The first virtual AAVMC virtual conference was held in March 3-5, 2021 focusing on “Catalyze 2021: Connect and Innovate in the Face of Global Challenges." Thirty-seven U.S. and 20 international veterinary colleges were represented, as well as other associations and veterinary corporations.

CIVME members Dr. Ehab Abu-Basha, Jordan University of Science & Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Jordan; Dr. Elpida Artemiou, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, West Indies; Dr. Kimberly Carney, Lincoln Memorial University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Tennessee, USA; Dr. Jennifer Hammond, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom; presented the session titled “Global Lessons in Shifting to Online Veterinary Education.” The session included an overview of the role of CIVME and survey responses on how veterinary colleges globally responded to the pandemic across three domains: Curriculum, Student Engagement and Mental Health and Wellbeing.

During these difficult times, the role of the Council is even more important in connecting and sharing resources globally. The Council continues and extends its reach in providing a means for:

Curricular changes discussed mostly dealt with the delivery and timing of content. It was reported that considering that accreditation standards must still be met, no real content areas were lost, but in many cases, contact time was shortened or sections postponed.

Changing the use of technology was a predominant theme across all of our areas of interest. It was noted that faculty developed new skills in online teaching, new methods for clinical skills, and streamlined their curricula while recognizing “zoom fatigue” and technological challenges. Furthermore, Faculty also had to increase the frequency of delivery for laboratory sections, often more than doubling the repetition of laboratories to accommodate smaller, socially distanced groups. Globally, students expressed concerns about their loss of clinical skills practice and expressed concern about knowledge retention as they prepare for licensing exams.

On the bright side, some of these lessons have shown that we can rapidly adapt curriculum and delivery methods, that in-person lectures may not be entirely necessary, and that students can become more independent learners.

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Dr. José Passarini graduated from the University of the Republic of Uruguay where he completed a postgraduate degree in economics and then a master's degree in Education. His thesis investigated the relationship between learning evaluation systems and the qualifications of the veterinary career. Later, Dr. José Passarini completed his doctorate in Education at the University of Havana, with his thesis on monitoring veterinary graduates in Uruguay.

He is currently the Director of the Department of Social Sciences of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of the Republic of Uruguay. He oversees the didactic training for Faculty and coordinates the Master of Education and Rural Extension programs. He is a peer evaluator for institutions of higher education in several countries across South America and for veterinary careers in MERCOSUR and the Pan-American Council of Veterinary Education (COPEVET).

Dr. José Passarini is a member of the National System of Researchers of Uruguay. His publications focus on veterinary education, teaching practices in the agricultural area, monitoring of university graduates and quality assurance in higher education. Dr. José Passarini also serves as the President of the commission that promotes evaluation and accreditation at the University of the Republic. He is also the Executive Secretary of the Network for the Strategic Management of Higher Education (DEES Network), a network made up of 45 Universities from 12 Latin American countries. Dr. José Passarini is a CIVME Regional Associate and his full resume can be found at http://sni.org.uy/

Mr. Ayayi Justin AYIH-AKAKPO is a veterinary doctor, teacher-researcher of Togolese nationality. A former full professor in Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Pathology, he is currently Honorary Professor and temporary teacher at the Inter-State School of Veterinary Sciences and Medicine (EISMV) in Dakar (Senegal). In this same establishment, Professor AYIH-AKAKPO has successively held the positions of Head of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, Infectious Pathology (1979-2010) and of Research and Development Coordinator (2005-2010) and member of the educational and scientific committees (1996-2010).

An outstanding educator, Professor AYIH-AKAKPO, has always put his skills at the service of national, regional and international missions for training veterinary medicine executives and improving the welfare of animals and people.

After obtaining his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (State diploma) from the Inter-States School of Veterinary Sciences and Medicine (EISMV) in Dakar (Senegal) in 1976, Professor AYIH-AKAKPO embarked on the career of teacher-researcher in veterinary medicine. In this context, he successively acquired degrees in Microbiology and Immunology (Bacteriology, Virology, General and Microbial Immunology) at the Pasteur Institute in Paris (1981-1983), a 3rd Cycle Doctorate in Microbial Ecology from the University Claude Bernard and the National Veterinary School of Lyon (1984) and was awarded a specialist certification in Microbiology-Immunology Infectious Pathology (1984) from the African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education (CAMES). Finally, in 1991 he obtained the qualification to direct research (HDR) from the University of Clermont Ferrand II (France).

