2021 AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference Funding Application Now Open

Announcing the 2021 AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference & student attendance with National SAVMA funding!

VLC is the veterinary profession's premier conference for leadership development! Grow your leadership skills, gain new insights, and expand your personal toolset. Prepare for professional and personal pursuits and help shape the veterinary profession through CE sessions, AVMA governance meetings, and networking with colleagues! VLC will be held virtually January 7-9, 2021, with optional in-person regional meetings while maintaining safety guidelines, which will be open to SAVMA participants.

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Wellbeing Support Fund Accepting Applications

 As veterinary students return to classes in the world of COVID-19, maintaining mental and emotional wellbeing is more important than ever.  Have a creative and unique idea to provide your classmates with a virtual wellness boost? Look no further! The SAVMA Wellbeing Committee is currently reviewing applications for their Wellness Support Fund. Take a look below for details!

In light of the growing body of evidence indicating high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in the veterinary profession, the SAVMA Wellbeing Committee recognizes that there is a considerable need to transform the culture of veterinary schools into one that is safe, promotes self-awareness, and encourages healthy living habits.  The committee will award up to $2,500.00 each cycle to student applicants demonstrating the need for assistance with a project, lecture, or event(s) that will foster physical or mental wellbeing in their respective college, on an as needed basis. This cycle ends December 31, 2020.

Click here for the application!

Please send any questions to savmawellbeing@gmail.com.

AVMA alliance invests in future with new student program

Editor's note: please read the below press release on how EACH vet school's SCAVMA will be receiving up tp $7,000 from the AVMA and SAVMA! In this time of decreased funding, we at SAVMA are so excited be able to give back to our members in this way.

(SCHAUMBURG, Illinois) September 26, 2013—The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the AVMA Professional Liability Insurance Trust (PLIT), and the Student AVMA (SAVMA) are launching a two-year pilot program to help fund local student chapter activities. The new pilot program—ALL for Students (ALL standing for Achieving, Leading and Learning)—will provide up to $7,000 annually for activities at each student chapter. First-year payments of $7,000 were distributed to student leaders during the Student Chapters of the AVMA (SCAVMA) Leadership Conference at AVMA Headquarters in Schaumburg, Ill. on Sept. 20.

“The students who make up SAVMA are absolutely essential in shaping the future of the profession and this association. It would be impossible to find a more worthy cause in which to invest, because today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders and visionaries,” explains Dr. Walter R. Threlfall, vice president of the AVMA. “Unfortunately, during the recent economic downturn, it’s become harder for our student organizations to raise the funding needed to support all of their worthwhile programs and projects. ALL for Students will help ensure each SAVMA organization will be able to continue the activities that provide the foundation for the success of their members.”

ALL for Students is supported this year by AVMA and the AVMA PLIT, which each contributed $100,000 to the program, and SAVMA, which committed $33,000.

“ALL for Students provides a unified message of support to our student members. This financial contribution will go toward developing student leadership skills, community outreach events and other programs. These programs will help make them better veterinarians and more successful leaders,” explains Dr. Janet D. Donlin, CEO of AVMA PLIT.

In addition to the funding, the AVMA will provide guidelines on the most effective ways that each student organization might use this financial support. This may include a specific example of a successful program already being developed and implemented by another student chapter that works well within the ALL for Students mission.

SAVMA programs that will be supported with ALL for Students funding include events focused on community outreach, leadership training, professional development, and wellness.

Leaders of the student organizations must submit annual reports detailing how the funding is spent. The two-year pilot program could be extended into a multi-year program after an evaluation of its success.

For more information about the AVMA, please visit www.avma.org.