SAVMA GRANTS: ICDC

The Integrative Communication and Diversity Committee recently awarded these amazing students with the Travel Grant Supporting Diversity and Communications:

“Thank you SAVMA  I am so very grateful for this generous grant! It will help me pay for the expenses associated with this life-changing externship!”- Tasha Desiderio

 “Thanks to this grant, I was welcomed into a global community of OneHealth experts, the Wildlife Disease Association (WDA), who is committed to DEI and wildlife health by prioritizing the knowledge of First Nations and Indigenous peoples when it comes to disease monitoring”- Mieko Temple 

“Externships have been my favorite aspect of being a vet student but they're so expensive. Grants like these make it possible for me to have these experiences and I'm so thankful!”- Nia Powell

STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Submitted by Katherine Ramirez Lopez, Western University of Health Sciences

A Zoo-tastic Summer

In the summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to travel across the country to participate in a research externship at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. I was so excited when I was accepted to this externship because there aren’t many zoo medicine opportunities available for vet students prior to their clinical year let alone ones dealing with zoo related research. As someone who is committed to pursuing the zoo medicine field and eventually becoming board certified, I knew experiences like these didn’t come around often and should be taken advantage of. To top it off, this was my first time traveling for a veterinary opportunity outside of my sunny state of  California and I was both nervous and thrilled for how the next 8 weeks in a new city would look like. 

My first week at my externship was incredible as I started to become familiar with all the zoo animals and the friendly and welcoming staff. As someone who is very family and friends oriented I was nervous that I would feel lonely in a big and strange city. But the zoo hospital staff knew how to make someone feel comfortable and part of the team! For the first couple of weeks I worked closely with the head and associate zoo vets discussing the layout of the research project which involved conducting a retrospective analysis of African Penguin chick  mortality in populations under human care. This meant collecting and analyzing  medical records of African penguin chicks who passed away in the last 12 years across various AZA accredited zoos and aquariums. Not only did I get first hand experience in seeing what a cross institutional study looked like but I learned alot about ex situ conservation and the integral role it plays in preserving species across the world. With much mentorship from the vets, I was able to conduct a research project from start to finish by presenting the preliminary data to the Maryland Zoo African Penguin Care team and hospital staff during my last week. With the project bringing to light essential base knowledge about African penguin chick mortality, publication of  the research is currently in progress. 

One additional bonus to this externship was that I had the opportunity to shadow several clinical procedures and conservation programs that the Maryland Zoo Hospital oversaw. I got to experience several first from seeing my first primate exam to helping track eastern box turtles across the forest terrain of the zoo. One of the highlights was watching an  African elephant mobility exam and seeing the interaction between the giant gentle creature and its supportive zookeeper via behavioral husbandry. Behavioral husbandry is a component of daily animal care focused on how animals interact with their physical and social environment. As a result, we see beneficial behaviors such as an animal voluntarily participating in a blood draw which facilitates veterinary care and lessens stress on the animal. Getting to see so many different procedures and listen to the vets collaborate on cases definitely reaffirmed my passion for zoo med!

This trip couldn’t be complete without some sight seeing and I was so fortunate to not only explore the vibrant city of Baltimore but New York as well. Getting to walk around the inner harbor of Baltimore was scenic and I even had the opportunity to check out the National Aquarium! While in New York I had to stop and some iconic places such as the Grand Central Station, Central Park, and Times Square! Never had I imagined that I would be able to see these amazing places.

Overall, this experience was definitely one for the books and I can’t wait to partake in more zoo related opportunities and explore more cities.  

CUTEST PET

Submitted by Kathleen Kalphat-Losego, University of Georgia

EXTERNS ON THE HILL

Submitted by John La Bonte, University of Arizona

Inside the PAC: Advocacy at All Levels 

With one ousted Speaker of the House, three Speaker hopefuls, and now a newly elected Speaker, navigating the legislative channels of Washington is difficult.  However, after two weeks as an extern at the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Government Relations Division (GRD) in Washington D.C. and meeting with members of Congress on Capitol Hill, I’ve witnessed firsthand that lawmakers are pushing to advance legislation that betters all aspects of our wide-ranging profession.  

During the first half of my externship here, I have attended two day-long meetings with the AVMA Political Action Committee (PAC) Board and a joint meeting between the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) and American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV). While the goals of these meetings were different, they both had the same objective - to advocate on behalf of the veterinary profession.

While working with the AVMA PAC board, I met with both Democrats and Republicans and saw how valuable it is to make personal connections with the elected officials supporting the AVMA’s legislative agenda. These members of Congress are supporters of AVMA-endorsed bills and on congressional committees that deal with legislation related to veterinary medicine. The conversations we had with the lawmakers attending included casual conversation to get to know them personally, the most pressing issues facing the profession such as the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, and talking about their animals and pets. The great thing about advocating for our profession is that pets are nonpartisan, and everyone always wants to show pictures of their pets – a casual segway to how lawmakers can help veterinarians treat their patients.

I won’t lie, it can be a bit surreal to meet these people in real life that I have read about and watched on TV for so long now. Walking into an elevator and unexpectedly having Senator Bernie Sanders say, “hello” to me while I stare and struggle to find any words to respond with has made this externship a memorable experience, to say the least. 

However, you don’t have to be in Washington or an AVMA GRD extern (although you should apply) to advocate for bills that strengthen our profession. The advocacy team has recently launched a new points-based program through the AVMA’s Congressional Advocacy Network (CAN) where you can easily earn points and qualify to win prizes by “taking action.” “Taking action” through the AVMA CAN includes sending a letter to your members of Congress or signing up for the AVMA Advocate newsletter to learn about current legislation and events veterinarians are doing with lawmakers in their district. 

From what I have seen firsthand and have learned from the staff here, is that while policy can move slowly, it can also move very quickly in Congress, and we need veterinary advocates at all levels to help educate elected officials about what is best for our profession so there are no unintended consequences passed into law. We, as students and soon-to-be veterinarians, are preparing to educate our clients daily about how to help their animal or herd. We would never walk out of a new puppy exam room and not bring up pet insurance because we know that the unexpected will happen, and we want to be able to do everything we can to help. And just like our puppies, we need to ensure that our voices are heard on the federal and state levels by “taking action” and giving a strong voice to what we need legislatively as veterinarians. 

PHOTOGRAPHY

Submitted by Savannah Whitecotton, Auburn University