AVMA announces Pride VMC recipientJuly 17, 2018Mia Cary, DVM, chief of professional services and strategic alliances at the American Veterinary Medical Association, received the inaugural Pride Veterinary Medical Community 2018 Leadership Award.
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AVMA names new volunteer leadersJuly 16, 2018The American Veterinary Medical Association House of Delegates named 19 new volunteer leaders for AVMA’s councils and committees during the association’s annual convention.
AVMA announces 2018-2019 congressional fellowsJuly 10, 2018The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has selected two veterinarians to serve in the 2018-2019 AVMA Fellowship Program, providing Congress with counsel on important policy issues. Beginning in August, the two selected fellows will serve for one year in Washington, D.C., as full-time staff for a congressional office or congressional committee. During their tenure, the fellows will advise policymakers on a wide range of issues, such as food safety, public health, animal welfare, research, and small business policies. This September, the fellows will interview with congressional offices to receive their year-long placements. Once placed, they will support the activities of that office full-time. The fellows are not AVMA employees or lobbyists. The 2018-2019 fellows are: Meera Chandra, DVM, MPH: Dr. Chandra is a 2018 cum laude graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Public Health & Health Professions. During her time in veterinary school, she gained significant public health and veterinary experience—including positions at the World Organization for Animal Health in Paris, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Health Affairs, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service. She was also president of the University of Florida's Public Health …
AVMA launches online guide to support veterinary well-beingJune 28, 2018 The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is keeping veterinary health and well-being top of mind for veterinarians across the profession with its new guide, 100 Healthy Tips to Support a Culture of Wellbeing. The guide, available at the AVMA website, offers strategies and practical steps veterinary professionals can take at work and at home to support healthful living and create a positive work environment. It addresses each of the nine unique dimensions that contribute to well-being: creative, emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual. The guide also combines strategies for improvement both at the individual level and in the workplace. Sample tips from the guide: Creative well-being Workplace: Organize an employee poetry reading during lunch or after hours in a local coffeehouse. Individual: Seek out inspiration. Visit museums, attend live concerts, attend a book reading, or take in a sunset. Emotional well-being Workplace: Institute "feelings" rounds into your daily check-ins or weekly staff meetings. Encourage—but do not require—everyone to participate to the level they are comfortable. Individual: Actively seek out laughter. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Environmental well-being Workplace: Create a work environment that …
AVMA to host LGBTQ+ events, sessions at 2018 conventionJune 28, 2018In its ongoing effort to support LGBTQ+ veterinarians, students, and colleagues, and improve their well-being, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) will be hosting events and a series of sessions at its 2018 convention next month in Denver. The Pride Veterinary Medical Community will host a town hall titled "Be Your Authentic Self." Group discussion will allow LGBTQ+ veterinary professionals to learn from their colleagues how they deal with stigma, barriers, and personal empowerment in practice. Pride VMC also will host its board meeting, as well as its annual meeting and networking reception, on Saturday, July 14, from 5 - 7 p.m., followed by AVMA's inaugural "Live Life, Love All" event from 7 - 11 p.m. at the Hard Rock Cafe Denver. "Revealing Hidden Biases: How It Can Impact Our Ability To Provide Successful Veterinary Care," a panel discussion presented by the Women's Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative and Pride Veterinary Medical Community, will help attendees identify personal biases that may hinder communication with a client regarding pet care and compliance, and find ways to increase understanding and foster empathy toward clients and coworkers. This session will be held Saturday, July 14. On Sunday, July 15, …
AVMA salutes LGBTQ+ veterinarians, colleagues during Pride MonthJune 27, 2018The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is celebrating Pride Month by sharing stories of LGBTQ+ veterinarians and their colleagues, which can be viewed at AVMA's Facebook page. The AVMA and the Pride Veterinary Medical Community (formerly LGVMA) collaborate to support veterinary students and professionals who identify as LGBTQ+ as well as LGBTQ+ clients. "We believe diversity fosters a climate conducive to success for all members of the veterinary medical community and affirms the value of human diversity for the enrichment of our communities," said Janet Donlin, DVM, AVMA CEO. "The AVMA believes that diversity and inclusion make us stronger, which is why we stand up in support of our LGBTQ colleagues during the month of June." The effort to recognize LGBTQ+ veterinarians, students, and colleagues is an important step in improving their well-being, according to Melinda Merck, DVM, president of the Pride Veterinary Medical Community. "Being LGBTQ can create additional stressors, such as the inability to be authentic and to feel safe," said Dr. Merck. "If we can't be our authentic selves, or feel safe in that authenticity, it creates barriers that hinder our relationships with coworkers and clients, and can ultimately have a negative impact …
AVMA seeks member opinion on license portability, student debt, globalizationMay 18, 2018The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is seeking member input regarding license portability, student debt, and globalization. Should veterinarians be allowed greater licensure portability to provide our critical services? What can the association do to address veterinary student debt? What role should the the association play internationally? The AVMA House of Delegates (HOD) is preparing to debate these topics at the upcoming Veterinary Information Forum (VIF) in Denver on July 12. Members should have recently received an email from their delegate asking for commentary on three topics: License portability: What is the need and what are the possible avenues for veterinarians to move across jurisdictions for temporary relief and disaster response? Student debt: Think outside the box. What hasn't been tried? Globalization: What role should the organization play internationally in our global society. The complete list of VIF topics, as well as resolutions and bylaws amendments that will be considered by the HOD, are available on the AVMA website. The association encourages all members to contact their delegate prior to the July meeting. Find delegates here, or respond to the email solicitation sent by your delegate.
