The AAVMC installed new officers and conducted annual business during the association's annual Meeting of the Assembly on July 27, 2015, in Boston. Dr. Eleanor Green, the Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, begins her term as president. Dr. Green earned her DVM from Auburn University and is a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). Dr. Douglas Freeman, dean of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, was elected president-elect. Learn more.

The AAVMC Board of Directors has forwarded a position paper on diversity and inclusion drafted by the Task Force on Accreditation Standards for Diversity to the Council on Education (COE) for consideration and action. The paper states that, "In recognizing diversity as a driver of institutional excellence, it is notable that the Standards of Accreditation used by the Council on Education (COE) fail to specifically include efforts to promote diversity and inclusion throughout the standards and the site visit rubric." The paper recommends integrating language into the existing accreditation standards that require institutions to demonstrate their activities related to diversity and inclusion efforts. Learn more. 

The AAVMC should take a leadership role to improve the quality of veterinary medical education worldwide and enhance collaboration among academic institutions globally, according to a report from the Task Force on International Engagement. The AAVMC board of directors accepted the task force report during their July meeting in Boston and voted to fund its activities for the next three years.The task force will continue to develop some of the specific recommendations for consideration by the board during their January 2016 meeting. Learn more.

The University of Adelaide School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences in Roseworthy, West Australia, has joined the AAVMC as an affiliate member. The University of Adelaide's veterinary science program offers two degrees -- a Bachelor of Science degree (Veterinary Biosciences) and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM). Each program requires three years of full-time study and students complete each program sequentially. The school is currently accredited by the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Learn more.

AAVMC representatives met July 20 with other leaders from veterinary associations throughout North America at the North American Veterinary Leadership Meeting (NAVLM) in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Executive Director Dr. Andrew Maccabe and President Dr. Eleanor Green, the Carl B. King Dean of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, attended the meeting, where each association provided an update on their organization's activities and discussed issues of mutual concern. Learn more.

About 100 fundraisers, communication and alumni officers representing AAVMC member institutions were briefed on advancement opportunities associated with the AAVMC's 50th anniversary celebration during the annual meeting of the Association of Veterinary Advancement Professionals in Boston. AAVMC communications leader Jeff Douglas detailed program highlights and available communication tools, described the pivotal role advancement professionals play in building momentum for academic veterinary medicine, and invited members to engage with the anniversary celebration. Learn more.

Excessive "red tape" associated with federally funded research is often seen as an unfortunate but unavoidable drag on productivity by many U.S. biomedical researchers. But promising signs of reform from powerful U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander - and the prospects of increased federal support --are sparking hope among scientists working in U.S. higher education, where most federally sponsored biomedical research is conducted. Learn more.

A reorganization of the National Academies announced July 1, 2015 means the Institute of Medicine is now called the National Academy of Medicine. The Institute of Medicine has been incorporated as a programmatic unit of the newly configured National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The National Academy of Medicine will assume the membership, honorific and other administrative activities once overseen by the IOM. About 20 veterinarians are members of the IOM. Learn more.

Do you know someone whose work is changing or could change global food and fiber production? Nominations are open for the prestigious National Academy of Sciences' prestigious John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science. For the first time in more than 30 years, the Carty Award will be presented in the agricultural sciences. The John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science is awarded every two years, to recognize noteworthy and distinguished accomplishments in any field of science within the National Academy of Science's charter. The award is presented with a medal and a $25,000 prize. Learn more.

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