May 15, 2021

AAVMC study finds bias in admissions

A study (PDF) from the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges found that unintended bias still exists in admissions to veterinary colleges despite recent efforts to be more inclusive.

Many veterinary colleges have shifted their admission practices in recent years to consider factors beyond academics such as life experiences and communication skills. However, the new data show that some potential veterinary students are still disadvantaged. The AAVMC study recommends that schools focus more attention on overcoming barriers to admissions related to factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status.

Dr. James W. Lloyd, former dean of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, and Lisa M. Greenhill, EdD, AAVMC senior director for institutional research and diversity, analyzed AAVMC data from a post-application survey for the 2018-19 Veterinary Medical College Application Service cycle and a 2019 post-admissions student survey.

The study found that candidates for veterinary college received fewer admission offers if they were from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups; recipients of Pell Grants, which are for students with financial need; first-generation college students; or from rural communities. Candidates received more admission offers if they were white, were male, grew up in suburban communities, were not Pell Grant recipients, or their parents also attended college.

American College of Animal Welfare awarded full specialty recognition

The AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialties has granted full recognition to the American College of Animal Welfare. The ACAW had been a provisionally recognized veterinary specialty organization since 2012.

Dr. Stacy Pritt, ACAW president, called the ABVS decision this March a significant milestone for the organization, which is one of a handful worldwide that certifies animal welfare specialists.

“The distinction recognizes the hard work of our charter diplomates and college leaders who have focused on building a quality organization that not only meets ABVS requirements for a specialty college but advances animal welfare within the veterinary profession in the United States,” Dr. Pritt said.

The organization currently has 60 active diplomates, she added.

The ACAW is one of 22 AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty organizations and had been the only organization with provisionally recognized status.

LSU awarded NIH cancer research grant

The National Institutes of Health Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence has awarded an $11 million grant to Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine to establish a cancer research center, the school announced in March.

The grant will create the Center for Pre-Clinical Cancer Research at the veterinary school, providing scientific expertise and technical support for cancer projects as well as to all LSU researchers. The principal investigator is Rhonda Cardin, PhD, a professor in the LSU Department of Pathobiological Sciences.

The center will enhance cancer research both at LSU and at Southern University, strengthen collaborative research efforts with LSU’s Health Sciences Center-New Orleans, and support efforts to establish a National Cancer Institute–Designated Cancer Center in Louisiana.

The Center for Pre-Clinical Cancer Research aims to identify clinically relevant mechanisms of human cancer using models that closely reflect the disease state in the context of the tumor microenvironment to reveal insights into tumorigenesis and thus drive discovery of new treatments for cancer.

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