CIVME Meets in Washington - Just in Time
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Council members from left to right: Dr. Nitish Debnath (Asia), Dr. Hussein El-Maghraby Middle East/N Africa), Dr. Emma Read (CAN/USA), Dr. Harold Bok (Continental Europe), Dr. Jennifer Hammond (UK/IRE), Dr. Martin Cake (Australasia), Dr. Ehab Abu-Basha (Middle East/N. Africa), Dr. Caroline Cantner (AAVMC Director for Professional Development and CIVME Liaison), Dr. Rafael Mondadori (Central and South America).
Dr. Serge Bakou (Africa) is not pictured.
Nine members of the
Council on International Veterinary Medical Education
(CIVME) met in Washington, D.C. on March 5th, 2020 for their annual meeting. Within only a few weeks of the meeting, which started without the usual hugs and handshakes, the coronavirus pandemic had burst across the world.
During the meeting, Dr. Martin Cake from the School of Veterinary Medicine at Murdoch University (Perth, Western Australia) took over from Dr. Harold Bok (Utrecht University, Netherlands) as CIVME's incoming chair for 2020-21. Members discussed with CEO Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe various ways in which CIVME can help to advance AAVMC’s international agenda, through connecting and encouraging collaboration between veterinary schools and veterinary educators around the world. The council also recognized founding Co-Chair Dr. Emma Read for her contributions.
As well as monthly online meetings, representatives from across the eight CIVME regions usually meet twice each year to advance the council’s strategic goals, which currently include:
- Creating and maintaining an international community of practice for educators
- Promoting and advancing collaborative international educational research
- Facilitating the development and establishment of international accreditation systems across the globe
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CIVME Research Grants for 2020 Awarded
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An output of a CIVME-funded project, this useful ‘toolbox’ for teaching Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine (EBVM) is published on the
CIVME website.
During the annual meeting in March, CIVME considered proposals under its annual Research Grants program, which is designed to foster the advancement of global veterinary medical education, as well as international collaboration between veterinary educators. This year – the fourth year of the grant program – 22 proposals were received, representing collaborative efforts from many institutions around the world.
Following the meeting, CIVME was pleased to announce the following research grants for 2020:
- "Appalachia to East Africa: Improving Veterinary Student Outcomes Through Teacher Training” – Jamie Stewart of Virginia Tech in collaboration with Cassidy Rist and Jennifer Hodgson, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine; Misty Bailey, India Lane and Marcy Souza, University of Tennessee; Julie Hunt and Katherine Fogelberg, Lincoln Memorial University; Samuel Majalija, Makerere, Uganda; Jane Mburu, Egerton, Kenya; and A. Muhairwa, Sokoine, Tanzania.
- What Makes a Curriculum Leader in Veterinary Education?” – Sheena Warman of the University of Bristol and Elizabeth Armitage-Chan of the Royal Veterinary College in London in collaboration with Katy Cobb, University of Nottingham; Heidi Janicke, St. George’s University; Emma Read, The Ohio State University; Mario Baratta, University of Turin; and Sarah Kelly, University of Bristol.
- “Capacity Building in Veterinary Educational Research by Developing an Open Access Resource to Support Community Members” – Julie Hunt of Lincoln Memorial University in collaboration with Sarah Baillie of the University of Bristol; Mirja Ruohoniemi, University of Helsinki; Waraporn Aumarm, Bangkok University; Manuel Boller, University of Melbourne; and Victoria Philips, Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad.
The council also awarded the inaugural grant under its
CIVME/MSD Animal Health Antimicrobial Stewardship program
, which is designed to improve global veterinary education responses to the problem of antimicrobial resistance. From the nine applications received for this exciting new program, CIVME was pleased to award the following grant:
- “Antimicrobial Stewardship Cooperative” – Laura Hardefeldt of the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with Kirsty Bailey and Glenn Browning, University of Melbourne; and Scott Weese, University of Guelph.
A shared ‘toolbox’ resource developed as a key output for a project funded by CIVME in 2018, “Creating the next generation of evidence-based veterinary practitioners and researchers: What are the options for a veterinary curriculum?” (Lead: Dr. Heidi Janicke) is now published on the
CIVME website
.The ‘toolbox’ includes information for educators to consult when reviewing or introducing research and/or evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM) in a curriculum, including a literature review of the rationale, issues and options for research and EBVM in veterinary curricula, as well as a compiled list of supporting resources.
