AVMA names Matthew J. Salois as Veterinary Economics Division headMarch 9, 2018Matthew J. Salois, Ph.D., has joined the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to head the association's Veterinary Economics Division. He will replace Michael R. Dicks, Ph.D., who is retiring after serving five years as AVMA's chief economist. Previously, at Elanco Animal Health, Dr. Salois served as director of global scientific affairs and policy since 2016, and as an economic research and policy advisor from 2014 to 2016. Prior to joining Elanco, he worked as the chief economist at the Florida Department of Citrus and as an assistant professor in economics at the University of Reading. "Matt … has the opportunity now to build upon the AVMA Economic Division's solid foundation to ensure that all the incredible data we have is turned into the most effective tools and resources for our members and the profession," said Michael J. Topper, DVM, Ph.D., DACVP, president of the AVMA. Salois said the scope of achievement already accomplished by the AVMA Economics Division has been "breathtaking" and that the economics team currently in place is a testament to AVMA's commitment to the veterinary profession. "I feel very privileged to be joining not only a team that I admire, but also to be a part …
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Heroes for Healthy Pets helps veterinary clinics maintain disease-free facilitiesMarch 7, 2018At the 90th annual Western Veterinary Conference, Clorox Healthcare and Merck Animal Health, in coordination with the International Boarding and Pet Services Association, the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America, Pet Sitters International, VETgirl, and Barkleigh Productions, announced the launch of the Heroes for Healthy Pets Infectious Disease Management Certification Program to educate veterinary and pet professionals on the risks of infectious diseases. The program provides best practices for preventative care, including strategic vaccination and cleaning and disinfection protocols to help maintain disease-free facilities and keep pets healthy. "The Heroes for Healthy Pets certification program provides essential support to the veterinary and pet professional community to help keep pets healthy," said Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, DABVP (Emeritus), CEO of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). "The program is complementary on VetFolio and provides professionals an excellent opportunity to better understand infectious diseases and preventative care." The certification program consists of two free educational modules taught by three veterinary experts in infectious disease: Understanding Infectious Diseases led by Jason Stull, DVM, Ph.D., and Michelle Evason, DVM, DACVIM, and Effective Infectious Disease Control led by Melissa Bourgeois, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM. "Dogs that are social or visit pet …
Redefining the risks and rules for telehealth servicesMarch 5, 2018While telehealth services may be more widely known in human healthcare, it isn’t exactly a new idea for veterinarians, either. Veterinary teams have been providing advice, triage services, and consultations via phone, email, and fax for years.
First veterinary TED Fellow speaks to the plight of an ocean in troubleMarch 1, 2018You don't hear the title conservation medicine veterinarian often. What inspired you to become one, and what did your educational/post-grad path look like? Is this sector lacking in veterinary professionals? My father was an environmentalist, and some of my earliest memories with him were watching David Attenborough and asking questions about nature. I credit my father with inspiring me to love science, wildlife and the environment. My career path trajectory really began after graduating from veterinary school at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. I completed an internship in aquatic medicine with the National Marine Mammal Foundation and SeaWorld San Diego, both of which I credit for giving me my foundation in marine mammal medicine. The aquatic medicine sector is a highly specialized one, but one in which there are many nontraditional veterinary careers—researchers, pathologists, and consulting specialists, to name a few. What does it mean to be the first veterinarian to become a TED Fellow? What are your responsibilities and obligations? It's absolutely a dream come true, and I'm honored to be selected in a field with so many talented and qualified individuals. I'm currently preparing my talk for TED2018, which will involve the intersection of marine mammal …
VETgirl announces first CE veterinary conferenceFebruary 26, 2018VETgirl, a subscription-based service offering online veterinary continuing education, will be hosting its first-ever VETgirl Veterinary Conference in Minneapolis, Aug. 17-19, at the Radisson Blu. The conference will offer 20-plus hours of CE (RACE-approval pending) covering a variety of topics from surgery to anesthesia to emergency to derm to neuro. Only one track will be offered to encourage whole teams to join; attendance will be limited to 500 veterinary professionals. VETgirl-U conference speakers VETgirl-U will gather members of the global veterinary community for lectures, discussions, outdoor activities, and a program of interactive and engaging continuing education. Preliminary speakers include: Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT (Emergency/Critical Care/Toxicology) Dr. Garret Pachtinger, DACVECC (Emergency/Critical Care) Dr. Shelby Reinstein, DACVO (Ophthalmology) Dr. Steve Mehler, DACVS (Surgery) Dr. Jane Quandt, DVM, MS, DACVAA, DACVECC (Anesthesia/Emergency/Critical Care) Dr. Missy Carpentier, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology) Dr. Janet Olson, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology) Dr. Craig Clifford, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology) Dr. Leah Cohn, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM (Internal Medicine) Dr. Jodi Lulich, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM (Internal Medicine) Preliminary schedule Thursday, Aug. 16 - Arrive Opening …
