College news

Guest lecturers spoke on a range of topics, from laboratory animal and food animal medicine to business management and public health. One symposium highlight—the multicultural forum sponsored by Novartis—addressed diversity issues within the veterinary profession. 

​	​	​
​	Veterinary students wage a rainy-day tug-of-war competition between schools at the Student AVMA's 38th Annual Educational Symposium, held March 15-17 at North Carolina State University. The symposium exercised students' bodies as well as their minds as they engaged in friendly competitions. Nearly 1,600 veterinary students from across the United States, the Caribbean, and Canada attended the event.​	​

The SAVMA House of Delegates, chaired by SAVMA President Kara L. Tassone (STG '07), also held session during the symposium. AVMA dignitaries in attendance included President Roger K. Mahr, President-Elect Gregory S. Hammer, Vice President Charlie M. Hendrix, and Immediate Past Vice President René A. Carlson. The event concluded with closing ceremonies at the Exploris and IMAX Theatre in Raleigh, where cowboy poet and humorist Dr. Baxter Black shared stories of veterinary medicine. 

​	​	​
​	Students participate in a wet lab on small mammal handling techniques and physical examinations. Other wet labs involved alpaca health care, fish anesthesia, turtle shell fracture repair, surgical techniques, equine dentistry, mare reproduction, ultrasonography, blow darting, and avian necropsy. A field trip was offered to area swine farms. Students also visited the Carnivore Preservation Trust, Duke Primate Center, and the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro.​	​

 The 2008 SAVMA Educational Symposium will be co-hosted by Tuskegee and Auburn universities.

Ames named interim dean at Minnesota

In June, Dr. Trevor R. Ames was appointed interim dean of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Ames took over June 18 for Dr. Jeffrey S. Klausner, who resigned to become president and CEO of the Animal Medical Center in New York City.

Dr. Ames joined the college faculty in 1981 and has been the chair of the Veterinary Population Medicine Department for the past 10 years. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Dr. Ames received his DVM degree in 1978 from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.

It is anticipated that Dr. Ames will serve in this position for nine to 12 months, until a permanent dean is appointed.

Schering-Plough donates to college's communication program

Schering-Plough Animal Health has contributed $150,000 to the program in clinical communication at Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

A portion of the donation will establish the Schering-Plough Animal Health Graduate Fellowship in Veterinary Communication. The remainder will go toward further development and implementation of a curriculum to teach effective clinical communication to veterinarians.

The veterinary college modeled the communication program after similar efforts at medical schools that have received validation by abundant research.