Maddie’s Fund® is a national family foundation established by Dave Duffield ’62, MBA ’64 and Cheryl Duffield to revolutionize the status and well-being of companion animals. The Foundation, dedicated to pioneering shelter medicine education and innovative access to care initiatives for the past thirty years, has awarded the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program (MSMP) at Cornell University a new $4.6 million grant to sustain and grow its work over the next five years. 

This grant builds on two decades of steady support from Maddie’s Fund that has helped place the MSMP as a leader in its field — from establishing the first didactic course in shelter medicine, to setting industry standards on health protocols, to training hundreds of shelter medicine veterinary professionals across the world.

Now, thanks to the renewed funding, the program is poised to widen its impact in New York State and beyond, increasing the reach of shelter medicine and improving access to care. 

At the helm of the MSMP is Jessica Reed, D.V.M. ’12 who returned to Cornell to become the Janet L. Swanson Director in April 2024. Previously, interim director Lena DeTar, D.V.M. guided the program for two years after former program head, Elizbeth Berliner, D.V.M. ’03, departed to serve as senior director of shelter medicine at the ASPCA.

Read the full story on the College of Veterinary Medicine's website.