September 2020
AAVMC Developing Minority-Serving Institution Outreach Program
Following action by the Board of Directors, the AAVMC is establishing a working group to consider strategies for improving outreach and collaboration with Minority-Serving Institutions. AAVMC will begin with the 1890 land-grant universities and other HBCU’s and eventually expand its efforts to include the 1994 Native American institutions, the Hispanic-serving institutions, and urban-serving institutions. Some of the opportunities up for consideration include student scholarships and student and faculty exchange programs. Other measures being considered include more structured outreach to the American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS) to help ensure that more underrepresented populations of veterinarians have opportunities to pursue board certification. Learn more.
New NIH Dual-Degree Clinician/Scientist Programs at Colorado State and
UC Davis
Two AAVMC member institutions have been awarded prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) awards to support the education of qualified DVM/PhD dual-degree students. The program supports professionals who wish to pursue research-related careers in academia, industry, and government. The Colorado State University (CSU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences and the University of California-Davis (UC-D) School of Veterinary Medicine have each earned awards. They join the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, which has operated a highly regarded VMD/PhD program in partnership with that university’s medical school for many years. This is the first time the NIH has applied MSTP funding in a DVM/PhD combined degree program with a college of veterinary medicine as the primary recipient, according to AAVMC Senior Director for Academic and Research Affairs Dr. Ted Mashima. Learn more.
New Wellbeing Advisory Focuses on Election Season Tensions in the Workplace
The 2020 election season is in full swing, and it’s no secret that politics are a frequent source of “water-cooler” conversations in the workplace. But did you know that political tensions can have negative physical and emotional impacts? In fact, according to AAVMC Director for Wellbeing Makenzie Peterson, there is a relationship between wellbeing and election season stress. In this AAVMC Wellbeing Advisory titled “Wellbeing During an Election Year,” Peterson shares some fascinating data and details some strategies organizational leaders might consider for encouraging reasoned, appropriate – and healthy – political discussions on campus and how to manage election stress. Learn more.
AAVMC Joins National Academy of Medicine Wellbeing Collaborative
The AAVMC has been accepted for membership in the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience and joins more than 100 other organizations working to address the problem of healthcare clinician burnout. Over the past 50 years, rates of clinician burnout have drastically increased across the United States. Burnout affects clinicians of all kinds, across all specialties and care settings, according to the National Academy of Medicine. Clinician burnout can have serious, wide-ranging consequences, from diminished job performance and high turnover rates to the commission of medical errors and even suicide. Network organizations must develop an organizational commitment and actively engage with other collaborative members. Learn more.
Nomination Cycle for 2021 AAVMC Awards Open Through October 15, 2020
The AAVMC annually presents a series of professional recognition awards that inspire and recognize excellence in teaching, research, service, diversity and inclusion and other important areas of academic veterinary medicine. The nomination period is now open for the 2020-21 series of awards, which will be presented during the 2021 annual conference in Washington. Nominators are encouraged to review individual award criteria and to consider the importance of diversity as an AAVMC core value in selecting potential nominees for recognition. The nomination deadline for all awards listed above is October 15, 2020. Nomination materials must be submitted through this portal for consideration. For more information, please see our awards page here or contact AAVMC Manager for Member Engagement Ms. Lawann Blunt at lblunt@aavmc.org. Learn more.
AAVMC Launches Online VMSAR Directory
For aspiring veterinarians, the Veterinary Medical School Admissions Requirements (VMSAR) publication is the essential guide to becoming a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)—and it’s now available as an online, Web-based directory at https://applytovetschool.org/. The new content-rich website will replace the previous print version of VMSAR. Packed with useful insights and information, VMSAR provides a comprehensive overview of the admission process for national and international veterinary schools that are AAVMC members. The online format is ideal for today’s tech-savvy students, who are accustomed to getting fast, easily accessible information in user-friendly formats. The AAVMC worked closely with member institutions and a Web team to produce the online directory, which is designed for prospective students and health professions advisors. Learn more.
