Global veterinary leadership.

The public needs no reminder that deadly infectious diseases such as FMD could emerge in any country at any moment, or that national food security could be compromised by Salmonella or Listeria infections. Protections against these risks include the knowledge that appropriate and equivalent veterinary education will enable detection and characterization of emerging disease agents, as well as an appropriate response, wherever they occur. Global veterinary leadership is needed to reduce the global threat of infectious diseases of major food animal and public health importance. We believe that the co-curriculum is an excellent way to prepare and train veterinarians and future leaders who understand and can deal with global issues. The key to the success of the program is the veterinarian's understanding that there is a cultural basis to the practice of veterinary medicine in any country. The result will be a cadre of veterinarians, faculty, and other professionals who are better able (language and culture) to understand the effects of change brought about by free trade and the importance of interdisciplinary and institutional relationships to deal effectively with national and regional issues of food safety and security. New global veterinary leadership programs will build on interests, experience, ideas, and ambitions. A college that wishes to take advantage of this diversity must offer opportunities that interest veterinarians throughout their careers and that preferably connect academic study with intensive experiential training in another country. At its best, the global veterinary leadership program would include a partnership between veterinarians and several international learning centers, a responsiveness to the identified international outreach needs of the profession, and attention to critical thinking and reflection. The global veterinary leadership program we have described is intended to be a set of ideas meant to promote collaboration, coalitions, and discussion among veterinarians and veterinary educators who may be intrigued by the concept. The impact of the program can be summarized as follows: Outreach Programs: The global veterinary leadership program will establish new partnerships between veterinarians and veterinary college faculty as they supervise the international internships and see a relationship between their goals and the value of food safety to this country. Strategic Opportunity: The program will build on the critical role that US veterinarians and veterinary colleges already play in strengthening the safety of free trade in this hemisphere. Diversity in an Age of Specialization: The program will combine a global orientation, language ability, and access to comprehensive, research- and economic-related work/study opportunities to expose veterinarians to the expanding world market for veterinary expertise. New Linkages Through Corporate Partners: Through the success and high visibility of current research and education programs, most veterinary colleges are well positioned to engage industry, government, and university leaders in ways to use the proposed program to increase the flow of new ideas and talent into the world food enterprise. International Funding: A new partnership among veterinarians, industry, government, and university leaders can coordinate strong multilateral requests for funding from national and international sources. An Interdisciplinary Strategy that Benefits Veterinary Medicine: The program will combine the diverse veterinary research and education system with our strong national and international network of collaborators to provide globally competent veterinarians who will be needed for the corporate and public opportunities of the future.     

Veterinary medical education and a changing culture

Veterinary medical education is undergoing rapid change in terms of pedagogy, the demographics of the student body, and, in turn, the membership of the profession. Central to the value of the traditional curriculum and the total student experience is the small-group environment, both in client service and in clinical rounds. It is one of the few Socratic learning experiences in higher education today. Similarly, experience in private practice is of inestimable value in terms of developing people skills and a lasting sense of service and accountabilty. In a generation, the student body has transformed from vanishingly small numbers of women to a predominance of female students. However, the profession still is very white, in a world becoming more and more diverse. With a predominantly white faculty and student body today, this circumstance shows little promise of rapid enough change to maintain relevance to a workforce that, a generation from now, likely will be dominated numerically by people of color. The incorporation of various world views and the impact of stereotyping on performance are central to issues of success and failure of minorities and, in somewhat different ways, women in the veterinary medical profession. These issues must become better understood and addressed. And to accomplish this, and to address a host of other culturally important issues, a greater diversity of world views must be engaged in the work and planning of veterinary medical education and the profession at large. Addressing these issues in an environment in which the values of faculty and administrators are intensely focused on the science of veterinary medicine, and in which the participants hold dear a system that places value only on teaching, research, and clinical service, is a formidable undertaking and will require substantial reconsideration of faculty role and reward systems.     

An overview of veterinary medical education in China: current status, deficiencies, and strategy for improvement

Especially in developing countries, the profession of veterinary medicine is closely tied with agriculture and government economic development, the national structure of education, and national public health. Currently, the Chinese veterinary medical educational system and accreditation standards are distinctly different from those of some more developed countries, such as the United States, Japan, or the countries of the European Union. Chinese veterinary education is still closely based on traditional Chinese education approaches and standards, which has led to some deficiencies in the Chinese system. With the development of a stronger economy in China and the growing trend toward globalization, and particularly since China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), some important questions about China's system of veterinary education are being raised: How can veterinary science develop more rapidly in China? How can it meet the needs of the growing Chinese society? How can China bring its veterinary medical practice more in line with that of other, more advanced countries? This article describes some of the realities of veterinary medical education in China, discusses several existing problems, and puts forward some ideas for possible reforms. It is hoped that by this means those outside China may gain insight into our veterinary education program and that this, in turn, will lead to helpful input from international educators and other professionals to help improve our programs.     

