The Linda F. Hayward Florida Veterinary Scholars Program: Summer 2026 » The Linda F. Hayward Florida Veterinary Scholars Program » Veterinary Research and Graduate Studies » College of Veterinary Medicine

The Linda F. Hayward Florida Veterinary Scholars Program, previously the Florida Veterinary Scholars Program, provides an opportunity for DVM students to engage in hypothesis-driven research over a 10-12 week period. For UF students, this happens between the 1st and 2nd years. The mission is to expose veterinary students to career opportunities in biomedical research. This may include Industry (drug development, testing, marketing), Government (CDC, NIH, USDA) and Academia-based paths.

Program Dates: May 26, 2026 to August 1, 2026
National Symposium: Stay tuned for 2026 National Symposium location and date

2026 FVSP Application

Faculty Mentors

Applications are due January 15, 2026, at 5 p.m.

Apply now

2026 FVSP Application

Students

Applications are due January 31, 2026, at 5 p.m.

Apply now

2026 Faculty Mentors and Research Interests

Darcy Adin
Key Words: RAAS, Congestive heart failure, Diuretics, Emergency
Project: TBA

Ludovica Chiavaccini
Key Words: Equine Pain Recognition, Deep Learning, Spatiotemporal Modeling, Postoperative Monitoring
Project: AI-Driven Interpretation of Postoperative Pain Patterns in Horses

Aline Hoffmann
Key Words: Pythiosis, fungal diagnostics, pathology, skin
Project: TBA

Jon Kim
Key Words: AI, canine, hemangiosarcoma, spatial biology
Project: Decoding spatial complexity of canine hemangiosarcoma using AI

Wendy Mandese
Key Words: Heartworms, heat treatment, resistance, antigen
Project: Comparison of pre/post heat-treated heartworm antigen tests in dogs on and off heartworm prevention

Chris Martyniuk
Key Words: Environmental pollutants, Aquatic toxicology, Behavior, Reactive oxygen species, Gene expression
Project: Toxicological responses of perfluorinated chemicals in zebrafish

Elizabeth Maxwell
Key Words: Canine anxiety, Noise reduction, Hospital stress, Wearable technology
Project: Evaluating Noise-Dampening Headphones to Reduce Anxiety in Hospitalized Dogs

Adam Stern
Key Words: Forensic pathology, poisoning, companion animal
Project: Veterinary Forensic Science

Banikalyan Swain
Key Words: Recombinant Attenuated Edwardsiella Vaccine (RAEV), Aeromonas hydrophila, Antigen delivery platform, Fish immunology
Project: Development of a Regulated Self-Lysing Edwardsiella piscicida RAEV System for Controlling Major Bacterial Diseases in Catfish

Julia Ann Wuerz
Key Words: Blood pressure measurements, OTC sphygmomanometer, feline, validation
Project: Comparison of blood pressure readings using an OTC sphygmomanometer vs a validated veterinary sphygmomanometer in cats

Helena Zomer
Key Words: Regenerative Medicine; Skin wound healing; New Approach Methodologies; ex-vivo wound model
Project: TBA