Making Research a Priority - Western University of Health Sciences

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I v e r s o n B e l lSyMPOSIUMCVM StudentsTake Top Honorsin Essay ContestFrom left, Dean Phillip Nelson, Lisa Rodriguez, DVM ’16,Pouneh Behin, DVM ’15, and CVM Assistant Professor SuzieKovacs attend the Iverson Bell Symposium in Alexandria, Va.TWO STUDENTS FROM WESTERNU’S COLLEGE OFVETERINARY MEDICINE won this year’s IversonBell Essay Contest at the national meeting ofthe Association of American VeterinaryMedical Colleges in Alexandria, Va. Honoredfor their work were Pouneh Behin, DVM2015, and Lisa Rodriguez, DVM ’16. Themeeting was held March 8-10, 2013.The essay contest is part of the Iverson BellSymposium, which occurs every other year atthe AAVMC national conference. This is theoldest symposium in veterinary medicine andit is dedicated to Dr. Iverson Bell, an African-American veterinarian who worked towardthe goal of promoting diversity within theveterinary profession. One winning essay isselected from each of the first- and secondyearclasses and the winners receive a freeregistration and trip to the symposium.“The symposium allowed me to connect withstudents, staff, and faculty members fromother schools/colleges of veterinary medicinewho, just like myself, are passionate aboutissues of diversity,” said Pouneh. “This was themost noteworthy experience ... I now knowexactly who I can speak to at specific schoolsabout working together towards increasingthe number of underrepresented students. Ilook forward to being part of a movementthat brings change for the betterment of ourprofession.”The theme of this year’s conference wasDiversity and Inclusion: Excellence inInstitutional Planning, Teaching, andAssessment in Veterinary Medical Education.Among the lineup of sessions were topicsdevoted to campus climate and culture,diversity in food supply veterinary medicine,leadership, and clinical assessment. Thattheme was carried through in the essays byboth the winners. Excerpts from each arebelow:From Pouneh Behin:“Through my involvement as a student activist, both in the past and today, I have realized that tolerance is not the aim of my vision due toits lack of regard for acceptance of people of different backgrounds. It is rather the full inclusion of students of color and underrepresentedstudents into the field of veterinary medicine that I hold as a vision. The little amount of racial/ethnic diversity within the studentpopulation at WesternU led me to establish Students of Color & Allies Outreach, Retention & Education (SCORE). It has grown to includepeople of all backgrounds dedicated to bringing to light issues facing students of color and outreaching to K-12 schools with largeunderrepresented student populations.I truly believe that in our perseverance to achieve equal access for all to veterinary medical education, we should remember that diversityshould not simply be a friendly and colorful word we use when discussing its absence in our colleges; it should rather be an established goalfor the future of our profession.”From Lisa Rodriguez:“I’ve never thought of diversity in the strictest sense of the word, instead I always regarded it as this: can you relate to or understandanother’s way of life, culturally, socially, or economically? I don’t define my diversity as a first-generation Hispanic college student from asingle parent, lower-income household in a largely Hispanic-predominated town in south Texas, but rather, I define it as my experiencesdealing with people from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds, various socioeconomic status, and varied life experience. All of thatcame from talking to people.Diversity is important not only to veterinary medicine, but to all professions. Diversity means widening your clientele, providing better careto more creatures, and understanding more people.”4
PetSmart Charities Grants $300,000 to College of Veterinary MedicineTo be used for spay/neuter mobile unitThe College of Veterinary Medicine received a $300,000 grant fromPetSmart Charities to acquire, equip and operate a high-volume mobilespay/neuter vehicle.“This is a significant contribution to our academic program thatdoubles the college’s mobile capacity to address community needs inthe Inland Empire and the LA basin,” said College of VeterinaryMedicine Dean Phillip Nelson, DVM, PhD. “The support of the VACS IIby PetSmart Charities, and the contribution of personnel and medicalsupplies by WesternU College of Veterinary Medicine, will result in apartnership designed to provide a measurable impact on thepopulation of unowned/unwanted animals in local communities,while providing valuablelearning experiences forour students.”The vehicle, VACS II(Veterinary AmbulatoryCommunity Service), willbe a key component ofthe college’s ShelterMedicine fourth-year rotation. VACS II, which is expected to beginoperation in August 2013, will take two to three fourth-year CVMstudents to area shelters to perform about 30 spays and neuters perday. It will go out Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.“We’re going to be doing quality high-volume spay and neuter withthose students,” said CVM Assistant Professor Frank Bossong, DVM. “Bythe time students get to their fourth year, they’re pretty seasoned. Theyare well prepared to be performing spays and neuters on dogs andcats at this point in our curriculum. We’ll really be making a biggerimpact on the animal population at the shelters here in SouthernCalifornia.”University Specialty Vehicles Inc. in Perris, Calif., constructed CVM’sfirst mobile unit, VACS I, said Eva Jaeger, RVT, who is working closelywith the company again 10 years later. “Getting a second opportunityto perfect a job well done the first time is an exciting prospect for allinvolved,” she said.VACS I will continue to serve the community on Tuesdays andThursdays. Generally, seven first-year students work in VACS I in themorning, and seven second-year students come on board in theafternoon to learn about anesthesia and surgery.“The VACS II will further ensure that our graduates will be ready to dosurgery on day one with their new employer,” Dr. Bossong said. “Aswith the VACS I, this newmobile unit demonstratesWesternU’s continuedcommitment to producinghealth professionals whoembrace the idea ofcommunity service.” Thenew unit will help studentsgreatly improve their general surgery skills and allow extensiveexperience in tissue handling.Established in 1994, PetSmart Charities, Inc. is an independent,nonprofit organization that creates and supports programs that savethe lives of homeless pets, raise awareness of companion animalwelfare issues and promote healthy relationships between people andpets. The largest funder of animal-welfare efforts in North America,PetSmart Charities has provided more than $165 million in grants andprograms benefiting animal-welfare organizations and has helped savethe lives of more than 5 million pets through its in-store adoptionprogram.Banfield, Merial Make Gifts to the CVMBanfield, the Pet Hospital, has directed to the College ofVeterinary Medicine a gift of $215,000. This annual gift is part ofthe overall 10-year pledge by Banfield that built the BanfieldVeterinary Clinical Center building on campus and will total morethan $6.5 million when completed, according to UniversityAdvancement at WesternU.Merial Limited has made a gift-in-kind donation of products for College ofVeterinary Medicine students at WesternU valued at more than $45,000. Studentsare able to use and evaluate the various types of products in real-world situationsthat they will be recommending and prescribing after earning their DVM.5
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