A $5,000 USD Dr. Greg Bossart Memorial Scholarship is available to a graduate student in wildlife biology, epidemiology, veterinary, medical, public health, basic or social sciences or other post-graduate program focusing on the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment using a One Health framework. The next cycle of applications will be announced spring 2022.
Greg Bossart, V.M.D., Ph.D. was a highly respected veterinarian, pathologist, and conservationist committed to advancing the understanding of marine mammals as sentinels of ocean and human health. With a career spanning 30 years and over 200 publications, Dr. Bossart identified resurgent and emerging diseases in dolphins, manatees, birds, and whales. His research and innovative techniques helped characterize the first viral diseases in manatees and he was responsible for developing the first immunohistochemical technique for diagnosing brevetoxicosis (red tide poisoning) in both marine mammals and birds.
Dr. Bossart was a dedicated proponent of the One Health concept and approach which was a prominent theme in his long-running Atlantic bottlenose dolphin Health and Environmental Risk Assessment (HERA) project. Started in 2003, HERA was developed to monitor how dolphin health in coastal habitats is impacted by environmental stressors and how those stressors potentially also impact human health. His contributions to the study of marine mammal health are far-reaching, and through this scholarship, Georgia Aquarium is committed to honoring Dr. Bossart's One Health legacy.
2022 Awardee
Miranda Dziobak
Sentinel Indicators of Marine Microplastic and Phthalate Exposure
|
 |
Miranda is a PhD Student at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina, USA
|
Eligibility & Requirements
- Applicant must be a student, anywhere in the world, currently registered in a post-graduate program (toward MSc, PhD, DVM, MPH, MD, or equivalent, clinical or research degrees) and working on a research project that encompasses the One Health model and/or addresses a One Health topic. [If you have been 'accepted' into a graduate program and can provide a letter attesting to that fact, but have not yet begun classwork or research, Yes, you qualify.]
- Funds can be used to support research or educational costs (tuition, fieldwork supplies, analytical costs, conference travel, etc.) and should be outlined in the application materials.
- If international electronic transfer of funds is required, expenses incurred in that transfer will be deducted from the total award amount.
|
|
|
How to Apply
1. Project Title Page
2. Project Narrative - Not to exceed 1500 words, that includes:
- Abstract,
- Background / Introduction,
- Project Goals,
- Methods,
- Importance/Contribution,
- How the proposed work fits within the One Health framework,
- Use of funds.
- List of References (not included in the 1500 word count).
3. A current CV.
4. A letter from the graduate program that the student has been accepted into or is enrolled in demonstrating their good standing
5. One letter of recommendation from a faculty member or clinician who is familiar with the student’s work.
Only applications submitted in English as a single (merged) pdf will be considered.
Name your merged pdf file using this format: [First Name] [Last Name] [Bossart Application]
Application packet must be submitted electronically by _________, 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time Zone to: BossartScholarship@onehealthcommission.org
|
|
|
Review Process
It will be obvious to the Application Reviewers if the project was not 'conceived' in a One Health framework. Applications will be reviewed based on the following criteria:
- Scientific merit and overall significance
- Likelihood of achieving goals
- How the proposed work fits within the One Health framework
- Quality and clarity of proposal
Note: This scholarship award goes directly to the student and not via his/her University.
|
|
Recognition
Awardees will be acknowledged:
- On this Dr. Gregory Bossart Memorial One Health Scholarship webpage. An edited version of the successful applicant’s Project Narrative essay will be included in the webpage posting.
- In an Award Announcement message to the One Health Commission's global listserv of One Health advocates / stakeholders.
- In the Commission's monthly One Health Happening newsletter
- On the One Health Commission's Social Media pages
- Through Georgia Aquarium’s newsroom and newsletter.
- On a plaque honoring Dr. Bossart’s memory hanging at the Georgia Aquarium.
|
|
Reporting
During their tenure, the successful applicant will be expected to work with the One Health Commission and Georgia Aquarium to publicize the student's work and its contribution to Dr. Bossart's legacy.
Within a year of receiving the award the student awardee will complete at least two of the following activities:
- Blog post about One Health and their project (venue of their choice)
- Narrative of OH in Action post on the OHC website.
- Post for the scholarship webpage about how the scholarship helped their academic progress.
- Record a video (at least 5 minutes) about the One Health aspects of their project and how the scholarship has supported that project.
Within two years of the award date the awardee will submit a final report to the One Health Commission (1,500 word limit) outlining how the funds were used and describing how the objectives in the application essay were achieved. This final report will also be published on the scholarship webpage.
|
