AVMA hosts inaugural Town Hall Meeting at AVMA convention Schaumburg, IL — The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) will host its first annual Town Hall meeting during the AVMA Convention in Seattle from 1 to 2:30 p.m. July 11, 2009.
This meeting brings together veterinarians from diverse professional endeavors to engage them in discussions about the profession with AVMA leaders and each other.
"We have a number of items that we want to focus on during this first-ever Town Hall Meeting, including animal welfare, the veterinary workforce shortage, and AVMA's goals, but the primary focus of this meeting will be the issues of concern expressed by each veterinarian who participates," explains Dr. James O. Cook, AVMA president. "I'm excited about this opportunity to hear directly from our members, and I look forward to this chance to discuss our great profession directly with other veterinarians."
The Inaugural Town Hall Meeting will spotlight a few issues that are critical to the profession:
- How can the veterinary profession continue to stay united while acknowledging a wide range of viewpoints on animal welfare?
- Can veterinarians drowning in educational debt ever be practice owners?
- What is the future value of a veterinary degree?
- How does a new Congress and administration affect the profession's future?
- Where will we find veterinarians to fill the positions of retiring Baby Boomers?
At the beginning of the Town Hall Meeting, Dr. W. Ron DeHaven, AVMA Chief Executive Officer, will go over the association's five strategic goals and open the floor to questions and comments from all attendees.
"Our goal for this meeting is to bring together the broadest possible cross section of the veterinary profession and then learn as much as we can from their comments, opinions and experiences," explains Dr. DeHaven, AVMA CEO. "The AVMA will be the host of this Town Hall Meeting, but it will be up to our guests in attendance to make it the success that I'm sure it will be."
The AVMA's 146th annual convention is being held in Seattle, Wash., from July 11 to 14. In addition to this Town Hall Meeting, the convention will include world-class continuing education classes, meetings and conferences, and even great entertainment, including a concert by Natasha Bedingfield.
For more information, please visit www.avma.org.
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The AVMA and its more than 78,000 member veterinarians are engaged in a wide variety of activities dedicated to advancing the science and art of animal, human and public health. Visit the AVMA Web site at www.avma.org for more information.
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