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Dr. Adams is a Professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Calgary, Veterinary Medicine. Her primary role includes directing the Clinical Communication Program across the first three years of the DVM program, and conducting research related to communication in small and large animal practice settings and research that has to do with veterinary education and human-animal interactions. She is called upon to assist schools (veterinary and animal health technology) across North America to design and deliver communication programs.

She consults nationally and internationally in veterinary medicine on all applications of communication in veterinary medicine. She is the founder and Chair of the International Conference on Communication in Veterinary Medicine, founder and board member for the International Veterinary Communication Institute, and faculty member for the Institute for Healthcare Communication. Her most recent contribution to the profession is a handbook entitled: Skills for Communicating in Veterinary Medicine. This book was written for all members of the practice team as well as those responsible for training and coaching communication in a variety of settings.

Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU), Bangladesh, hosted a day-long workshop on 28 February 2021 with veterinary educators from around the country to disseminate the research findings of the CIVME grant-funded, work-based learning (WBL) project at CVASU. Faculty heads from nine veterinary schools attended, as did former and current WBL coordinators, the director of CVASU’s teaching hospital, heads of all departments from CVASU, and placement providers. Professor Sarah Baillie attended virtually from the UK.

Following the opening ceremony led by the Director of Research and Extension CVASU, the workshop started with a welcome speech from Prof. Alamgir Hossain (acting Vice-Chancellor and Dean), and Professor AKM Saifuddin (WBL coordinator).

"For the first four academic years, they are just a student to us," Professor Nitish Debnath, CVASU's founding VC, said in his welcome speech, "but in the final year, we must treat them as incoming professionals and prepare them for a future career, and WBL is important in this regard."

At the beginning Professor Baillie presented an overview of the WBL project and defined “WBL” as the activities students perform in a real workplace and added, "Experiencing typical working environments is invaluable for students in developing their professional skills and attributes."

The project research assistant Abdullah Al Sattar (CVASU) presented the research findings, which had focused on the off-campus placements. Feedback had been gathered from students, recent graduates, placement providers and faculty. Along with the opportunities and challenges that students encountered, the structure and running of the WBL program was also explored. Several recommendations were made to enhance the efficiency of WBL, including the identification of additional workplaces, strengthening the WBL coordination team, and improving communication and monitoring.

“During WBL, three-way communication between faculty, students, and placement providers must be improved to establish strong relationships between faculty and placement providers,” said Professor Md. Ahasanul Hoque in his presentation. Members of the panel advocated for including placement providers in university activities by appointing them as examiners, inviting them to scientific conferences, and arranging continuing education programs. "While the monetary incentives provided by several schools are valued, there are some significant disadvantages," noted Professor Saifuddin about paying the placement providers, "such as the amount of money available, the presence of multiple providers in one workplace, guidance based on the amount of money provided, and so on."

One of the most common complaints from veterinary students around the world about WBL activities is the need for more opportunities to perform surgery, according to Professor Baillie. Professor Hoque highlighted some of the additional skills gaps identified by CVASU students, citing insufficient opportunities to perform postmortems, write prescriptions and perform general anesthesia as examples. "Rather than relying solely on workplace opportunities for certain skills, the university should provide students with the opportunities to learn through intramural arrangements," Professor Baillie suggested, which would be facilitated by the directors of CVASU's teaching hospital and research.

*Corresponding author: Prof Md. Ahasanul Hoque (md.hoque@my.jcu.edu.au)

The AAVMC’s Council on International Veterinary Medical Education (CIVME) has funded three program grants designed to foster the enrichment and advancement of international academic veterinary medicine and two Antimicrobial Stewardship Grants, sponsored by MSD Animal Health.

CIVME Research Grant:

As a result of the success of last year’s inaugural presentation of the MSD Animal Health CIVME Antimicrobial Stewardship Grant, the program was expanded to include two grants this year. These are designed to improve instructional programs related to antimicrobial resistance in educational institutions around the world.

2021 recipients of the CIVME Antimicrobial Stewardship Grant, sponsored by MSD Animal Health, include:

CIVME was founded in 2016 to help advance AAVMC interests in elevating the quality of international academic veterinary medicine. Specifically, the charge from the AAVMC Board of Directors was to “advance high-quality veterinary education internationally through enabling and empowering best practice.” CIVME seeks to advance their initiatives by promoting inter-regional collaboration.

CIVME comprises representatives from eight major global regions (Australasia, North America, Central/South America, Continental Europe, UK/Ireland, Middle East, Africa and Asia).