Can veterinary medicine improve diversity in post-graduate training programs? Current state of academic veterinary medicine and recommendations on best practices.

The American Association of Veterinary Clinicians (AAVC) convened a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity working group in March 2021 to address the limited diversity (including but not limited to ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity) in clinical post-DVM graduate training programs and academic faculty. Concurrent with a working group formation, the AAVC developed a strategic plan. The central mission of the AAVC is to develop, support, and connect academic leaders to fuel the future of the veterinary medical profession.

Measurement of leadership skills development among veterinary students and veterinary professionals participating in an experiential leadership program (the Veterinary Leadership Experience).

Objective: To evaluate outcomes associated with an experiential leadership program (the Veterinary Leadership Experience [VLE]) among participants 1 year after program completion.

Sample: 157 veterinary students and 61 veterinary professionals who participated in the 2015 or 2016 VLE.

Procedures: Participants completed various instruments to assess emotional intelligence, psychological flexibility, resilience, and client-communication skills prior to (pretest) and 1 year after (posttest) attending the VLE; pretest and posttest findings were compared for all but client-communication skills, for which only posttest responses were analyzed.

Curriculum Redesign in Veterinary Medicine: Part II.

Curricular review is considered a necessary component for growth and enhancement of academic programs and requires time, energy, creativity, and persistence from both faculty and administration. On a larger scale, a comprehensive redesign effort involves forming a dedicated faculty redesign team, developing program learning outcomes, mapping the existing curriculum, and reviewing the curriculum in light of collected stakeholder data. The faculty of the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (TAMU) recently embarked on a comprehensive curriculum redesign effort through partnership with the university's Center for Teaching Excellence.

Curriculum Redesign in Veterinary Medicine: Part I.

Curricular review is considered a necessary component for growth and enhancement of academic programs and requires time, energy, creativity, and persistence from both faculty and administration. At Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (TAMU), the faculty and administration partnered with the university's Center for Teaching Excellence to create a faculty-driven, data-enhanced curricular redesign process. The 8-step process begins with the formation of a dedicated faculty curriculum design team to drive the redesign process and to support the college curriculum committee.

Merging Clinical Cases, Client Communication, and Physiology to Enhance Student Engagement, Learning, and Skills.

Understanding disease processes, making diagnoses, and guiding clinical therapy are predicated on an understanding of normal physiologic function. However, we have observed that many first-year students fail to appreciate the important role that a clear understanding of normal function plays in becoming well-prepared, practicing veterinarians. Students also struggle with application of basic knowledge to the diagnosis and treatment of disease, as evidenced by poor performance on exam questions requiring application.

How a disaster preparedness rotation helps teach the seven NAVMEC professional competencies: the Texas A&M University Experience.

Changing societal expectations provide new challenges and opportunities for the veterinary medical profession. These changing expectations and approaches to the education of veterinary students in the future are reflected in the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium's report "Roadmap for Veterinary Medical Education in the 21st Century: Responsive, Collaborative, Flexible." They are also reflected in the expectations of the populace, who no longer find it acceptable that animals are not included in both planning for and responding to natural or manmade disasters.

Survival data for canine oral extramedullary plasmacytomas: a retrospective analysis (1996-2006).

In a 10-year period, extramedullary plasmacytomas (EMP) represented 5.2% of all oral tumors found in the dog (16/302). These 16 oral EMP comprised 28.

Mammary gland tumors in male dogs.

Background: Reports of mammary-gland tumors in male dogs are lacking.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of mammary-gland tumors in male dogs.

Animals: Eight male dogs diagnosed with mammary-gland tumors.

Surgery of metastatic anal sac adenocarcinoma in five dogs.

Objective: To identify survival and morbidity information after surgery for metastases from apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinomas (AGACA).

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Animals: Five dogs with AGACA.

Primary intratracheal lymphosarcoma in four cats.

Four cats presented with clinical signs suggestive of respiratory disease, including dyspnea, wheezing, cyanosis, inspiratory stridor, coughing, and gagging. Radiographs revealed intratracheal masses. Bronchoscopy allowed for lesion localization and collection of samples for cytopathological and histopathological evaluation, which confirmed a diagnosis of lymphosarcoma.

Evaluation of a bladder tumor antigen test as a screening test for transitional cell carcinoma of the lower urinary tract in dogs.

Objective: To evaluate the veterinary version of the bladder tumor antigen (V-BTA) test as a screening test for transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the lower urinary tract of dogs.

Animals: 229 client-owned dogs.

Procedure: Urine samples from dogs were shipped overnight to a single laboratory to facilitate testing within 48 hours of collection by use of the V-BTA rapid latex agglutination urine dipstick test.