OSU college of veterinary medicine awarded for HEEDMay 17, 2018The College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University (OSU) recently earned national recognition for the quality and effectiveness of its inclusion initiatives, receiving a Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from the magazine INSIGHT Into Diversity. The university's Colleges of Medicine and Nursing also received HEED Awards in the health professions, along with 21 additional schools across North America. Holly Mendelson, the magazine's co-publisher, visited OSU to present the awards and cited the university's genuine commitment to inclusion and diversity practices through programming beyond mere "lip service." "We really wanted to be able to shine the light on the people doing that work, and show how you're shaping the future of this country," she said of the awards program. Mendelson commended OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine for a variety of programs designed to support diverse students and professionals, including the summer residential Buckeye Vet Prep Academy, a Buckeye Vet for a Day program for high school students, and the Buckeye Pre-Vet Exploration program for college undergraduates. Additionally, to further develop inclusive values among the community at large, the college diversity committee partnered with the Office of Student Life's Multicultural Center …
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Companion Animal Health offers live-stream OA management courseMay 17, 2018Companion Animal Health has introduced a live-stream option for the company's Management of Geriatric Pets with Mobility Issues for the General Practitioner course. The course is designed to give general veterinary practices access to the tools required to meet the need for expanded osteoarthritis treatment options in companion animals, according to Newark, Del.-based Companion Animal Health. Attendees will earn 11 continuing education credits while learning multimodal approaches for successfully managing the geriatric, arthritic, and obese dog/cat. Course topics include: Photobiomodulation (laser therapy) for osteoarthritis Nutraceutical use for the geriatric, arthritic pet Pharmacologic management of osteoarthritis Business and marketing strategies Enrollment is now open. Veterinary professionals interested in attending this course can get more information on dates and pricing here.
Merck updates Prestige equine influenza vaccine lineMay 17, 2018Merck Animal Health announced it has added new influenza-containing vaccines for horses to its Prestige line of vaccines. "For the past 10 years, we've been monitoring influenza, along with other common infectious upper respiratory diseases, through the Merck Animal Health Biosurveillance Program—a partnership with the University of California, Davis," said D. Craig Barnett, DVM, director of equine veterinary professional services for Merck. "It was through this program that we identified and isolated a new highly infectious and relevant equine influenza strain from the 2013 Ocala, Fla., influenza outbreak that impacted a large number of horses from all over the world. This strain is now part of our updated line of influenza-containing killed virus vaccines and represents a current, clinically significant strain responsible for a large influenza outbreak in well-vaccinated horses." The vaccines include Florida '13 of the clade 1 family and Richmond '07 of the clade 2 family, meeting current World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) guidelines for clade 1 and clade 2 strains. The clade 1 family of equine influenza primarily circulates in the U.S., while clade 2 predominantly circulates in Europe. "While we have not had any …
Zoetis to buy Abaxis for $1.9 billionMay 16, 2018In an effort to gain a greater foothold in the veterinary diagnostics category, Zoetis veterinary drug corporation will acquire Abaxis diagnostic equipment manufacturer in a $1.9 billion deal, which was announced Wednesday. The acquisition is expected to close before the end of the year. According to MarketsandMarkets research firm, the worldwide veterinary diagnostics market is expected grow from $2.3 billion in 2017 to $3.6 billion in 2022. Zoetis, whose diagnostics business accounts for less than 1 percent of its overall annual revenue of $5.3 billion for 2017, seeks to leverage that expanding category. In a statement, the company reported it expects the sector to "continue to grow faster than the animal health industry, with growth in the mid to high single digits, driven by international adoption of point-of-care diagnostic instruments due to rising medicalization rates, increasing standard of veterinary care, and the convenience of in-clinic testing." Abaxis, headquartered in Union City, Calif., reported revenue of $227 million in 2017. The company manufactures chemistry and hematology diagnostic instruments and consumable discs, kits, and cartridges for the animal health industry. It recently launched its VetScan FLEX4 Rapid Test to detect heartworm, Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma …
UF credentialed program hones veterinary students' business acumenMay 16, 2018The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine is offering a program designed to help its students develop business-related skills from contract negotiations to debt management as practice owners. "Ours is the only college of veterinary medicine in the country that offers an academically credentialed business management certificate program," said Martha Mallicote, DVM, the program's director and a clinical assistant professor at the college. The UF Veterinary Business Management Certificate program, which began in 2013, is an offshoot of a business management course begun by Dana Zimmel, DVM, associate dean for clinical services and chief medical officer for the UF Veterinary Hospitals. The program features 10 hours of elective coursework, or six courses, including a clerkship, in which students provide the owner with a financial, fee, and compliance analysis, along with feedback on inventory management and a strategic marketing assessment. Students must complete a report summarizing their findings and suggest improvements. As of 2018, 109 students had earned a certificate and 38 veterinary practices had been evaluated through the program's practice management clerkship. "Student evaluations are very positive," Dr. Mallicote said. "We also get good feedback about them finding employment, as well as …
Lincoln Memorial University CVM graduates first DVM classMay 16, 2018Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine (LMUCVM) will hold its inaugural commencement ceremony, graduating its first class of newly minted veterinarians, this Saturday, May 19, on the LMU main campus in Harrogate, Tenn. "Our first graduation day has been our most anticipated event since we opened our doors in 2014," said Jason Johnson, DVM, DACT, vice president and dean of LMUCVM. "We congratulate our inaugural class members and wish them well in their careers. Our students have spent the last four years serving both people and animals in our community and beyond. I am anxious to see the impact our students will continue to have in the diverse fields of veterinary medicine in our region, in our country and around the world." More than 400 students have enrolled in LMUCVM in the last four years, according to the university. One of LMUCVM's goals is to improve animal and human health care in the Appalachian region. So far, approximately 30 percent of the 2018 class accepted job offers within the area. LMUCVM is located on LMU's main campus in Harrogate, with additional academic facilities in nearby Lee County, Va.
