Veterinary internships provide a valuable opportunity for new graduates to gather additional experience and skill in providing clinical care. But concerns have been raised about the wide variety of scope and range of quality among the hundreds of internship programs offered throughout academia and the private sector. To address that problem, the AAVMC has developed a comprehensive set of guidelines designed to bolster and ensure the academic integrity of internship programs. The guidelines have been endorsed by the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians (AAVC), which operates the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP) in the United States. Learn more.

A Veterinary Futures Commission has been established by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the AAVMC. Comprised of thought-leaders from academia, industry, professional practice and other officials, the group will evaluate challenges and opportunities in the veterinary profession, identify priorities guided by societal needs, and develop evidence-based recommendations regarding potential courses of action. Chaired by former AAVMC President Dr. Eleanor Green, dean of the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the group will hold its first meeting April 8-9 in conjunction with the Innovation Summit at Texas A&M University. Learn more.

Nine universities, all home to AAVMC member institutions, have responded to a Request for Proposal (RFP) designed to support the creation of a major University Research Organization (URO) on Antimicrobial Resistance. Establishing a formal research and education center represents the final phase of a four-year collaboration undertaken by the AAVMC and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) to help address the menacing public health problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). A review committee chaired by former USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education and Economics Dr. Cathie Woteki has been appointed to review proposals and make recommendations. Learn more.

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About 40 people representing public health leaders, veterinarians, government agencies, NGO's and other groups attended a half-day meeting in New York City on March 15 titled "Outside the Box: Addressing the Sustainable Development Goals Through a One Health Approach." Sponsored by the AAVMC, several of its members and other organizations, the meeting focused on how the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) could effectively be addressed through an integrated One Health Approach. The meeting was held in conjunction with the 2018 annual conference of the Consortium of Universities of Public Health. Learn more.

The federal government's recently passed Omnibus spending bill for FY 2018 contains some good news for academic veterinary medicine. Several important programs to the AAVMC received funding as part of the legislation. The Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD), the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program, the Veterinary Services Grant Program, and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) were funded; in many cases at levels which represented substantial increases.  Learn more.

An innovative program designed to interest young children in pursuing veterinary medical careers is growing - and grants are available to help veterinary medical schools implement the program. Nationwide presentation of " This is How We 'Role'" programs through U.S. colleges/schools of veterinary medicine began in 2017 and the second round of grant proposals is due on April 16, 2018, with six grants of $5,000 to be awarded. The program was established in 2015 with a $1.26 million National Institutes (NIH) of Health grant awarded to the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. Learn more.

An Agnes Scott College senior bound for veterinary school at the University of Georgia has been awarded the AAVMC's 2018 Pre-Veterinary Leadership Award (PVLA). Jazz Stephens, a biology major minoring in German and chemistry, was recognized during the recent American Association of Pre-Veterinary Medical Association (APVMA) Symposium held at Auburn University. Jazz is the founder and current president of the Pre-Veterinary Club at Agnes Scott. She works as a chemistry tutor at Agnes Scott and as a veterinary assistant at Clairmont Animal Hospital in Decatur. The AAVMC established the first Pre-Veterinary Leadership Award (PVLA) in 2016 to recognize leadership within the pre-vet community. Learn more.

Zoetis and the AAVMC announced the winners of the 2018 Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship Program during the recent 2018 Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) Conference at the University of Pennsylvania. Now in its ninth year, the program awarded $630,000 in scholarship funds to 315 second- and third-year veterinary students at 33 colleges and schools of veterinary medicine. To date, this program has awarded nearly $6.1 million in scholarships to more than 3,000 students. Learn more.

The AAVMC's Leadership Academy recently wrapped up the 2017-2018 program in Washington, D.C. as part of the annual conference. This year's cohort of 35 educators also studied leadership and honed their skills at sessions convened last September in Indianapolis, Indiana, and last December in College Station, Texas. The AAVMC launched the program in 2012 to provide professional development for emerging leaders in veterinary academia. Enrollment information for the 2018-2019 Leadership Academy will be sent to deans' offices in April 2018. For information, contact Andrew Zoeller at azoeller@aavmc.org. Learn more.

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