Veterinarians research mane growth in Oklahoma zoo lionessFebruary 26, 2018Bridget, an 18-year-old lioness at the Oklahoma City Zoo, has left veterinarians most curious about the mane she grew from March to November last year. Male lions develop their manes at about 1 year of age as a result of increased testosterone production. While female lions growing manes is rare, it's not unheard of, according to zoo officials. Mike Briggs, DVM, Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan veterinary advisor, spotted a female lion in Africa with a mane similar in appearance to Bridget's. In 2011, a 13-year-old lioness at the National Zoo in South Africa began developing a mane. An issue with her ovaries resulted in excess testosterone production and once that was resolved, the mane receded. A group of five lionesses in the wilderness of Botswana were observed with manes in 2014. Because these lions came from the same pride and developed the manes at a young age, researchers believe a genetic component in this population resulted in this characteristic. Veterinary staff and caretakers drew blood from Bridget's tail and are currently awaiting results. A potential condition causing the mane growth could be a benign tumor located …
UF student wins national veterinary business competitionFebruary 22, 2018After two rounds of essays, fourth-year University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine veterinary student Cynthia Kathir won the Business Aptitude Award, which includes a $15,000 prize. The award is given by the Simmons Educational Fund, a nonprofit organization that educates practitioners and students about veterinary business. Every veterinary school in the U.S. is invited to compete for the award. The first stage of the competition pitted her against 15 UF veterinary students. Kathir wrote about her five-year plan after graduating from veterinary school, which included working in a veterinary practice focusing on small animals to gain the experience to open her own practice. In the second stage, Kathir competed against about 30 others who had won at their universities. This time, she had to analyze a fictional scenario of a generic associate veterinarian weighing the pros and cons of working for a practice. Kathir is the second UF student in the past four years to win the award.
AVMA, AAVMC summit to address veterinary well-being cultureFebruary 19, 2018This spring, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, and Zoetis will present the Veterinary Wellbeing Summit 2018, Apr. 15-17 in Chicago to bring about well-being changes in the pforession. At this year's meeting, leaders within the veterinary medical community and other health professionals will gather to focus on strategies and resources for establishing a culture of well-being throughout the profession, according to the AAVMC. "The health and wellness challenges we face in veterinary medicine are real, they are serious, and they require a united and decisive response," said Andrew T. Maccabe, DVM, JD, MPH, AAVMC CEO. "We're gratified to see so many people and organizations working together to address this threat to our profession and the people and animals it serves." For more information or to register, click here.
Veterinarians are mentally well but experience poor well-beingFebruary 17, 2018Veterinarians as a group don't experience psychological distress at significantly higher rates than the general population, according to a new mental health and well-being study by Brakke Consulting and Merck Animal Health. The Merck Animal Health Wellbeing Study, designed to definitively quantify the prevalence of mental illness and stress in the veterinary profession, compared findings to previous studies and to the U.S. population in general. The survey, which polled 3,540 American Veterinary Medical Association members (from a random sample of 20,000), is the first to measure well-being of such a large veterinary sample using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, which is widely used in assessing psychological distress among general and clinical populations. "This survey is unique in that, for the first time, a nationally representative sample of veterinarians in the U.S. were asked about their well-being, which is a broader measure of happiness and life satisfaction than mental health alone," said study investigator Linda Lord, Ph.D., DVM, academic and allied industry liaison lead for Merck Animal Health. One big takeaway is that 5 percent, or 1 in 20, of veterinarians struggle with serious psychological distress (roughly that of the employed general population). "The …
Dr. Freeman Hrabowski to address 2018 AAVMC conferenceJanuary 23, 2018The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) has announced that during its annual conference, March 2-4 in Washington, D.C., Freeman Hrabowski, Ph.D., president of University of Maryland - Baltimore County, will address conference attendees on March 2 during the 1:30 p.m. session. Hrabowski, who served as UMBC's president since 1992, was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time (2012) and one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report (2008). A child-leader in the civil rights movement, Hrabowski was featured in Spike Lee's 1997 documentary, "Four Little Girls," on the racially motivated bombing in 1963 of Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Hrabowski and UMBC have been featured on CBS' "60 Minutes" and other media. He holds honorary degrees from more than 20 institutions, including Harvard, Princeton, Duke, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, Haverford College, and Harvey Mudd College. Note: Discounted lodging incentives for the AAVMC annual conference expire on Jan. 29.
