The AAVMC monitors and responds to national or legislative developments that can have an impact on veterinary medical research. For example, the AAVMC  presented testimony before the Scientific Management Review Board (SMRB) regarding measures by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance translational medicine and therapeutics. The AAVMC's testimony stressed the need for continued and increased grant support to academic veterinary medical institutions to train veterinarians to meet national biomedical research needs, construct and renovate research facilities, and create and maintain research facilities.

In a letter to the Office of the Director of the NIH, Dr. Marguerite Pappaioanou, the AAVMC's former executive director, and Dr. W. Ron DeHaven, CEO of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), expressed support for the important role played by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and the need for the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) to maintain strong and vital comparative medicine programs.

 

See the full letter.

Sponsoring Programs that Encourage Research Careers

Biomedical Research Opportunities for Veterinary Students

The AAVMC is a co-sponsor of the Merial-NIH National Veterinary Scholars Symposium,  which will be held this year at Colorado State University. The symposium is the culmination of the Merial Veterinary Scholars Program, whose mission is to expose veterinary students in their first or second year of veterinary school to biomedical research and career opportunities in research.  At the symposium, veterinary students from all over the United States and Canada meet to present their research findings and share experiences from their various programs.  The symposium includes presentations by and networking opportunities with invited veterinary scientists, researchers and faculty members.

Recognizing and Rewarding Research Achievements

In 2010, the AAVMC Board of Directors established the Merial-AAVMC Excellence in Research Award to recognize outstanding research and scholarly achievements in the field of veterinary medicine.  The award recognizes an individual who, over the course of his or her career, has demonstrated excellence in original research, leadership in the scientific community, and mentoring of trainees and colleagues in any discipline of veterinary medicine.

The inaugural recipient is Stephen W. Barthold, D.V.M., Ph.D., of the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine  who researches the interaction between infectious disease agents and their hosts.  Dr. Barthold, a distinguished professor of veterinary and medical pathology, played a major role in coordinating a team of researchers that investigated and developed a Lyme disease vaccine that benefits both humans and animals.