Veterinary medicine educational requirements to meet the needs of the US Agency for International Development

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) works within the overall purpose of US foreign assistance to improve the lives of the citizens of the developing world. Through partnerships with other agencies, organizations, and governments, and using its field offices around the world, USAID strives to develop local capacity and thus build sustainable development. Two specific USAID programs pertinent to veterinary medicine are global health and agriculture. In the area of global health, veterinarians can aid USAID's work to improve the quality, availability, and use of essential health services that specifically target maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, family planning and reproductive health, infectious diseases, environmental health, nutrition, and other life-saving areas. The challenge of making the agricultural sector in a developing country more productive is a critical one for USAID and a clear area for input from the veterinary profession. Animal agriculture is the largest single sector of agricultural economies in most developing countries, and livestock remains a critical component of poverty alleviation. There are educational requirements that benefit anyone working at USAID and can be met prior to admittance to a DVM program, as part of a DVM curriculum, or in post-graduate training/employment, such as proficiency in a foreign language; environmental sciences background; familiarity with accounting and management techniques; expertise in foreign animal diseases, zoonotic diseases, epidemiology, food safety, and nutrition, as well as the application to human health of those areas; an advanced degree such as an MPH; and management experience. Appropriately trained veterinarians can make enormous contributions to USAID's global efforts to improve the health and agriculture sectors of developing nations.     

Education and the food-systems veterinarian: the impact of new information technologies

Food systems educators face a double challenge: (1) the inherent change in scope and perspective from raising animals to producing safe food in an environmentally conscientious manner; and (2) the unprecedented demand for higher education, both nationally and internationally. In the modern world, small numbers of producers are capable of feeding a growing population. As demographics have shifted from rural to urban areas, more global livelihoods are derived from manufacturing and services than from agriculture. Education, as one of those services, is accounting for an increasing percentage of world trade, through the physical translocation of students and, more recently, through online education. Within the veterinary realm, colleges outside the United States seek accreditation to better compete for students, and there is increasing pressure from private schools. Today's food systems require a high level of veterinary expertise, with specialization in a particular production system as well as the ability to contribute as part of a larger team that can address economic, bio-security, biological-waste, animal-welfare, food-safety, and public-health concerns. The need for different expertise from food systems specialists (indeed, shortages of all types of veterinary specialists), combined with global competition in education, is a call to action for the veterinary profession. This is an opportunity to revisit and reorganize the delivery of veterinary education, making use of new collaborative technologies for greater efficiency and effectiveness.     

The use of information and communication technology in veterinary education

The internet provides new opportunities to deliver distance and e-learning to the veterinary profession both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. There are now numerous examples of successful computer-based educational projects in UK higher education, which provide useful models for veterinary science. This will present challenges for academics who will need to adapt their teaching methodologies and students who will have to develop new ways of learning. The future of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the veterinary sector is difficult to predict but it is likely to have far reaching effects on the profession.     

Gazing into the crystal ball: where should the veterinary profession go next?

The Foresight Report, published in 2007, provided a vision for the future of the veterinary profession. Many of the directions set in the report have already been remarkably accurate, but fiscal constraints stemming from the global recession that began in 2008 will have a significant impact on academia and on the future of the veterinary profession. Three primary forces will shape veterinary education in the coming decade: (1) the urgent need to lead an integrated approach to animal, human, and environmental health; (2) the continued information explosion; and (3) the challenge of delivering high-quality veterinary clinical training at a time of fiscal restraint. Despite economic woes and financial pressure, this is the time to rethink veterinary medical education. This article outlines these challenges and suggests ways to continue to evolve veterinary education.     

