News from the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges

January 2019

AAVMC Announces 2019 Professional Excellence and Service Awards Honorees

The AAVMC has announced the recipients of six awards that recognize professional excellence, achievement and service in academic veterinary medicine. The honorees are:

Dr. Gayle B. Brown, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, 2018 AAVMC Distinguished Teacher Award, presented by Zoetis.
Dr. Guy Palmer, Washington State University (WSU) College of Veterinary Medicine, 2019 AAVMC Excellence in Research Award.
Dr. Gerald W. Parker, Jr., Texas A&M University (TAMU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 2019 Senator John Melcher, DVM Leadership in Public Policy Award.
Dr. Kenita S. Rogers, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the 2019 Iverson Bell Award.
Dr. Elizabeth Strand, University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, the 2019 AAVMC Billy E. Hooper Award for Distinguished Service.

The AAVMC also recognizes a promising student during the biennial Iverson Bell Symposium, held in conjunction with this year's conference. This year, the Patricia M. Lowrie Diversity Leadership Scholarship has been awarded to India Napier, a class of 2020 veterinary medical student at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Learn more.

CBVE Program Developing, Making Impact

The AAVMC Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) Working Group has been continuing their efforts to support the implementation of CBVE, according to CBVE Co-Leader Dr. Laura Molgaard, associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Earlier this fall, Molgaard made a presentation on CBVE at the International Conference on Residency Education in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The CBVE Working Group met on November 13-14, 2018 in Denver, Colorado to refine the CBVE Milestones and conduct other work, and a webinar has been scheduled for Academic Affairs Committee members on the CBVE on January 22, 2019. The CBVE Working Group will be presenting updates on these initiatives and other ongoing CBVE projects during the Academic Affairs Committee meeting at the 2019 AAVMC Annual Conference. Learn more.

Maccabe Assumes Presidency of Health Professions Education Association

AAVMC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe assumed the presidency of the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions (FASHP) in January 2019 and will serve a two-year term. He has formerly served as Secretary/Treasurer and President-elect. Founded in Washington, DC in 1968 and now in its 50th year, FASHP includes 14 associations that represent all of the major health professions. "I'm excited and honored by this opportunity to serve," said Maccabe. "Our member organizations are the custodians of the health professions. We recruit and train new generations of healthcare professionals. We work together to improve health professions education. And we speak with one voice when we are addressing common issues and advocating for constructive change." Learn more.

Annual Conference Preparations Continue

Preparations continue for the 2019 AAVMC Annual Meeting and Iverson Bell Symposium March 8-10, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Themed "The Science of Building Inclusive Teams," the conference will focus on strategies for building diverse and inclusive teams in the work and learning environments, which have been shown to promote more effective group decision-making and organizational development. Registration is now open for the conference. For more information, contact Leslie Wilson at lwilson@aavmc.org.

AVMA-AAVMC Joint Committee Convenes in Washington

Leaders from the AVMA and AAVMC gathered in Washington, D.C. for the semi-annual Joint Committee Meeting on December 11, 2018. Following organizational updates from AAVMC President Dr. Calvin Johnson and AVMA President Dr. John De Jong, the group journeyed through an agenda that included a series of current issues and initiatives. Agenda items included accreditation logistics and support, educational debt, health and wellbeing, advocacy on Capitol Hill, leadership development, diversity and inclusion and the Veterinary Futures Commission. Discussions were also held in the area of student recruitment and the 2020 National Veterinary Scholars Symposium. Learn more.

Maccabe Addresses Tokyo Veterinary Medical Conference

AAVMC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe recently made a keynote presentation during the 17th Asian Association of Veterinary Schools (AAVS) at the University of Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan. The meeting was hosted by the Japanese Society of Veterinary Science. During one of the opening presentations of the conference, Maccabe discussed "The Future of Veterinary Medical Education: How Should We Prepare Today's Students for Tomorrow's Challenges?" Maccabe's presentation took a forward-thinking look at some of the technological, social and economic forces shaping the profession and the educational system that supports it. He also discussed the importance of standards of quality in international academic veterinary medicine. Learn more.

Veterinary Futures Commission meets in Washington

The Veterinary Futures Commission held its third meeting December 17-18, 2018 in Washington, where members explored topics including food, healthcare, companionship, security, teaching and learning, culture and research. Established by the AVMA and the AAVMC, the Veterinary Futures Commission is a semi-autonomous "visioning body" formed to evaluate challenges and opportunities in the veterinary profession's present and future operating environments. Focused on helping the profession best meet societal needs, the group will formulate evidence-based policy and program recommendations for AAVMC and AVMA leaders to consider following a series of meetings. Learn more.

Nomination Period Opens for AAVMC Communications, Fundraising Awards

Nominations are now being accepted for two AAVMC Awards that recognize excellence in institutional advancement among AAVMC members. The AAVMC's Communications Excellence Award, first presented in 2013, recognizes the important role communication plays in advancing academic veterinary medicine. The AAVMC Excellence in Scholarship Fundraising Award, which will be presented for the first time in 2019, is designed to inspire and recognize professional excellence and achievement in fundraising for DVM student scholarships. Each award includes a $1,000 honorarium and professional recognition.

NIAMRRE Delegation Meets With NIFA, AHI Officials on AMR

In early December, representatives from the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education (NIAMRRE) met with several Washington D.C. officials and agencies on Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR). Led by NIAMRRE Executive Director Dr. Paul Plummer, the delegation held meetings with J. Scott Angle, Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and officials with the Animal Health Institute (AHI), an influential interest and advocacy group composed of major pharmaceutical corporations. The purpose of the meetings was to foster relationships and seek assistance in supporting NIAMRRE's work in addressing the AMR problem. One key area of interest is to develop more federal funding for work addressing the AMR problem in agricultural animals. Learn more.

Evidence-Based Interprofessional Professionalism Assessment Tool Profiled in new Journal Article

The Interprofessional Professionalism Collaborative (the AAVMC is a member) has recently announced the publication of its landmark article, "The Intersection of Professionalism and Interprofessional Care: Development and Initial Testing of the Interprofessional Professionalism Assessment (IPA)." The article is now available on Taylor & Francis Online and will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Interprofessional Care. In addition to the new journal article, the IPC has also created an online tool kit that includes the IPA Instrument, case scenario videos, an on-demand webinar, and related materials. Dr. John Tegzes, director of Interprofessional Education and professor of toxicology at the Western University of the Health Sciences' College of Veterinary Medicine, serves as the AAVMC representative to this committee and working group and has played an instrumental role in the development of the toolkit. To access these resources, visit interprofessionalprofessionalism.org. Learn more.