AAVMC’s Leadership Academy Kicks Off New Season
The AAVMC’s 2020-21 Leadership Academy kicks off September 11 with a new cohort of 35 participants. Those aspiring academic leaders will unite online to undertake a year-long program designed to help them develop and refine their leadership skills. Sponsored by Elanco, the leadership academy addresses how to develop effective leadership skills around the themes of communication, emotional intelligence and applied leadership skills. The virtual format will include monthly real-time virtual programming featuring interactive break-out sessions, a small group capstone project and virtual team-building exercises. This year’s topics include “Leaders vs. Managers,” “Individual and Group Decision-making Strategies,” “Planning Strategically,” “The Dynamics of Team,” and “Crisis Management- the New Reality.” Learn more.
MSD Animal Health Expands Support, Again Partners with AAVMC's CIVME on Global Antimicrobial Resistance Education Program
MSD Animal Health is again partnering with the AAVMC on an international grant program created to help mitigate the global public health problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). MSD has doubled its commitment and is funding two $10,000 grants focused on global AMR education. Administered through the AAVMC’s Council on International Veterinary Medical Education (CIVME), the MSD Animal Health CIVME Antimicrobial Stewardship Grant program (ASGP) seeks to improve instructional programs related to AMR in educational institutions around the world. The program is currently in its second year following the successful launch in 2019. The online application program will be available later this month, and the deadline for applications is January 29, 2021. For more information about the program, please contact Director for Professional Development Dr. Caroline Cantner at ccantner@aavmc.org. Learn more.
PCVE to Present Virtual Meeting October 2, 2020
The Primary Care Veterinary Educators (PCVE) will hold a virtual meeting on October 2, 2020 from 3-5 p.m. (Eastern Time). The meeting will feature a keynote address by Dr. India Lane, a professor in the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine’s Small Animal Clinical Sciences Department. The meeting will also feature break-out rooms similar to the popular “Swap Shop” event held at in-person meetings and feature other useful information for the PCVE Community. For log-in instructions for the virtual meeting, please click here. The AAVMC’s PCVE works to advance and inspire primary care veterinary education.
WSU to Host Regional Iverson Bell Symposium October 23-25, 2020
The 2020 Virtual Western Regional Iverson Bell Summit will be hosted by the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine from October 23-25, 2020 in Pullman, Washington. The theme of the 2020 Summit is “Triple A (Access, Ability and Allyship): Your Map to Wellness, Diversity, and Inclusion.” The conference will explore intersectionality in veterinary academia and practice over two-and-a-half days of virtual programming that will include afternoon breakout for discussions and interaction. Regional Iverson Bell Summits are held periodically around the United States. The AAVMC hosts a national Iverson Bell Symposium every year in conjunction with its annual conference. For more information, contact WSU-CVM Veterinary Medicine Extension and Continuing Veterinary Medical Education Coordinator Katy Heaton at cowgirlup4ever@wsu.edu. Learn more.
Academic Veterinary Medicine in the News

Washington Post
WLTZ News
National Geographic
The New York Times
The New York Times
Today's Veterinary Business
Veterinary Practice News
Medical Xpress
Knowridge Science Report
Brinkwire
JAVMA News
NBC Los Angeles/Union Journal
VIN News
Medical News
Phys.org
Washington Post
WBNS News
Feedstuffs
IBM (blog)
People in Motion

Dr. Stacy Anderson is now Dean at the Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Jason Johnson left LMU to become Vice President with IDEXX.
Dr. Klaus Osterrieder is the new Dean at City University of Hong Kong, replacing Interim Dean Michael Yang.
Dr. Peggy Schmidt is now Associate Dean for Professional Programs at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Srinand Sreevatsan replaced Dr. Vilma Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan as Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
AAVMC Newsletters

The AAVMC is working hard to create a culture of diversity and inclusion in every dimension of academic veterinary medicine. To foster this goal, the photographs and illustrations which are used in our communications programs are aspirational, and do not necessarily reflect the levels of diversity and inclusion that currently exist.

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