The AAVMC's 50th Anniversary Celebration

	Pathways to Progress author Dr. Donald T. Smith. See conference photo galleries.

concluded with an epic annual conference and Gala Celebration centered around the theme of "Fifty and Forward." The AAVMC meeting began with the introduction of "Pathways to Progress," a book on the history of the AAVMC and its member institutions authored by Cornell Dean Emeritus Dr. Donald T. Smith. The limited edition 280-page volume explores the history of academic veterinary medicine, profiles AAVMC member institutions, and tells the story of the founding and development of the AAVMC. The AAVMC Recognition Lecture was renamed the "Billy E. Hooper Lecture Award for Distinguished Service to Veterinary Medical Education" to honor a giant in the history of the AAVMC.  Learn more.  Visit 50th anniversary conference news page.

	Executive Director Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe congratulates Dr. Billy Hooper.

The AAVMC's 50th Anniversary Gala Celebration was a splendid evening of celebration, entertainment, and fellowship. Over 300 guests, including friends from the veterinary medical community, business, and government gathered for this milestone event. The dinner began and ended with the introduction of two new AAVMC videos. "We are the AAVMC!" is a fast-moving two-minute graphical piece that describes the organization's direction and values. "Let's Hear From a Few of our Friends" features comments from past and present AAVMC leaders on the value of the organization, it's achievements and future directions. Learn more.

	AAVMC President Dr. Eleanor Green addresses conference.

Change emerged as the recurrent theme of the "50 and Forward" conference, with President Dr. Eleanor Green sounding an optimistic note about the future of the profession and delivering a rousing challenge to her colleagues to think in new and daring ways. Green predicted a very bright future for the profession, with increased demand for service. As evidence, Dr. Green cited medical advancements such as individualized DNA-based medicine, the important role that veterinarians will play in feeding the world, and the enduring importance of the human-animal bond. Learn more.

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The newest edition of the AAVMC's Public Data Report (PDR), considered the most sophisticated and accurate statistical portrait of veterinary education available, was published online in late February. As usual it's packed with important information designed to help a variety of stakeholders better understand the complex world of academic veterinary medicine. With 25 charts, graphs, tables and infographics that present a variety of information on faculty, students and applicants, this year's report is broader in scope than previous editions. Learn more.

The AAVMC has become one of nine new associations to join the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), a Washington D.C. based organization of 15 national associations representing educational institutions in the health professions. Established in 2009, IPEC works to advance interprofessional learning experiences and promote team-based care in the health professions. Because of growing recognition about the benefits of adopting a One Health approach to human, animal and planetary wellbeing, the AAVMC has taken a number of steps over the past five years to increase collaboration with other educators in the health professions. Learn more.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has issued a call for proposals for a new inter-professional pilot of the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP), which will expand the program to include all health professions. Applicants must include a school of medicine, a school of dentistry, and at least one other health profession program or school from the Interprofessional Education Collaborative. Learn more.

	Senator Al Franken's Legislative Director Ali Nouri discusses the new legislation at Gala.

U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) introduced legislation on March 4, 2016 designed to establish a coordinated national plan to fight diseases that come from animal sources, including Zika and Ebola. The One Health Act of 2016 would charge the nation's agencies--from the Centers for Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA--to work together on identifying specific goals and priorities to help understand, prevent, and respond to animal disease outbreaks. The legislation is seen as a major step forward in the One Health movement. Learn more.

In February, the AAVMC convened a roundtable to discuss One Health efforts and initiatives across federal agencies. The roundtable's goals included highlighting the role of the veterinarian in the physician-scientist workforce and facilitating dialogue among federal partners to broadly support One Health efforts. High-level representatives from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) joined AAVMC representatives from the Research Committee and staff. Learn more.

Dr. Chase Crawford, director of the AAVMC and Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) Antimicrobial Resistance Initiative, recently participated in a meeting on antimicrobial resistance that was part of the Prince Mahidol Awards Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Crawford presented on the role of academic institutions in global efforts to address antibiotic resistance in production agriculture. "Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide problem and obviously with increasing international travel, what happens in Asia will have consequences elsewhere," said Dr. Crawford. "Our colleges and universities will continue to play a key role in the global fight to combat drug-resistant bacteria." Learn more.

	2015 Inverson Bell award winner Dr. Paige Carmichael.

The AAVMC's Iverson Bell Symposium, which promotes diversity and inclusion in academic veterinary medicine, has provided momentum and inspiration for regional symposiums. The 2016 DiVersity Matters Southeast Regional Symposium will be held April 22-24 at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville, Florida, and the Iverson Bell Regional Diversity Summit will be held May 20-22 on the campus of Michigan State In University in Lansing, Michigan. Learn more.

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