Food animal veterinary medicine: leading a changing profession

The veterinary profession has gone through periods of profound change in response to economic and social changes. We are currently in another such period: profound change is required in order for the profession to remain relevant in a marketplace where a rapidly expanding knowledge base and new technologies demand an ever-increasing level of expertise in a greater variety of areas. However, the veterinary profession is perceived both internally and by the public as possessing a narrow set of skills that supports a narrow group of careers focused on salvaging ill or injured companion animals. It will be necessary to dramatically change the way veterinary students are recruited and trained, as well as how graduate veterinarians are licensed and provided continuing education, in order for the veterinary profession to capitalize on our historical strengths and provide service and leadership in a greater diversity of career paths. Even though the number of veterinarians needed to provide primary care for livestock is decreasing, both the level of expertise demanded by livestock owners and the value of veterinary involvement on livestock farms are increasing. Colleges of veterinary medicine appear challenged to meet the changing needs for veterinary services in animal agriculture because of the declining percentage of veterinary students interested in food animal careers. Fortunately for animal agriculture, the skill set needed by food animal veterinarians is also needed by several emerging segments of the veterinary profession that have tremendous potential for rapid growth, including employment in all segments of food production systems, environmental monitoring and management, bio-security and disease eradication, laboratory diagnostics, and federal regulatory and bio-defense roles. Like previous periods of profound change, this moment in history will require creative thought, open discussion, and a willingness to step into the unknown.     

Veterinary medical education and veterinary involvement in aquatic-animal health and aquaculture in Mexico

This article analyzes curriculum offerings related to aquaculture and/or aquatic-animal health taught in veterinary medical schools or colleges in Mexico. The information database of the Mexican Association of Schools and Colleges of Veterinary Medicine and the Web sites of veterinary institutions indicate that 60% of veterinary colleges include courses related to aquaculture in their curriculum, but most of these are optional courses. There are few specialized continuing education programs or graduate level courses. There is also a lack of veterinary participation, in both public and private sectors, in aquatic-animal health. It is evident that there should be a greater involvement by the veterinary profession in Mexico's aquaculture to ensure food production in a safe and sustainable manner; to achieve this, veterinary medical institutions must include more aquaculture and aquatic-animal health courses in their curricula.     

Occupational disability and job satisfaction in the equine veterinary profession: How sustainable is this ‘tough job’ in a changing world?

This study used a questionnaire to evaluate the working situation, associated injuries and diseases of equine practitioners in the Netherlands. Equine veterinary work is physically demanding, strenuous and predisposes to diseases and injuries. Despite this, male and female equine practitioners alike appreciate their jobs and hardly ever take sick leave. There was no cynical attitude towards their own profession, but there was awareness of the risks and physical consequences, which are more or less taken for granted by the contemporary equine veterinarians. The profession still appeals to new generations of young practitioners, at least in most European countries, but there is no guarantee that this will remain so. It is the task of the profession itself to anticipate the impending changes, by improving conditions for pregnancy and childcare, for example, and to put more effort in educating (future) equine veterinary professionals about their personal health situation and work‐associated risks. The objectives will be to attract well‐prepared professionals and veterinary entrepreneurs.     

Preparing the veterinary profession for corporate and trade issues in the Americas: proceedings of a conference on synergism and globalization, Santiago, Chile, May 6-8, 2001

The complex and rapid-paced development of international trade, coupled with increasing societal demands for the production not only of abundant and inexpensive food, but also of food that is safe and has been raised in a humane and environmentally friendly manner, demands immediate attention from the veterinary community. The new culture of global trade agreements, spurred by the development of the WTO, dictates massive changes and increasing integration of public and private sectors. This is a huge growth area for our profession and will require individuals with a skill set we do not yet provide in our educational framework. In North America, veterinary education is parochial and focused on specialization. This strong orientation toward companion animals fails to provide adequate training for those interested in acquiring the necessary skills for the emerging area of globalization and trade. In South America, curricula are less harmonized with one another and there is tremendous variation in degree programs, rendering it difficult to ascertain whether veterinarians are prepared to assume decision-making responsibilities regarding international transport of food. If we do not begin to prepare our graduates adequately for this emerging market demand, the positions will be filled by other professions. These other professions lack broad-based scientific knowledge about animal physiology and disease causation. Decisions made without adequate background could have devastating consequences for society, including incursions of unwelcome diseases, food safety problems, and public health issues. To prepare our new veterinary graduates for the future and this emerging market, it is important to nurture a global mindset within our academic communities and to promote communications, languages, and an interdependent team mentality. Areas of technical expertise that need a place, perhaps a parallel track, in the curriculum include production medicine, public health, food safety, and international veterinary medicine. The major trade corridors of the future regarding animal-based protein flow between North and South America. It is absolutely essential that we find areas of consensus and deficiencies so that we can harmonize our trade agreements and ensure adequate flow of safe food products from one continent to the other.     

