Iowa State University has been selected to establish and host a new national Institute for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Education. The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) chose Iowa State to lead the institute, which will utilize a One Health approach to comprehensively tackle the AMR problem. Iowa State's application to establish the new institute was structured upon plans to substantially upgrade an existing university-based research and education program called the Antimicrobial Resistance Consortium. Dr. Paul Plummer of Iowa State University, who leads the existing consortium, will serve as executive director of the new institute. Read more.

The Working Group on Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) has been hard at work since the rollout of the CBVE Framework and Core Entrustable Professional Activities. The Working Group hosted a webinar for AAVMC Academic Affairs Committee members on August 3. Since the March rollout, the group members have received invitations to present more about CBVE through videoconferences and visits to schools, including Florida State University, Oregon State University, Midwestern University, University of Pennsylvania and Western University of Health Sciences. Group members have presented the work at national and international meetings including the joint PCVE/VEC meeting at Cornell, the VetEd Symposium at Utrecht, and the 2nd International Competency-Based Medical Education Summit in Basel, Switzerland. Read more.

	While in Denver for the AAVMC Summer meeting, CEO Maccabe also addressed the Association of Veterinary Advancement Professionals (AVAP)

About 50 member institution heads and guests gathered for the half-day AAVMC Summer Meeting held in conjunction with the recent 2018 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) meeting in Denver. AAVMC Senior Accreditation Advisor Dr. Sheila Allen briefed the group on recent activities with the Council on Education, AAVMC President Calvin Johnson presented an annual report and discussed the need to advocate for the importance of professional licensing in view of recent attacks by some consumer activist groups. Attendees also heard reports on issues related to veterinary specialties, wellness, advocacy, telehealth and other topics. Read more.

	Pictured, left to right: Dr. Huggins, Dr. Kent, and Dr. Monjazeb. Not pictured: Dr. Kurilla.

Helping lawmakers better understand the galaxy of opportunities associated with comparative research was the focus of an AAVMC Legislative Briefing held on July 19 in the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill. Titled "'It's a Dog's Life' (that may save yours!)," the briefing featured remarks from an NIH official leading the institutes' Clinical and Translational Science Awards program, as well as three scientists working in human medicine, veterinary medicine and biomedical research. Fifteen AAVMC member institutions are members of the Clinical and Translational Science Award One Health Alliance (COHA). Click here to see a fact sheet on COHA. Read more.

Volunteers working with the Veterinary Debt Initiative (VDI) heard updates, reviewed progress, and considered future action during a July 14 meeting in Denver. The VDI is currently led by representatives from the AVMA, the AAVMC and the Veterinary Medical Association Executives (VMAE). Evolving from the former Fix the Debt Initiative (which arose from an April 2016 symposium held at Michigan State University), the present organization is taking a more opportunistic, strategic approach to addressing financial aspects of veterinary education and practice, such as the cost of veterinary education, leveraging debt, and negotiating and managing income. Read more.

The AAVMC has created an annual award to inspire and recognize professional excellence and achievement in fundraising for student scholarships among member institutions. The AAVMC Award for Fundraising Excellence in Student Scholarships will consist of a $1,000 honorarium and a commemorative. It will be presented in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association of Veterinary Advancement Professionals (AVAP). "Creating this award is part of our strategic interest in helping advance the Veterinary Debt Initiative," said AAVMC CEO Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe, noting that the award is exclusively focused on scholarship resource development and is not intended to recognize comprehensive program excellence in fundraising. Read more.

	Dr. Johnson (right) discussed One Health issues with members of Congress, including Congressman Ralph Abraham (R-LA), a veterinarian and physician.

UC-Davis SVM professor and researcher Dr. Christine Kreuder Johnson recently completed a month-long AAVMC Faculty Fellowship in Washington, D.C., where she met with members of Congress, staffers, and colleagues at the State Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and other agencies. "It's so important to engage face-to-face with law- and policy-makers," said Dr. Johnson. "I was able to see what their needs are, where they're getting their information and how we (veterinarians) can provide needed expertise regarding science policy, public health and global health security." The AAVMC initiated the faculty fellows program in 2015. Read more.

	WSU-CVM Dean Dr. Brian Slinker (right) chats with Secretary Perdue (left).

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited another AAVMC member institution on Monday, July 2 when he spent time touring Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Perdue met with WSU College of Veterinary Medicine Dean and AAVMC board-member Dr. Brian Slinker as part of the visit. Perdue discussed a variety of issues while on site, including the status of the Farm Bill, the need for greater food productivity and security. Secretary Perdue's recent travel schedule has involved visiting several U.S. land-grant universities. He said he enjoys traveling to various regions of the country and visiting people representing different aspects of the nation's diverse agricultural community. Read more.

Part of a new Research and Pathology Building recently constructed on the campus of the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) will honor the late Donald S. Smith, a renowned and prolific veterinary educator who passed away in 2016. The Dr. Donald F. Smith Learning Center will help commemorate his profound contributions to the profession. Smith, a former dean of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine who also served as a Trustee of the RUSVM, authored the AAVMC's 2016 "Pathways to Progress" book, which chronicled the history and development of academic veterinary medicine and the AAVMC as part of the AAVMC's 50th anniversary celebration. Read more.

People in Motion  

Grooms Named Dean of Iowa State Veterinary College

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