Nominations Open for 2026 AAVMC Awards | | |
AAVMC is proud to recognize excellence and inspire continued achievement in academic veterinary medicine through our prestigious annual awards.
Do you know a colleague who has made an exceptional impact in veterinary medical education? We are now accepting nominations for the following honors, celebrating outstanding contributions across research, education, service, and diversity:
Nominations are due October 9.
Award recipients will be honored during the 2026 AAVMC Annual Conference, taking place in April in Washington, D.C.
| | AAVMC Leadership Academy Begins New Program Year | | |
AAVMC opened a new chapter with its 2025 Leadership Academy, celebrating the graduation of the spring cohort while welcoming the incoming fall cohort. Held in Chicago, more than 65 participants joined the program overall, with 30 completing the six-month academy and 38 new participants beginning their leadership journey.
Supported by funding from Elanco, the academy is designed to cultivate adaptive, forward-thinking leaders who will help sustain and advance the veterinary profession. The 2025 curriculum will explore key topics such as change management, organizational health, and strategic communication, equipping participants with the tools to lead effectively in a dynamic and evolving field.
The fall cohort will complete the program and graduate in April.
| | SOC Spotlight: Getting Buy-In for a Spectrum of Care Curricular Change | |
How do you get buy-in for Spectrum of Care (SOC) curricular change?
The SOC Implementation Strategies Guide features concise write-ups on the connections between SOC preparation and practice and hot topics within veterinary education and medicine to spark conversation and support engagement. Explore the guide to see how these insights can help build alignment and momentum within your program for:
- Supporting the Financial Health of Veterinary Practices
- Meeting Access, Belonging, and Community-Building Goals
- Promoting Veterinarian Well-Being
- Enhancing Recruitment and Retention
- Connecting SOC to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Each write-up highlights how SOC preparation and practice can advance both institutional priorities and the profession.
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Your feedback helps AAVMC keep our resources, like the SOC Implementation Strategies Guide, relevant to the needs of the veterinary education community. Complete this brief survey to let us know what you think.
| | AAVMC.Org Gets a New Look | | |
After months of planning, we are pleased to announce the official launch of our completely redesigned website!
Our new digital home features a fresh, modern design that makes it easier than ever to explore our programs and initiatives, stay updated, and connect with us.
Whether you are searching for research, news, or member tools, you will find a streamlined platform that reflects our commitment to innovation in veterinary medical education.
| | Wellbeing Webinar Recordings Now Available | | AAVMC Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month | | |
National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15–October 15, is a celebration of resilience, tradition, and community. It is also a great time to recognize how the Hispanic community helps shape and strengthen our academic veterinary medicine community:
- Latinx/Hispanic applicants comprised 7 percent of last year's applicant pool to colleges of veterinary medicine.
- This group currently comprises 10.6 percent of enrollment.
- It is the fastest-growing population of DVM students in the United States.
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Connect with Fellow Educators at the Primary Care Veterinary Educators Symposium, October 22–25
Registration is now open for the 2025 Primary Care Veterinary Educators Symposium.
This annual event features presentations and networking opportunities designed to help small-animal primary care veterinary educators generate new ideas and develop more effective educational strategies. Topics will include presentations on small-animal care veterinary education, pedagogical innovation and research, as well as a Swap Shop designed for sharing best teaching practices, innovations, and solutions to challenges.
| Save the Date: 2026 AAVMC Annual Conference and Iverson Bell Symposium, April 16–18 | |
Mark your calendar for the 2026 Annual Conference and Iverson Bell Symposium, taking place April 16–18 in Washington, D.C.
This premier event brings together leaders in academic veterinary medicine to explore various topics, including admissions, academic affairs, Competency-Based Veterinary Education, international veterinary education, institutional health, interprofessional collaboration, and more.
| Keep Your Students Informed of Upcoming Scholarships | |
The 2026–2027 scholarship season opens for many AAVMC scholarships, including these opportunities opening in October:
- Diversity Leadership Scholarships—The Patricia M. Lowrie and the Merck Diversity Leadership Scholarships will open October 1. These scholarships recognize the efforts of students providing leadership in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion during the course of their DVM studies. Up to 16 students will be recognized with scholarships of $10,000 each.
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The Zoetis Foundation/AAVMC Veterinary Student Scholarship Program application period opens October 14. This program provides financial support to veterinary students, addressing the issue of student debt and the need to foster diversity in the veterinary profession. More than 200 scholarships worth $7,000 each will be awarded to students at U.S. and Caribbean AAVMC institutional member organizations.
- The Chewy Veterinary Leaders Program recognizes second-year veterinary students from underserved groups who have shown an interest in and affinity for growing leadership capabilities. Individuals selected for the program will receive financial assistance and resources to support them through their final years of veterinary school and into the next phase of their careers. Fifteen students will be selected to receive $20,000 each.
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The AAVMC strives to create a culture of diversity and inclusion in every dimension of academic veterinary medicine. To foster this goal, the photographs and illustrations which are used in our communications programs are aspirational, and do not necessarily reflect the levels of diversity and inclusion that currently exist.
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