December 2020 V.4:4
CIVME Meets Online for Annual October Meeting
The annual October “fall” meeting of the CIVME core members was held online in 2020, with participation by the core as well as the alternate members of all the CIVME regions. The meeting was held over a number of days and group sessions were scheduled at convenient times considering different time zones around the world. CIVME revised its goals as follows:

  1. Strengthening a globally connected council (CIVME) dedicated to improving veterinary educational outcomes internationally
  2. Supporting an international community of practice for veterinary educators
  3. Promoting and advancing collaborative international educational research
  4. Facilitating partnerships to align global accreditation and quality standards in veterinary education

As part of CIVME’s operational plan, regional associates are in the process of being nominated in all regions around the world. Regional associates will expand the activities of CIVME and increase the reach of CIVME globally. If you are interested in becoming a regional associate, please contact the Core and/or Alternate member for your region.
Grants Program: Annual CIVME Grants Program Open Until January 29th 2021
The current cycle of the CIVME Research Grant Program and the CIVME MSD Animal Health Antimicrobial Stewardship Grant Program (ASGP) opened in September 2020 and will remain open until January 29th, 2021 at 11:00 am EST. The applications will be reviewed during February 2021 and the grant recipients will be announced during the 2021 AAVMC meeting.

Following on the previous successes of the programme, CIVME has further developed the programme by differentiating between Educational Research Projects (ERP) and Educational Exchange Projects (EEP) within the grant programme. This allows for applications to be considered in either of these categories, each project type having its unique focus.

The CIVME MSD Animal Health Antimicrobial Stewardship Grant Program has expanded this year and is now available to fund up to two grant recipients. The application process for all CIVME grant programmes has been streamlined and placed online to improve the experience of applicants. CIVME is looking forward to another cycle of excellent applications. Click here for instructions for the CIVME Research Grant and the CIVME MSD Animal Health Antimicrobial Stewardship grant and apply online.
Candidates Sought for CIVME Leadership Position Representing Continental Europe
Qualified candidates are being sought for a CIVME leadership position: Alternate Member Representing Continental Europe.

  • Diversity in academic veterinary medicine is a core value for the AAVMC. We welcome and encourage the nomination, including self-nomination, of members of the AAVMC community from underrepresented and/or otherwise marginalized communities for open committee positions.
  • Volunteers for this position are required to be affiliated with a school or college of veterinary medicine located in Continental Europe. Alternate members shall serve for a three-year term and may be reappointed and/or may have an opportunity to assume the Core member role for their region. (Travel reimbursement for in-person meetings is only available to Core members)
  • Monthly meetings (Zoom): One hour, once a month. Optional meeting (in-person): CIVME meets twice a year in-person (when feasible) at the AAVMC Annual Conference in March and at a rotating host institution in October or November.
  • Interested individuals are invited to submit a brief statement of interest (not to exceed 250 words) and a short CV or bio-sketch not to exceed 3 pages to Lawann Blunt at [email protected] by January 11, 2021.
‘Around the World ‘ – Regional Highlights
Africa:

The executive committee of the African Association of Veterinary Education Establishments (2A2E-V) met online on 25 and 26 November 2020 for their third meeting.

The following outcomes were achieved during the 2-day online meeting:
  1. Information on the activities of the 2A2E-V secretariat were shared with members of the 2A2E-V EXCO, which included the official endorsement of the 2A2E-V by the African Union (AU) executive committee and the establishment of the 2A2E-V within the AU structures.
  2. Progress on the implementation of the 2A2E-V work plan was shared, documented and the way forward agreed.
  3. The terms of reference for the consultancy for the development of the 2A2E-V strategic plan were developed and endorsed, with the view of making such an appointment within the near future.
  4. The roadmap for the development of the frameworks for curricula harmonization and quality assurance were discussed and further developed.
  5. The terms of reference for the African Union Commission Reference/Collaboration Centres/Institutions on veterinary education and training were endorsed.
  6. Guidelines for day 1 competencies for veterinarians in Africa were endorsed.
  7. The action plan for 2021 was discussed and developed.
  8. New leadership for the executive of 2A2E-V elected.

For more information contact the secretariat at the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), Professor James Wabacha at [email protected].
Australia/New Zealand:
No news from down under.
Asia:

Bogor Agricultural (IPB) University, Indonesia, announces new service centres at their veterinary teaching hospital

The industrial era 4.0, provides challenges as well as new opportunities for veterinary education. This underlies the importance of applying three literacies; namely, big data, biotechnology, medical information and communication technology (medical ICT) in the process of education, research and community service. The role of Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (VTH FVM) of IPB University (known as Bogor Agricultural University) is very important because it is the core and backbone of hospital-based veterinary education as well as providing services to the community.

