Alumni Awards

  • Dr. Erwin Small Award
  • Outstanding Young Alumni
  • Special Service Award
  • Previous Award Winners

    • Every year, VMAA recognizes alumni and colleagues who have made significant contributions to the advancement of the veterinary profession and the College of Veterinary Medicine.

    Veterinary Medical Alumni Association

    2001 South Lincoln Avenue
    Urbana, Illinois 61802

    P: 217-333-2761
    F: 217-244-8887
    vmaa@vetmed.illinois.edu

    CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR VMAA ALUMNI AWARD WINNERS

    View our 2022 award winners album on Flickr.

    The Veterinary Medical Alumni Association has the honor of presenting the Dr. Erwin Small Distinguished Alumni Award, the Special Service Award, and the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.  Read more about the awards below.

    Contact us if you have any questions.

    DR. ERWIN SMALL DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

    The Dr. Erwin Small Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize distinguished Illinois graduates (DVM, PhD, and MS degree holders) who have excelled in their respective fields and have made significant contributions to the profession and/or college, regardless of where they reside. This honor is named after the late Dr. Erwin Small (IL ’57), professor emeritus and former associate dean of alumni and public affairs at the College. It is a fitting tribute to a man who dedicated his life to the advancement of veterinary medicine, specifically to the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine at Urbana-Champaign.

    See list of previous recipients

    Dr. Julia Whittington, Class of 1997, has been selected to receive the Dr. Erwin Small Distinguished Alumni Award. She has served on the college faculty since 2001 and is currently Assistant Dean for Clinical Services and Director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

    SPECIAL SERVICE AWARD

    The Special Service Award recognizes an outstanding individual or organization that has made significant contributions to the advancement of the veterinary profession and/or the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine at Urbana-Champaign. This individual or organization can be a non-veterinarian or a veterinarian who holds a degree from an institution other than the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

    See list of previous recipients

    Dr. Amy Schnelle joined the faculty at the College of Veterinary Medicine in 2017. Recently, she has taken on leadership roles as chair of the intern mentorship committee and as Service Head of Clinical Pathology in the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Departing interns have been exceedingly complimentary of Dr. Schnelle, who has helped them grow and move on to the next phase of their career.

    OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD

    The Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes early-career Illinois graduates (DVM, PhD, and MS degree holders) who have excelled early in their respective fields and who embody the Illini spirit of “labor and learning,” through creativity and entrepreneurship in the field of veterinary medicine, regardless of where they live.

    See list of previous recipients

    Dr. Nicki Rosenhagen, Class of 2015, works at the PAWS Wildlife Center, training veterinary interns and veterinary student externs, providing public education, conducting wildlife and rehabilitation research, and offering continuing education for veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitators.