JVMA NEWS
New Veterinary School opens in Antigua
Kingston: October 23, 2009
The Caribbean now boasts a fourth United States offshore Veterinary School. The College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences recently opened its doors as part of the American University of Antigua (AUA). Dean of the new school, Professor Olusequn Dipeolu, said that AUA was also opening a brand new multi-million dollar facility for its human and veterinary medical programs. AUA was founded in 2004 as a Medical School and also has a School of Nursing.
The new vet school is affiliated with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, USA, where its students will do their clinical year.
According to its website, from January 2010, newly matriculated freshman students at AUA’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will be able to enroll in dual programs that enable them to obtain a master’s degree in biomedical sciences or veterinary public health in addition to the completion of the preclinical sciences program.
Professor Dipeolu said that the school wants to be a part of the CbVMA Conference 2010 scheduled for November 3 - 6, 2010 in Ocho Rios Jamaica.
The AUA joins Ross University in St. Kitts, St. Georges University in Grenada and St. Matthew's University in Cayman on the list of US offshore Caribbean universities with veterinary schools. With the University of the West Indies' School of Veterinary Medicine, the number of veterinary schools in the English-speaking Caribbean rises to five.
www.auamed.org/vetschool
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Cayman Islands' Vets form Association
Kingston: October 23, 2009
Veterinarians in the Cayman Islands have come together to form an Association. Facilitated by Dr. Tiffany Durzi, Director of the Clinical Teaching Facility at St. Matthew's University's School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Alfred Benjamin and Dr. Colin Wakelin, the inaugural meeting of the Cayman Islands Veterinary Medical Association (CIVMA) took place at the beginning of October and was attended by 18 of the 25 veterinarians in the territory.
Dr. Durzi commented that "Although we are in the infant stages of planning this Association, we are happy to have had 18/25 veterinarians participate." She promised to supply further details as time progresses.
Dr. Durzi also stated that SMU-SVM looks forward to working with the CbVMA for the 2010 Conference.
The Jamaica Veterinary Medical Association would like our Caribbean colleagues to join us in offering heartiest congratulations to the CIVMA and wishing all success in the quest to advance our noble profession in the Cayman Islands and beyond.
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Worldvets Spay-Neuter Marathon in Montego Bay a runaway success.
Kingston: October 23, 2009
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of this week (October 19-21 2009) saw the Worldvets team in action at our free spay-neuter exercise in Montego Bay. The 15-member Worldvets team of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students and volunteers drawn from all over the United States and Canada came to Jamaica in collaboration with the JVMA, the International Spay-Neuter Network, the Veterinary Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Montego Bay Animal Haven.
Worldvets is an international non-governmental organization with volunteers who provide free veterinary care in any part of the world where there is an identified need and an organization to coordinate the visit. The JVMA decided to invite them to Jamaica in order to bolster our efforts at free or low cost spay/neuters for the island's dogs and cats. During the three days, close to 300 dogs and cats were spayed or neutered at no cost to members of the public.
This exercise was coordinated by the JVMA under the oversight of President Dr. Sarah Wilkinson-Eytle and Vice President Dr. Rosemary Murray, who were on site for the three days of the clinic, with the ground work in Montego Bay being done by Dr. Laura Williams, Dr. Carey Anderson and Dr. Lynden Bryan, and Ms. Tammy Browne of the recently formed Montego Bay Animal Haven. Financial support and the link to Worldvets were provided by Kim Swaim's International Spay-Neuter Network, also the supporting force behind the three spay-neuter clinics the JVMA held in the Kingston area over the past year. Logistical support and facilitation of the Customs clearance of the Worldvets' supplies came from the Veterinary Services Division, while the Jamaica Veterinary Board awarded temporary registration to the overseas-based volunteer veterinarians.
The event was publicized through radio and television interviews, a radio advertisment and flyers distributed in the Montego Bay area. The response of the public was overwhelming. Already, people from other parts of the island are asking "When are you going to do this in our area?"
Their surgical marathon complete, the Worldvets volunteers took time to enjoy Jamaica before returning home. On behalf of the dogs, cats and people of Jamaica, we say a big THANK YOU to Worldvets! "Y'all come back now yuh hear?"
A big THANK YOU to all the local veterinarians, volunteers, the ISNN, the media and all the others who assisted with accomodations, food and entertainment, all of whom contibuted to making the clinic a runaway success!
www.worldvets.org
www.spay-neuterjamaica.org
www.montegobayanimalhaven.org
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Dr. Paul Cadogan
Secretary
Jamaica Veterinary Medical Association
www.jvma.org
www.cbvma.org
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