American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges – March 3, 2022

Event

Annual conference and Iverson Bell Symposium, March 3-5, Washington, D.C.

Program

The conference, drawing more than 350 attendees, featured three keynote speakers and focused on prominent issues in academic veterinary medicine. Presentation and breakout session topics included “Assessment and Review of Admissions Processes”; “A Critical Assessment of the New Veterinarian: Debt, Compensation and Wellness”; and “Academics Experience in Veterinary Educational Research: Results of a Broad International Survey and Interviews of Early Leaders.” A number of sessions focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic veterinary medicine as well as well-being and curriculum. A Stanton Foundation–sponsored symposium covered the spectrum of care, an approach that aims to ensure that graduates have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to provide clients and their animals with a range of care options.

Keynote speaker Dr. Anthony P. Carnavale, author of the book “The Merit Myth” and a research professor and director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, outlined how education has changed over time but is still the most well-traveled pathway to economic success. Keynote speaker Dr. Randall Bass, vice president for strategic education initiatives and a professor of English at Georgetown University, called for innovation in higher education and noted how the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to punctuated equilibrium, where people were forced to adopt new learning paradigms, expanding what learning looks like in the United States. Keynote speaker Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of “The 1619 Project,” outlined how the project, which she wrote for The New York Times Magazine, helps people think about how history impacts their daily lives and how the evolution of the United States continues to shape decisions that make people who they are and who they become.

The AAVMC’s Advocacy Day was held virtually. AAVMC volunteers focused on three strategic AAVMC priorities as well as issues unique to their own schools and colleges during the event. Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe, AAVMC chief executive officer, announced that the AAVMC had sent a letter of support to the faculty at the Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University in Ukraine, affirming that the association stands in solidarity with the global veterinary medical community and Ukrainian colleagues. Dr. Christine Jenkins from Zoetis announced a $1.87 million grant to fund the 2023 Zoetis Foundation/AAVMC Veterinary Student Scholarship.

Awards

AAVMC Billy E. Hooper Award for Distinguished Service
Dr. Daryl Buss (Minnesota ’68), Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Buss served 17 years as dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, where he was also a faculty member in the Department of Comparative Biosciences. He retired in 2012 as dean emeritus and professor emeritus. Dr. Buss previously served as a professor and chaired the Department of Physiological Sciences at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine with a joint appointment in the College of Medicine’s Division of Cardiology. From 2013-21, Dr. Buss was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education.

AAVMC Iverson Bell Award, sponsored by Banfield
Dr. Lorrie Gaschen (Florida ’90), Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dr. Gaschen is an adjunct professor of diagnostic imaging and past associate dean for diversity and faculty affairs at Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, where she created the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She introduced schoolwide DEI workshops and training and integrated training in cultural competency into the curriculum for veterinary students. Dr. Gaschen’s DEI office, along with the Office of Student Affairs and Admissions, established relationships with historically black colleges and universities in the surrounding area to promote recruitment of underrepresented minorities.

AAVMC Excellence in Research Award, sponsored by Elanco
Dr. Barry Rouse, Knoxville, Tennessee. A 1965 veterinary graduate of the University of Bristol in England, Dr. Rouse is a distinguished professor in the Department of Biomedical & Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. Known for his research in the fields of viral immunology and immunopathology, he primarily studies the herpes simplex virus and how the virus can cause critical damage to tissues of the eyes and nervous system, with a view towards the development of therapeutics and vaccines. Dr. Rouse’s current research is focused on exploring the value of manipulating metabolic pathways to change the outcome of viral diseases.

AAVMC Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award, presented by Zoetis
Dr. Erin Malone (North Carolina State ’89), St. Paul, Minnesota. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Dr. Malone is a professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, where she also serves as co–interim associate dean of academic and student affairs and assistant dean of curriculum. Dr. Malone teaches gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urogenital surgery in large animals, with research interests that include the impacts of surgery and pregnancy on large animal intestinal motility, equine carpal arthritis, the treatment of aural plaques and sarcoids, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

AAVMC Presidential Award for Meritorious Service
Lisa M. Greenhill, EdD, Washington, D.C. Dr. Greenhill is senior director for institutional research and diversity at the AAVMC. Her work focuses on the ongoing development and implementation of the DiVersity Matters Initiative at the national and local levels as well as promoting the veterinary profession within underrepresented and marginalized communities. Dr. Greenhill also directs the association’s national research agenda.

Patricia M. Lowrie Diversity Leadership Scholarship
Ron Orchard, Manhattan, Kansas. A fourth-year veterinary student at Kansas State University, Orchard is a certified animal welfare administrator who has completed forensic training to detect animal cruelty as well as training in disaster response and recognition of foreign animal diseases. He also has a certificate for diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine from Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, with an interest in working to increase diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine.

Officials

Drs. Susan J. Tornquist, Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, president and board chair; Ruby L. Perry, Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, president-elect; Francisco Suárez Güemes, National Autonomous University of Mexico, secretary; Mark D. Stetter, University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, treasurer; and Mark D. Markel, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, immediate past president