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CIVME Welcomes New Council Members
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Over the last few months CIVME has been busy selecting and inducting new
council members
, as part of a natural cycle of turnover as founding members have departed. CIVME has been excited to recently welcome the following new council members:
- Core member representing US and Canada: Dr. Elpida Artemiou (Ross University, West Indies*)
- Alternate member representing US and Canada: Dr. Kimberly Carney (Lincoln Memorial University, US)
- Alternate member representing Continental Europe: Dr. Christin Kleinsorgen (University of Hannover, Germany)
- Alternate member representing UK and Ireland: Dr. Sarah Baillie (University of Bristol, UK)
- Alternate member representing Central, Latin and South America, Caribbean: Dr. Luiz Zarco (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México)
- Alternate member representing Australia and New Zealand: Dr. Eloise Jillings (Massey University, New Zealand)
*CIVME now includes Ross University, St. George’s University and St. Matthews University within the US and Canada region for Council purposes.
CIVME council members are selected from nominees in recognition of their high level of engagement in veterinary education, and their regional and international connections within the global veterinary education community. Council members must have an active association with a veterinary education establishment, but do not need to be from an AAVMC member institution.
The CIVME Council also recently elected Dr. Ehab Abu-Basha (Jordan University of Science & Technology, Jordan) as Chair-elect, expected to assume the role of Chair in 2021-22.
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Veterinary Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Accelerating the Inevitable
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EDITORIAL:
Rafael Gianella Mondadori (Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil) – CIVME Core Council Member (Central, Latin and South America, Caribbean)
As one health professionals, we knew that, sooner or later, we would face a pandemic situation like the one we are experiencing now. Higher education, not only specifically veterinary medical education, was designed for a reality that no longer exists and even less in the future. Therefore, the majority of methodologies currently used are out of date. Teachers, most of them without pedagogical training, simply repeat the way of teaching that was used as they were undergraduate student; that is, in the vast majority of cases, an expository class with an exclusive focus on content, with the professor being a “transmitter” and the student a passive “receiver.” In the past, this methodology made sense because knowledge was centered on the professor, but nowadays this is no longer true since all information is available on search engines that are fed at the same speed as the data is generated.
Several sources indicate that veterinary higher education institutions are not managing to develop in students the minimum competencies required on Day 1. It is worth mentioning that the labor market is also constantly changing and several activities that involve repetitive work will soon be replaced by computers (artificial intelligence). Currently the market requires a professional who has a view of the process as a whole and with the ability to deepen the intervention on different fronts inherent to its scope of action; this means that over-specialization during graduation is not desirable. In short, the market does not make up for what the professional knows but makes up for what they do with what they know, how they behave in the world and how they adapt. This means the development of an educational system that encourages creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration.
Read more here
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ViEW Network Hosts Exchanges of Experience, Online Resources and Coffee Breaks
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ViEW
or Veterinary Education Worldwide is a not-for-profit organisation which – much like CIVME – brings together veterinary professionals, educators and academics involved in veterinary education from around the world. ViEW’s aim is to promote and support excellence in veterinary education across the globe. ViEW meets face-to-face at the annual AMEE (Association for Medical Education in Europe) meeting, but has been expanding its activity online and was recently awarded a grant to establish an online veterinary education hub on the Advance HE Connect platform.
Dr Christin Kleinsorgen (University of Hannover, Germany), who recently joined the CIVME council representing continental Europe, is also the current secretary of ViEW. Christin explains how ViEW has been active recently to support its worldwide members as the coronavirus pandemic has hit:
“The coronavirus pandemic has forced higher education institutions all around the world to radically shift their education and working practices to incorporate a more distanced-based, digital approach. ViEW has tried to support their members as best as possible during this difficult time by implementing various new initiatives within our members Facebook group: “ViEW: Veterinary Education Worldwide’’ (Note: ViEW membership is free).
“A resource list with useful tools for online teaching - such as videoconferencing systems, audience response systems, video recording and editing tools - has been created and shared within the group. We have also compiled a summary of free online courses available to educators that want to improve their skills in digital education and distance learning.