AVMA gives sports medicine, exotic mammal specialties full recognitionMay 11, 2018The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reported that it has granted full recognition to the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR) and the Exotic Companion Mammal specialties under the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (AVBP). The AVMA board of directors approved the recognition of each on recommendations from the AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialties. The ACVSMR and the Exotic Companion Mammal specialty had been granted provisional recognition by the AVMA in 2010 and 2008, respectively. "Veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation meets the unique needs of athletic and working animals to optimize performance, to treat injuries and diseases, and to provide rehabilitation for all patients after injury or illness, with neurological, cardiovascular, or respiratory impairments or with chronic musculoskeletal disease and pain," said Andris J. Kaneps, DVM, Ph.D., DACVS, DACVSMR, ACVSMR representative to the American Board of Veterinary Specialties. "The need for a veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation specialty has arisen as a result of the explosive growth of animal participation in sports and service activities, recognition of the benefits derived by all animals from rehabilitation, and the intimate relationships between the fields of veterinary sports medicine and …
AVMA announces recipients of three major awardsMay 8, 2018The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and Merck Animal Health announced the winners of the AVMA Humane Award, the AVMA Animal Welfare Award, and the Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award, which will be presented at the 2018 AVMA Convention in Denver. AVMA Humane Award The AVMA Humane Award is presented to a nonveterinarian who has helped advance the welfare of animals through leadership, public service, education, research/product development, and advocacy. Amanda Arrington, director and founder of the Pets for Life program at the Humane Society of the United States, has received the 2018 AVMA Humane Award. Pets for Life has assisted 130,000 pets to date, raising awareness about the needs of pets in poverty and helping pet owners keep the pets they love in safe, forever homes. AVMA Animal Welfare Award The AVMA Animal Welfare Award is presented to an AVMA member veterinarian in recognition of his or her achievement in advancing the welfare of animals via leadership, public service, education, research/product development, and advocacy. T. Robert Bashara, DVM, founder of Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals in and around Omaha, Neb., has received the 2018 AVMA Animal Welfare Award. A …
AVMA offers 'The Role of Veterinarians in One Health' webinarMay 7, 2018The AVMA Veterinary Career Center will explore One Health and the roles that veterinarians can play in advancing the movement during an upcoming webinar, The Role of Veterinarians in One Health. Jonna Mazet, DVM, MPVM, Ph.D., professor and executive director of the One Health Institute at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, will discuss the ways in which veterinarians influence, and are influenced by, the One Health approach. The free webinar is scheduled for 12 p.m. Central, June 5. What the webinar covers Application of the One Health approach to global problem solving How veterinarians are involved in—and in many cases, leading—the One Health movement Career opportunities related to One Health Veterinarians who attend the live webinar will be eligible to receive one hour of CE. The webinar also will be recorded for on-demand viewing, but CE credit will be available only for live attendees. Space is limited. Dr. Mazet is a leader in international research programs, most notably in studying disease transmission among wildlife, domestic animals and people, and the ecological drivers of disease emergence, according to the AVMA. She was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Medicine in 2013, serves on the …
