Purdue University

Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program

Maddie’s® Post-DVM Fellowship in Shelter Medicine Maddie’s® Fund post-DVM fellowship in shelter medicine is a one-year position that provides advanced clinical training in shelter medicine, specifically in areas of population medicine, infectious disease, animal welfare, preventive medicine, high volume spay/neuter, and animal behavior. The Maddie’s post-DVM fellow will work with a senior shelter veterinarian at PAWS Chicago and will also be assigned a Purdue University faculty mentor. The Maddie’s post-DVM fellow will pursue an important issue related to shelter medicine and the efforts of this work will be published as a paper in a national peer-reviewed veterinary journal. This information will also be disseminated to veterinarians and the shelter medicine community at a suitable national meeting. A fellowship certificate will be awarded on successful completion of the program. 

Maddie’s® Animal Behavior Residency

Maddie’s® Animal Behavior Residency consists of a combined residency and Masters of Science degree program in animal behavior under the direction of Dr. Luescher - Director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Purdue University. During the shelter-based part of their training, residents will also be able to develop their skills in in practical behavior assessment and management while providing behavioral rehabilitation to dogs awaiting adoption. The goal will be to increase adoptability and retention of dogs once adopted by correcting undesirable behaviors and teaching simple behaviors that make the dogs more adoptable while they remain in the shelter. A study focusing on the evaluation of pests that would predict certain behavioral problems and better match dogs with adopters will also be undertaken, culminating in the publication of a paper in a national peer-reviewed veterinary journal. 

Maddie’s® PhD Student in Shelter-Based Population Medicine Maddie’s® PhD Student in Shelter-Based Population Medicine will spend approximately four years of training in epidemiology and other disciplines relevant to their research topic, leading to the PhD degree. The research required for the dissertation will focus on either infectious disease problems as they pertain to the typical shelter environment, or wider issues impacting shelters, such as animal welfare or pet homelessness.  Maddie’s PhD students will be mentored by faculty with expertise in epidemiology, animal behavior, and infectious diseases.  The findings of their research will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, presented at national, regional, and local meetings, and placed on the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine and Human-Animal Bond Center web sites.