowledgement.

Note: Manuscript should be submitted in Microsoft Word format. Your presentation format is to be approximately 15 minutes duration, with the manuscript not exceeding 2,000 words.

1. Upload your current Curriculum Vitae (CV).

Applications close:  Friday 4 July 2025.

Past Winners:

2014 – Sarah Alexander - Fungal dermatitis caused by Paranannizziopsis australiensis in tuatara 

2015 – Daniella Hsu - Adverse Events Following Cyclap RCD Vaccine 

2016 – Coetzee De Beer

2017 – Not awarded 

2018 – Kimberley Tozer - Potential medical therapies to reduce the recurrence of urolithiasis in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) 

2019 – Kiara Simonis - Satellite tracking rehabilitated raptors to determine efficacy of rehabilitation techniques 

2020 – Not awarded 

2021 – Not awarded 

2022 – Jana Schader - Surgical Excision of a Thymic Lymphoma in a Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis)

2023 – Shelby Chew - A case of pulmonary and airsac proteinosis in a green-cheeked conure (Pyrrhura molinae) 

2024 - Ellen Pieper - An Australian-centric review of perioperative mortality and morbidity in rabbits.