The AAVMC's 50th Anniversary celebration gets underway during a ceremony scheduled for opening day of the 2015 Annual Conference. The year-long observation is designed to commemorate 50 years of creating excellence in academic veterinary medicine and lead to future, greater levels of success. The "Fifty and Forward" celebration kick-off will include a six-minute video profile of the AAVMC, a 30-second television public service announcement (PSA) and the unveiling of a commissioned painting. Learn more.

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Although the number of first-year seats among colleges of veterinary medicine in the U.S. has increased by nearly 20 percent over the last 10 years, a steady stream of applicants continue to apply to international institutions. In the fall of 2014, AAVMC staff conducted a qualitative study of veterinary school applicants applying to AAVMC international member institutions to find out why. Learn more.

On Feb. 12, U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) submitted a letter to President Obama that calls upon him to develop a national One Health framework that will instill a culture of collaboration between human, animal, and environmental health agencies. The letter also asked the President to press the United Nations to develop an inter-agency One Health framework to address the World Health Organization's (WHO's) animal and environmental health information gaps, as identified during the recent Ebola virus outbreak. Learn more.

On Feb. 12, three AAVMC member representatives and three staff members met with representatives of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) the Division of Comparative Medicine, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The meetings are part of an ongoing outreach effort to share the AAVMC's story and educate high-level NIH officials about research activity and capacity at member institutions and the importance of continued funding and collaboration. Discussions included strategy, awareness, a One Health workshop, and research opportunities for veterinarians, particularly relating to human-animal interaction or "HAI research." Learn more.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies will present a free, two-day workshop on "Envisioning the Future of Health Professional Education," April 23-24 in Washington DC.
The workshop is offered by the Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education, which is sponsored by the AAVMC. Learn more.

President Obama's proposed FY 2016 budget contains provisions for about $1.2 billion in funding --about double existing levels--to confront the growing public health threat posed by antimicrobial resistance. The President's proposed budget will support a broad range of research, surveillance and engagement. It includes more than $650 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; more than $280 million at the Centers for Disease Control; and substantial funding for other agencies like the USDA and the Department of Defense. Learn more.