“Another way we are trying to support members is by keeping them connected to the veterinary education community. A brilliant panel discussion, facilitated by Dr. Claire Vinten (President of ViEW), saw experts from around the world (US, Australia, Pakistan, China, Germany) share their experiences on the Coronavirus situation in their country – regarding lockdown, working from home, accessing education, what challenges the institution has faced and how they overcome them. The recordings are available online for ViEW members:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1490965321203953/
“Due to Covid-19 many of us are feeling isolated from our family and friends. We are also missing chatting to colleagues ‘by the water cooler’ or over lunch. In order to ensure our distancing is physical but not social, ViEW have been hosting the ‘Worldwide Coffee Break’ every Tuesday during lockdown. Members have been joining us for a social chat, with topics ranging from teaching ideas to fancy dress costumes! If you would like to share your story, seek help with a challenge or just see a friendly face, please feel free to join the next coffee break on zoom.
ViEW is continuing to plan and host events for our members, including:
- A webinar about creating virtual patients
- A panel discussion about moving clinical skills training online
- Our Worldwide Coffee Break, every Tuesday 3:00 pm (UTC+01:00)
Keep an eye on the facebook group and our Twitter feed (@vetedworldwide) for dates and times!”
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Simple Rules for the Online Pivot
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Veterinary educators seeking guidelines on how to manage the rapid but temporary pivot to online learning may find a recently-released preprint article “
10 simple rules for supporting a temporary online pivot in higher education
” useful. One of the authors, Jill MacKay, is a Research Fellow in Veterinary Education at the University of Edinburgh. At the time of writing, the paper had been downloaded nearly 2000 times, suggesting these clear messages have been appreciated by their academic peers.
The simple rules outlined in the paper include:
- Provide asynchronous content
- Set and communicate clear expectations about engagement
- Review the use and format of recorded content
- Focus on achievable learning outcomes for online field, clinical and clinical work
- Create a community for staff and students
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VetEd Down Under 2020 at University of Queensland, Gatton Well Received
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The School of Veterinary Science at the University of Queensland recently hosted the second ‘VetEd Down Under 2020’ symposium on the Gatton Campus from 11-13 February 2020. This biennial event, open to veterinary and veterinary technology/ nursing academics, teachers, educators, clinicians, practitioners, researchers and students, aims to “promote veterinary education in the Australia and New Zealand region, through inclusive sharing of research, innovation and best practice.” This event followed the successful inaugural
VetEd Down Under hosted by the University of Adelaide in 2018.
The theme for VetEd Down Under 2020 was “Sharing Practice, Growing Together,” with three terrific keynote speakers:
- Dr. Julie Cary, Washington State University, US – “Simulation-based education: criticial for the future of veterinary medicine.”
- Dr. Eloise Jillings, Massey University, New Zealand – “Are the Australian and New Zealand veterinary professions adequately representative of the populations we serve?”
- Dr. Elizabeth Tudor, University of Melbourne, Australia – “Building sustainable partnerships to deliver animal health programs in regional and remote Indigenous communities.”
The symposium had a great response to the call for abstracts with 24 workshops delivered by facilitators representing all of the Australasian veterinary schools, and several from further afield. Thirty-one educational posters were also presented.
Two post-conference workshops delivered on February 13 were also well received:
- Veterinary Service Delivery to Remote Indigenous Communities – Talking Practicalities and One Health
- Creative Teaching for Veterinary Clinical Skills Development
In total, 128 people attended over the two-day symposium and around 90-100 people attended the post-conference workshops. The majority of attendees were from Australia, but delegates included colleagues from NZ, Germany, Japan, US and the UK.
The VetEd Down Under symposium, now an successful fixture in the veterinary education landscape in the region, will next be hosted by Murdoch University (Perth, Western Australia) around February 2022. Abstracts from the 2020 event can be accessed via the VetEd Down Under website
www.veteddownunder.com
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Centenary Celebrations in South Africa Delayed
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The planned year of celebrations at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria commemorating 100 years of veterinary education in the region has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, though they still got to cut their birthday cake in February. The special commemorative cake was cut by university Vice-Chancellor Prof. Tawana Kupe alongside Dean of the Faculty Prof. Vinny Naidoo and other special guests. Since 1920, when
Sir Arnold Theiler
enrolled his first students, veterinary education has been at the forefront of animal production, health and welfare in the region. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a special veterinary centenary conference for this year was cancelled and its programme will run as a parallel track at next year’s South African Veterinary Association 2021 Biennial Congress in June at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg.
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(NOT!) COMING UP
An update on the status of previously reported veterinary and medical education events:
I
NVEST (Grenada) 2020
– deferred to later in the year
Veterinary Educator’s Collaborative (VEC) 2020
- cancelled
VetEd Asia Summit November 2020, Bangladesh
– decision pending
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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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