Overview
Are you interested in a possible career in laboratory animal medicine or pathology
(anatomic or clinical)? Would you like to discover whether one of these fields is
right for you? Consider a Kenneth F. Burns Summer Fellowship or Externship. The goal
of the Kenneth F. Burns Trust program is to provide veterinary students with opportunities
to explore the fields of laboratory animal medicine or pathology (anatomic and clinical)
as possible career choices through significant “real-world” experience in one of these
fields.
Selecting a Host Institution
Students are encouraged to consider spending time at institutions with accredited
residency programs to which the student may later want to apply. Students are encouraged
to speak with the Kenneth F. Burns Trust Program directors for help in selecting a
host institution.
ACLAM LAB ANIMAL TRAINING PROGRAMS
ACVP PATHOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAMS
Contacts
Program Director
Dr. Rhett Stout
rstout1@lsu.edu
Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine
Program Assistant Director
Dr. Fabio Del Piero
fdelpiero@lsu.edu
Pathobiological Sciences
Experiences
Kenneth F. Burns Summer Fellowship
Funds will provide stipends of an amount compatible with the NIH pre-doctoral stipend
scale (approximately $7,700) for veterinary students following their first or second
years of veterinary school. The Kenneth F. Burns Fellow will spend 10-11 weeks during
the summer at an AAALAC and/or AVMA-accredited School or College of Veterinary Medicine,
public or private research institution, university, or medical school. Qualifying
fellowships may be tailored to particular student interests and are intended to introduce
student participants to career opportunities in any aspect of the broad field of laboratory
animal science, including clinical laboratory animal medicine (clinical service and
administration, experimental surgery, or animal welfare and behavior); pathology (anatomic
or clinical); or biomedical research involving laboratory animals. Usually 2-4 positions
are funded yearly depending on available funds.
Application deadline: March 1, 2026, for the summer of 2026. Notification of award
will be made on or before March 15, 2026.
Kenneth F. Burns Externship
Funds will be used to enhance the existing veterinary curriculum by providing travel
awards for veterinary students in their 3rd and 4th years to travel to other AAALAC
and/or AVMA-accredited Schools or Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, or to public or
private research institutions, universities, or medical schools, for half-block or
full block externships in laboratory animal medicine or pathology (anatomic or clinical).
Up to $1,000 will be awarded for reimbursement of travel, housing, and meal expenses,
for a two-week externship, up to $1,500 for a three-week externship, and up to $2,000
for a four-week externship. Students may apply for up to two awards.
Application deadline: Applications will be accepted throughout the year. Please allow
at least two months for processing of the application.
Note: This experience will not satisfy the externship requirement for obtaining a
veterinary license in Louisiana. The externship will be managed as a “Special Topics”
course, with Dr. Stout (laboratory animal medicine) or Dr. “To Be Determined” (Pathology)
serving as course leader for the purposes of assigning a pass/fail grade.
