Greetings!

The AAVMC's new annual report, previewed in this ebulletin, takes a look at the association's accomplishments during the past fiscal year, including the AAVMC's involvement in the release of some pivotal reports on academic veterinary medicine and advances in communicating a legislative agenda that benefits our members.

Also, the AAVMC's Annual Conference is fast approaching and we'd like to let you know what's in store. This year's conference coincides with the Iverson Bell Symposium and will look at the important topic of properly accommodating those with disabilities as part of an academic veterinary medical program, and much more.

Plus, we're introducing a new feature  -- academic veterinary medicine by the numbers -- offering a snapshot of data that reflects on the current or future state of academic veterinary medicine.

Get all this and more in this winter edition of News from the AAVMC.

Annual Conference and Iverson Bell Symposium to Address Diversity and Inclusion, with a Spotlight on Disabilities

The 19th Iverson Bell Symposium will be held in conjunction with the AAVMC's Annual Meeting, March 7-10 at the Westin Alexandria in Alexandria, Virginia.

The Iverson Bell Symposium is named for the first African-American veterinarian to hold the position of vice-president in the American Veterinary Medical Association.  The symposium is held every two years and will celebrate its 19th occurrence this coming year.  The primary goal of the conference is to promote diversity in academic veterinary medicine.  

The theme for the upcoming symposium is "Diversity and Inclusion: Excellence in Institutional Planning, Teaching, and Assessment in Veterinary Medical Education." The AAVMC will use the meeting to build on our study on climate and diversity in American veterinary colleges, conducted in 2011. This study revealed a need to educate veterinary college community on issues related to disability and impairment in academic veterinary medicine.  

The keynote topic will relate to improving information about the rigors of veterinary school for applicants with disabilities in order to promote better understanding and decision-making around the kinds of accommodations that may be needed to enable those with disabilities to succeed in the program.

"We believe that  participation in this meeting will help us launch an important diversity initiative related to supporting successful outcomes for students with disabilities studying within our member institutions," said Lisa Greenhill, the AAVMC's associate executive director of institutional research and diversity.

Learn more and register.

The AAVMC's 2012 Annual Report may be coming to a mail box near you. In the meantime, take a look at this electronic version, which features a preview of the past fiscal year's challenges and accomplishments, including the installment of a new executive director, Dr. Andrew Maccabe, the release of the Roadmap for Veterinary Medical Education in the 21st Century: Responsive, Collaborative, Flexible, new governmental affairs initiatives, a financial statement, and more. 

 View it here.

Did you know?

• In 2011, six-out-of-ten pet owners, or 63.2%, considered their pets to be family members.
• There are approximately 70 million pet dogs in the U.S. and 74.1 million pet cats.
• The average veterinary expenditure per household for all pets was $375 in 2011.
• Among horse-owning households, 53.8% had at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2011, a decrease of 11.9% from 2006. (Source: AVMA)

The all-new 2012 edition of the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook is the largest, most statistically accurate and complete survey of the pet owning public and pet population demographics. Drawn from a national survey of over 50,000 households, the survey results are presented alongside the results from similar surveys dating back to 1987, illustrating long-term trends and providing context for research.

Are you or your institution interested in ordering a copy?  The AVMA is offering the AAVMC a 50 percent  discount off of the $195 cost of a pdf copy of the sourcebook on bulk orders, so put in your order now.

To get your discounted copy, please email Devin Foil at dfoil@aavmc.org by December 14. The AAVMC will make the purchase and deliver the product to those who participate in the bulk order, along with an invoice for reimbursement. If we get enough participants, we will all receive the discount.

Just let us know!