Cheap food and feeding the world sustainably

Feeding the world requires local, national and global solutions in view of the expected world population of 10 billion by 2050. Sustainability must characterize the socio-economic infrastructures as well the scientific and technical components. Today almost half the world population lives on two dollars a day or less and although poor, most are not hungry. WTO objectives for world trade include agriculture and food with the hope of supplying cheap food based on and generated by a capital intensive system. However, the current paradigm of producing ever cheaper food in the West is found to be increasingly unsustainable and, if introduced globally, will create a variety of instabilities. A policy of feeding the growing cities of the developing world with imported Western food would remove domestic markets from poor farmers and would also risk large-scale famine when global food trade breaks down. The only sustainable alternative is to empower poor farmers to help themselves to serve their own domestic markets thus modelling the Western strategy for agriculture which has moved from free trade to protection. The capitalist system must be designed to enhance quality of life by building up and not by destroying rural communities. To achieve this aim the Western concept of cheap food needs replacement by a new paradigm emphasizing quality of life. Global solutions for feeding the developing world require ethical behaviour by rich and powerful nations in addition to technical and economic inputs. Proposals are made to exclude agriculture and food from the WTO, to build-up agriculture and protect domestic food markets in developing countries, to continue but redirect government payments to Western farmers for sustaining natural resources and rural life, and to require consumers to pay the real cost of food.     

全球兽医器械产业状况概述

从产业规模、产业结构、市场份额等方面简要介绍了世界和我国兽医器械产业现状。数据显示,近些年全球兽医器械产业发展迅猛,产业规模年均增幅17%左右;产业结构日趋集约化;美国、欧盟和日本的兽医器械产业占据了全球65%以上的市场份额。我国兽医器械在产业规模、产业结构、盈利水平、产业投资、对外依存度都有明显而积极的改变,产值在国际上的占比也逐步攀升,但"世界加工厂"的地位尚未完全改变。     

The needs for public health education: reflections from the 27th world veterinary congress

The needs for public health education are addressed based on papers presented at the 27th World veterinary Congress held in Tunis, Tunisia, on September 25-29, 2002. The article first summarizes the public health problems presented from developing countries, followed by the problems from developed countries. A summary of the solutions proposed or practiced by each group of speakers is presented. On the basis of the problems and solutions presented, the author suggests how education can address the problems and their solutions. The dichotomy between developed and developing countries is not new, but educational advances in veterinary public health (VPH) are required to provide the citizens of all countries with safe food and less risk of zoonotic diseases. This is true whether a country is too poor to have adequate veterinary services for good food safety and preventing major zoonoses, or is a wealthy country plagued by the emerging pathogens associated with modern intensive agriculture systems.     

Present status and vision for veterinary higher education in the Arab world

The veterinary profession and veterinary education stand, in the Arab world and worldwide, in the middle of many changes resulting from rapid communication, explosion of large amounts of information, international traffic of people, animals, and animal products, flow of capital, recent political changes, and new threats to global public health. These changes have put more pressure on veterinary leaders and educators to reconsider the different programs, projects, attitudes, and methodologies of thinking in faculties and institutes of veterinary medicine.     

Evaluating the economic and noneconomic impacts of the veterinary medical profession in Michigan

This study reaffirms the diversity and breadth of the veterinary profession. As it turns out, some of the furthest-reaching impacts of the veterinary medical profession were largely non-quantifiable. The veterinary medical profession had a substantial direct economic impact in Michigan during 1995. The total economic contribution of the veterinary medical profession to Michigan during 1995 that was attributable to expenditures on salaries, supplies, services, and their multiplier effect was approximately $500 million. In addition, the profession was associated with nearly 8,500 jobs (combined professional and lay positions). The veterinary medical profession was also considered to have an impact on the prosperity of the live-stock, equine, and pet food industries in Michigan, even though the economic contribution in these areas could not be directly quantified. Economic well-being of the individual businesses in these industries is directly related to the health and productivity of the associated animals, and improvements in output or productivity that accompany improved animal health likely carry substantial economic benefits in these sectors. In addition, progressive animal health management provides a crucial method of managing risk in the animal industries. Similarly, although the economic contribution could not be quantified, the veterinary medical profession enhances the safety and quality of human food through research, regulation, and quality assurance programs in livestock production, minimizing the risk of drug residues and microbial contamination. During 1995, approximately 5.3 million Michigan residents benefitted from the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being that accompanies companion animal ownership. By preserving the health and longevity of companion animals, veterinarians sustain and enhance these aspects of the human-animal bond. As Michigan enters a new century, it is likely that the state's veterinary medical profession will continue to make a highly valued societal contribution. Pets, equines, and food animals will continue to have prominent roles in Michigan for the foreseeable future, as will the human-animal bond, food safety, and medical research. Clearly, for economic and noneconomic reasons, it will be in the interest of the people of Michigan to seek opportunities to maintain and enhance the vitality of the state's veterinary medical profession. It was our hope that results of this study would provide university administrators, legislators, MVMA executives, and others with information needed to justify the ongoing provision of public support for the veterinary medical profession. In addition, we expect that the results will supply useful material for public relations and marketing campaigns by the MVMA and the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine and will provide the media with public interest stories to promote the veterinary profession. Although this study considered the economic and noneconomic impacts of the veterinary medical profession only in Michigan, the results can provide an important reference point for educators, policy markers, and legislators in other states. In addition, this study could serve as a methodologic model for veterinary organizations in other states, or at the national level, to emulate.     

