New 2024 Paws2Rescue vet scholars and update on current Alumni
George Anghel is a 5th year vet student actively working on spay campaigns and social medicine with a prestigious team of vets in Romania. He is passionate about working in impoverished communities and making the lives of animals in these communities better by teaching them about responsible animal ownership. George is particularly focused on anesthesiology and remote tranquilisation methods and he has made it his mission to ensure a safe and smooth process for animals undergoing surgery, in the clinic or at campaigns. Over the next two years, George wants to develop his surgical and clinical skills to continue helping where he is needed the most.
Anda Ardelean is a 6th year vet student focused on community engagement and education, with a strong background in clinical medicine. She is passionate about making excellent medical services available to the animals and the people who have the least access to them. In preparation of her thesis, Anda is working on devising a method to offer better insight into mammary tumors’ malignity and excisional safety for point-of-care physicians on the field, and will be closely working with spay campaign teams and other social medicine vets over the next year. Anda is driven in her studies to identify better ways to help animals and to encourage the next generations of vets to become actively involved in their communities.
Maria Taichis is a 5th year veterinary medicine student from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Cluj. She will graduate in 2025 and is one of the few students helping Paws2Rescue vet, Dr Razvan Suteu and the spay and neuter project that Paws2Rescue has rolled out in the area. Coming from a modest background and having had to fight difficult odds to get a good education, She has above average grades and is respected by her peers and professors, she volunteers with the local shelter in Beius as well as the spay and neuter projects and with TAC Social.
Maria’s scholarship with Paws2Rescue will be in our funding of her thesis during the 2024 – 2025 academic year, on parasitic diseases in dogs in the public shelter,
In terms of plans for the future, Maria is both grounded and determined:
“For the near future, I think it would be vital to work in a clinic under the guidance of other doctors in order to gain the necessary experience for anynew graduate. At the same time, I want to get involved in more spaying campaigns. The importance of neutering is unfortunately too little understood or there are simply people who don't care, and those who suffer in the end are the puppies often abandoned without their mothers. The shelter in my hometown will always be a point of reference that I feel the need to get involved with. It represents a pivotal moment in my life, one that led me to choose this profession and to understand the importance of getting involved as widely as possible in supporting abandoned animals. My greatest aspiration would be to have the opportunity to work with wild animals at some point in the future. However, for the time being, I am aware that I need to build a solid foundation in this field. Participating in the Erasmus program in Zimbabwe has enhanced my enthusiasm for therescue and treatment of wild animals. I aspire to pursue this field in the future.”
Maria will prepare her thesis this year on parasites in dogs in the public shelter, and Paws2Rescue will be funding this research.
Updates on current alumni
Mada Lixandru (graduated in 2023) is currently engaged in significant research work with the Estonian University of Life Sciences and using the platform to continue to push for change for our ongoing projects on canine brucellosis. She represented Paws2Rescue at the 9th International Conference on Emerging Zoonoses and she will present our project at the upcoming 8th World One Health Congress in South Africa this fall. The pilot project has entered its second phase and we are currently developing partnerships with the international research laboratories in the UK, Italy and the US and now in Romania. She is also developing the curricula for responsible animal ownership in partnership with the Ilfov County Council Bureau of Animal Protection and the Ilfov School Board, which will be deployed this fall in several Ilfov schools. Furthermore, she is continuing work on accrediting the Center for Education and Animal Services, a social clinic and educational center, aimed to become an area hub for social veterinary medicine (spay campaigns, social cases and responsible ownership education) – the first project of its kind in this area.
Laza Rondelli (graduated in 2023) is focused on building a sanctuary in Ilfov county, having dedicated her last year to the grueling bureaucratic and construction work required. She has continued to lend her services to spay and neuter campaigns and social cases and looks forward to returning to “active duty” as a full-time veterinarian in a clinic once her toddler joins kindergarten.
Magda Radu (graduated in 2023) continues to run her animal rescue charity in Giurgiu county with rescue and spay and neuter campaigns in the county, coordinating her shelter and actively helping the Giurgiu public shelter team.
Claudia Andrei (graduated in 2023) has had a difficult time getting employed and is actively seeking employment in the veterinary field. She continues to slowly but steadily renovate the space she has built with her deceased father (which she envisions as a pet pharmacy) where she would like to sell products at an affordable price in her community.
Dan Valentin (graduated in 2024) is committed to becoming a horse veterinarian and continues to manage his charity, Phrosa’s Sanctuary. He remains dedicated to social causes and has worked on his skills in veterinary dentistry for his thesis.
Luminita Streinu (graduated in 2024) remains involved in running her charity following the devastating loss of her husband. In an impressive effort, Luminita managed to rally and graduate. Currently, she is continuing to provide social services to the animals in her community and she is committed to continuing to provide life-saving support for those in need.
Alina Murgu (graduated in 2024) continues her dedicated work for social veterinary medicine and she is overperforming on all counts. She is running the shelter in Sintesti, has set up a social clinic in the community, participates in spay campaigns with GVC’s team and runs a small transport company for her rescued animals.
Ana-Maria Amarazeanu (3rd year) has successfully graduated her second year with very good academic performance, while she has been also actively engaged in Paws2Rescue projects (Christmas Drive, spay campaigns, educational campaigns and the Jilava social clinic) alongside work on her own charity.
Anca Cruceru (4th year) has also graduated successfully her second year with good performance reviews from her professors. She has spent the last year learning and improving her surgical and clinical skills at the social clinic in Bucharest (GVC) and supporting, as a dedicated and hardworking volunteer, the social clinic in Jilava. She has actively participated at all spay campaigns and community events.
Ancuta Chivu (4rd year) is working hard on running the horse sanctuary. In terms of academic performance, she has moved forward considerably in catching up with her studies, and she will move into her 4th year in much better standing than before. She remains committed to graduating to become a horse veterinarian and is determined to develop a mobile horse ambulance and a horse clinic in Prahova area, while investing heavily in improving conditions for the horse sanctuary.