Baseline survey of progress by veterinary medical colleges in implementing recommendations from the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium.

A survey was conducted to assess progress by accredited veterinary medical colleges in the United States and Canada with regard to implementation of recommendations from the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC). Results indicated broad support for many of the recommendations and a willingness among stakeholders in veterinary medical education to accelerate their implementation. Respondents also expressed a desire for evidence-based decisions and detailed implementation planning. Many colleges of veterinary medicine reported progress on initiatives started prior to the meetings of the NAVMEC that closely aligned with NAVMEC recommendations. Only isolated progress toward implementation of system-wide recommendations that required coordination among multiple colleges of veterinary medicine and other stakeholders was identified. Survey results confirmed the need for changes to the current veterinary medical education paradigm and a commitment among many stakeholders to work together to effect these changes.

Fulbright scholar international teaching and research opportunities for veterinary faculty.

The Fulbright program was established by the US Congress to "enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." The Core Fulbright Scholar Program sends more than 800 US faculty and administrators to 125 countries to lecture or conduct research around the world each year. Unfortunately, only 28 faculty members from the US veterinary colleges have used Fulbright Scholar opportunities in the last 20 years (1989-2009). Considering recent worldwide events, such as the global dispersion of the Asian strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza and pandemic H1N1 2009 affecting human and animal species, the importance of awareness and education of veterinarians to such global issues is obviously urgent. Therefore, Fulbright scholarships represent an important opportunity to gain experience and bring this time-critical information back to fellow faculty and students. Veterinarians who wish to contribute to internationalization of the curricula and their campuses should consider applying for Fulbright Scholar support to launch their career in this pivotal direction. For details about the Fulbright Scholar Program, eligibility, and application procedures, please visit .