I knew I wanted to become a veterinarian at a young age. I had very supportive parents and teachers, and was fortunate to enter school at a time when women were gaining access to professions that may not have been as welcoming before.

We are a profession that has so much more breadth than many people know. It becomes a challenge for us to help people understand all the ways in which veterinarians contribute to society. Many people think veterinarians only treat animals, and that's a wonderful part of what we do and why most of us got into veterinary medicine in the first place. But for many years, we've also seen significant contributions from our profession in terms of biomedical research, public health and education, just to name a few. And so even though we're doing a better job now of telling those stories, there are still many people who don't yet understand.

Part of why I got involved with AVMA is because I thought that change was needed. Way back when I first became a faculty member, I served on the Council on Research. I then went on to serve on the Council on Education and the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG). I have loved my service to the AVMA. And while my original purpose in serving was because I wasn't convinced that different perspectives were being adequately represented at the table, I have come to find out that, in fact, many perspectives are present. There is always a need for more, but AVMA is on the right track.

One thing that distinguishes a profession from a job is that professions are self regulated. As a profession, veterinary medicine has to have a body that is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards. For our profession, the AVMA Council on Education is the federally recognized accrediting body for veterinary education. The AVMA and the Council take that responsibility very seriously and have done a good job of standard setting, in part by collecting diverse voices from the veterinary profession to serve on the Council on Education. The Council on Education has also become an important interface for North American veterinary educators with our international colleagues. Excellence in global veterinary medical education is a front-line defense against the spread of disease, especially those diseases that affect both animals and humans.

EDUCATIONAL ACCREDITATION
Accreditation of veterinary medical education by the AVMA represents one of the highest standards of achievement for schools and colleges of veterinary medicine in this country and abroad. For Dr. Kochevar, serving on the AVMA Council on Education helped her develop as a veterinary educator and this knowledge has proven helpful in her current position as Dean.