The impact of AVMA COE's accreditation on veterinary medical education

Point 1: the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education's (AVMA COE's) accreditation pro-cess is aimed at minimum training for entry-level veterinarians. This has a two-fold consequence: 1. The opportunity to discover the absolute minimum number of necessary resources is opened. While this is a threat to the standard model of veterinary education, it might have value if it is cost-efficient and students graduate with minimal or no debt. 2. There is no mechanism to measure training,research, or service programs above the minimum or beyond the entry level. Point 2: the implication of the minimum entry-level general standard is also two-fold: 1. We must measure performance above the mini-mum. A separate process is necessary (a) to develop and implement objective metrics and (b) to publicize superior achievement as opposed to minimal performance. 2. We must measure and publicize institutions or programs that advance the field beyond training entry-level veterinarians. Service, research, and training aimed at advancing the field, providing leadership, and improving public health and safety(One Health) require separate measurement and advocacy in order to obtain and justify the necessary resources. I conclude that in the absence of a new process by which to measure excellence, market forces will push the entire profession toward the most cost-effective method of providing minimal training for entry-level veterinarians. But what about the far more expensive goal of providing a global public good of which our profession is so proud?The public health and safety mission of veterinary medi-cine, including the entire One Health initiative, requires separate measurement in order to give objective metrics to the institutions and components of the profession committed to those goals to pursue vigorous advocacy and obtain or retain the necessary resources.     

New food safety initiatives in the Food and Drug Administration

Concern over the presence of veterinary drug residues in food has been increasing world wide. Because of this concern the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has been involved on an international basis in efforts to develop food safety standards for veterinary drugs. The major thrust of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CC/RVDF) has been to achieve international agreement on veterinary drugs issues. CVM is an active participant on this committee. The CC/RVDF has established a list of priority veterinary drugs that are, or that have the potential to cause trade problems as the result of public health concerns. Included in this list are anabolic hormones, chloramphenicol, sulfonamides, nitrofurans, nitroimidazoles, somatotropins, benzimidazoles and trypanocides. In the upcoming years, the CC/RVDF will work toward developing international maximum residue levels for these compounds. The evaluation of the toxicity of veterinary drug-bound residues is another area of international concern. In conjunction with the Bureau of Veterinary Medicine, Health and Welfare Canada, CVM is developing guidelines on biological models to demonstrate the safety of veterinary drug-bound residues. In working with veterinary drug regulators from other countries, CVM has new solutions to human food safety problems.     

Continuing Education for Veterinarians “Education is a life-long process” Plato

Extract

Veterinary continuing education can be simply thought of as those activities veterinarians pursue throughout their careers in order to maintain their professional competence in a changing environment. This life-long learning process is essential for the maintenance of professional standards if they are to keep up with the pace of change in today's world. The pace is such that if the profession is to fulfil its responsibilities to help provide food, fibre, animal companionship and human health care, all veterinarians must be free to participate in continuing education. In New Zealand it is the clinical practitioners who must struggle most to maintain their knowledge. Yet this group, because of its size and activities, forms the main interface between the profession and the public. Thus it must be of concern to the whole profession that all members and in particular the practitioners have an equal and ample opportunity to participate in continuing education.     

Pharmacists in veterinary education: bridging the gap

Veterinary patients stand to benefit greatly from the collaboration of pharmacy and veterinary medicine, and there are many ways pharmacy and veterinary medicine can work in concert. The best efforts to revise and remodel veterinary and pharmacy education to fit an evolving world of clinical practice are grounded in an understanding of each profession. Veterinary education should impart to its students and residents the skills necessary to critically evaluate drug therapy, select therapies based on facts from drug information sources, and operate a veterinary practice that abides by the legal, regulatory, and operational requirements necessary to maintain and dispense drugs. The academic training environment of each profession must include information on the other, in order to better prepare professionals for a realistic practice environment. When armed with an understanding of what pharmacists can provide their patients, veterinarians can demand these skills where appropriate. With the ultimate goal of producing an optimal learning environment, veterinary curricula should allow both pharmacy and veterinary medicine to work together to build a path to quality patient care and educational superiority.