The Clinical Skills Center is an area designed for students to learn a variety of practical and clinical skills and provide a means to overcome the problem of animal usage and welfare. This is in line with the principle of 3R on the reduce, refinement and replacement of the use of animals and, 5F, especially, aspects must be free from pain and free from discomfort.

For more information, contact Srihadi Agungpriyono, Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bogor Agricultural (IPB) University, Indonesia at [email protected].
Continental Europe:

European Board of Medical Assessors (EBMA) Virtual Conference
Each year the European Board of Medical Assessors (EBMA) Conference is a much-valued opportunity for those involved in assessment in medical education to meet, learn, and share their experiences. The Virtual Conference will consist of a rolling programme of live webinars from September 2020 until March 2021. For more information go to: www.ebma.eu.
Latin America/Caribbean:

Pan American Veterinary Science Congress postponed to October 2021

The Pan American Veterinary Science Congress (promoted by the Pan American Veterinary Science Association (PANVET)), which would have taken place from 28 - 30 October this year, was postponed until October 2021 in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. This will, as always, be the main international event in the region where veterinary education will be discussed.
Middle East/North Africa:
No news from the region.
UK/Ireland:

VetEd2021 at the University of Surrey
The International Symposium of the Veterinary Schools Council planned for 2020 has been postponed until 2021. The team at the University of Surrey will confirm a new date as soon as they can. For more information and updates: https://www.veted2020.com/
Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) 2021 Conference

The AMEE annual conference is now established as the key meeting for all involved in medical and healthcare professions education including teachers, educationists, researchers, administrators and students. AMEE 2021 is scheduled as a Hybrid Conference from 27-30 August. There will be a face-to-face conference (in Glasgow, UK) as well as online elements integrated into the programme. For more information and updates: https://amee.org/conferences/amee-2021
US/Canada:

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Veterinary Leadership Conference (VLC)
The annual AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference (VLC) is planned for 7 to 9 January 2021 and will be hosted online. The conference is titled Leadership in Times of Change. For more information visit https://www.avma.org/events/veterinary-leadership-conference

2021 AAVMC Annual Conference & Iverson Bell Symposium
The 2021 AAVMC annual conference and Iverson Bell Symposium will be hosted online from 3 to 5 March 2021. The theme is Catalyze 2021: Connect and Innovate in the Face of Global Challenges. For registration information, click here.
Research Spotlight
Veterinary Record Publishes Research Comment Article on the “Potential for Collaborative Research into the Increasing Use of Virtual Simulations in Veterinary Education”
Veterinary education today relies on an increasing number of simulation modalities that enable students to practice and hone clinical and professional skills. These modalities include clinical skills bench top models, interactive simulators and more recently virtual simulation. Virtual simulations range from virtual responsive environments projected on a screen to virtual reality (VR) activities that immerse a student in a 3-D virtual environment through the use of a VR head set. Virtual simulations have a range of potential teaching applications including clinical and professional skills. The current Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on hands-on teaching and assessment, leading educators to find innovative solutions to teaching and assessing core competencies.

Virtual simulation offers a range of different options that could enhance and potentially replace some hands on teaching. However, to date, there has been limited research into their use in terms of educational outcomes. The article reports on recent research into the use of virtual reality in teaching surgical skills and discusses the need for further research and collaborative research projects that go beyond user perceptions. The article also highlights a number of recent initiatives to share learning resources between veterinary teaching institutions and elaborates on how these initiatives can facilitate collaborative research within veterinary education.

Farrell, R. (2020). Beyond the classroom: insights into the use of virtual simulation in veterinary education. Veterinary Record, 186(17), 559–561. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.m2103
Profile - Leaders in Veterinary Education
Dr Julie Carey, Washington State University: Leader in Veterinary Clinical Communication Skills Training
Dr Julie Cary, Director of Simulation-Based Education (SBE) at Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, is a board-certified large animal surgeon from private practice and academia. With formal medical education training at the University of Dundee and Certification as a Healthcare Simulation Educator, along with expertise in clinical communication, she has published in the field of veterinary clinical communication and contributed to multiple international communication and simulation programs.
Additionally, she provided the veterinary medical examples and expertise for one of the few veterinary communication guidebooks. In 2019, SBE at the WSU-CVM received accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, marking the first time this designation was granted to a veterinary-specific program. Dr. Cary’s passion is to equip learners and the profession with the skills necessary to thrive.
Upcoming Global Events (Meetings, Conferences etc.) in Veterinary Medical Education
InVest 2020 Postponed to May 2021

The International Veterinary Simulation in Teaching (InVest) 2020 conference planned at St. Georges’ University, Granada, West Indies, has been postponed to May 2021 and renamed InVest 2020/2021. The call for abstracts has been reopened. Interested persons can visit https://www.sgu.edu/news-and-events/events/invest-2021-international-veterinary-simulation-in-teaching/ or contact [email protected] for more information.

The AAVMC is working hard 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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