AABP mission to bovine practitioners: Become IndispensableMay 16, 2018This year's American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) Annual Conference Sept. 13-15 in Phoenix has adopted the theme Become Indispensable, focusing on strategies to increase the use of bovine veterinary services to provide for the health, productivity, and welfare of cattle, according to the organization. "The provision of commercially unbiased information, a deep understanding of uniquely different management practices within each operation served, and strong and lasting professional relationships based on technical competence and trust make bovine veterinarians indispensable," said Glenn Rogers, DVM, AABP president-elect. Morgan McArthur, DVM, will be this year's keynote speaker. The symposium will feature a mix of educational seminars, including scientific presentations, research summaries, and a session on popular practice tips. Additionally, 10 limited-enrollment clinical forums will be offered, allowing for one-on-one learning. Bovine veterinary students are also invited to attend. The conference will feature content targeted to this group, including student sessions, the AABP Student Delegate program, the ninth annual quiz bowl, scholarship awards, and a job fair. Additionally, the Amstutz Scholarship committee will sponsor live and silent auctions, with all proceeds going toward further enhancing the premier student scholarship program of the AABP. In addition to continuing education, the event …
United Airlines introduces new PetSafe rules for transporting animalsMay 14, 2018In response to numerous animal-safety related instances in recent months, United Airlines has announced new PetSafe rules for transporting animals in cargo. Effective June 18, more than 25 breeds of brachycephalic cats and dogs will be banned from cargo holds on United aircrafts, including chow chows, bulldogs, mastiffs, pugs, and boxers, as well as Burmese, Himalayan, and Persian cats. Additionally, due to concerns of animal safety during hot weather, United Airlines will no longer accept reservations to ship any animals to or from airports in Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Phoenix, and Tucson between May 1 and Sept. 30 each year. The amended rules also limit the number of connecting cities a shipped pet may be routed through and limits the height of crates to 30 inches. "As we continue our review process to ensure that we are always doing what's right, we are committed to making significant improvements in our program and adhering to the best practices of animal comfort, well-being, and travel on behalf of our customers and their pets," said Jan Krems, vice president of cargo for United Airlines. United's review of its pet handling processes and policies follows several safety-related incidents that took place in its …
AAHA Connexity 2018 reimagines traditional conference learningMay 14, 2018In an effort to change conference learning, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has combined learning facilitator and emcee into one role for its Connexity conference in Denver, Sept. 13-16, and has named Heather Loenser, DVM, as content weaver. "The content weaver opens and closes each general session asking provocative questions and framing the context of the conference's learning opportunities," according to business improvement consulting firm Velvet Chainsaw Consulting. "As research has shown, learning doesn't happen in bulk and the content weaver challenges attendees to carve out intentional time to engage with peers and reflect on the important content and topics." "I hope to be the catalyst for many 'AA-HA!' moments," said Dr. Loenser. "My job as Connexity's content weaver is to be a sense-maker. I'll help guests answer the crucial questions we often ask after attending a conference—'So what?' and 'Now what?'—by connecting them to colleagues and innovative actions they can immediately implement in their hospitals." Throughout the conference, Loenser will observe educational sessions, work closely with keynote speakers and learning facilitators, and initiate conversations to help attendees make the most of what they've learned. At the end of each day, she'll "weave together" key concepts …
Zomedica, Seraph partner on human diagnostic tech for veterinary clinicsMay 14, 2018 Zomedica Pharmaceuticals Corp., a veterinary diagnostic and pharmaceutical company, has partnered with Seraph Biosciences Inc., a human biomedical device company, to develop and market point-of-care pathogen diagnostic technology for urine and fecal sampling. Leveraging Raman spectroscopy principles, the ZM-020 will feature minimal sample preparation time and deliver fast, in-clinic results and enhanced workflow, according to Zomedica. The instrument will provide real-time, reagentless, and fully automated identification of pathogens and disease indicators, building upon a laser-based spectroscopy technique to identify biological and biochemical signatures in complex biological samples. Marketing and sales are expected to begin in 2019, with an initial focus on canines and expanding into feline applications post-launch. "We believe that ZM-020 will enable us to make a significant improvement to the diagnostic workflow of the veterinary clinic," said Stephanie Morley, DVM, chief operating officer and vice president of product development for Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Zomedica. "If we are successful in our development efforts, we believe that the ability to screen for a wide variety of pathogens with a single diagnostic instrument, beginning with urine and fecal samples, will be a game changer for the modern veterinary clinical team."
