USask veterinary student earns North American bovine health award

Goudy was one of nine students to receive the 2024 AABP Foundation Amstutz Scholarship during the organization’s annual conference, which took place from Sept. 12-14 in Columbus, Ohio. Valued at US$11,000, the award recognizes third- or fourth-year veterinary students who have shown academic excellence, leadership and potential for becoming outstanding bovine veterinarians in North America.

Goudy says his accomplishment wouldn’t be possible without the guidance and support he received from Dr. Tyson Buyer (DVM), a 2016 WCVM graduate and a 2013 recipient of the Amstutz scholarship.

“Dr. Buyer was my previous boss. He was the one who told me about the scholarship and encouraged me to apply and attend the AABP conference,” says Goudy. He adds that Buyer emphasized the opportunities for networking and professional development available through the AABP.

“Scholarships like the Amstutz award have gone a long way toward helping me pay for school,” says Goudy. “I would strongly encourage other students to attend the AABP conference because you’ll meet like-minded students and build connections for the future.”

Growing up on a ranch in southeastern Saskatchewan, Goudy began calving and branding duties at an early age. He eventually started his own purebred and commercial cow herd, finding his passion for working with cattle.

After graduating high school in 2019, Goudy spent two years studying in the USask College of Agriculture and Bioresources before beginning the WCVM’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program in 2021. During his time at the college, Goudy has played an active role in student organizations and is a past president of the Western Canadian Veterinary Students’ Association.

“One of the main reasons that I wanted to get into veterinary medicine was to pursue a career in bovine embryo transfer, and this went hand in hand with my interest in the cattle industry,” explains Goudy.

He says that the bovine industry currently offers unique challenges to veterinarians and producers in how they run their operations.

“I’m really interested in how technologies will grow and how it is going to change the way that beef is produced. For applications like embryo transfer and artificial insemination, we’re already seeing how it can be utilized to make cattle more efficient and profitable.”

As part of his final clinical year of training at the WCVM, Goudy recently completed an externship at Trans Ova Genetics in Sioux Center, Iowa, where he gained invaluable experience in bovine reproduction and in-vitro fertilization production of embryos. Goudy intends to combine his ranch experience with his passion for bovine medicine and reproduction to help advance the bovine industry in his future career.

“I plan to start a career in bovine medicine and reproduction, but I would also like to be a leader and an advocate for the agriculture industry,” adds Goudy. “I want to help farmers and ranchers utilize new technologies to better their operations.”