AVMA names foreign school accreditation task force, sets agenda

SCHAUMBURG, ILL. — The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Task Force on Foreign Veterinary School Accreditation, created in August 2011, will compile a report for the AVMA Executive Board looking at a number of educational issues projected to be important over the next decade. Topics will include:

• the impact of foreign veterinary school accreditation on the U.S. veterinary profession and the quality of standards for the U.S. veterinary profession

• the impact of not requiring certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates or the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence for graduates of foreign schools accredited by the AVMA Council on Education (COE)

• how foreign veterinary school accreditation serves the needs and interests of the public

• how foreign veterinary school accreditation serves the needs and interests of AVMA members

• the existence of any international pressure on the COE to accredit foreign veterinary schools

• the logistical resources required to accredit foreign veterinary schools.

Task force members include Dr. James R. Coffman, Manhattan, Kan., chairman; Drs. Mimi Arighi, West Lafayette, Ind.; Philippe J. Baneux, Winnetka, Ill.; Eric M. Bregman, New York; Susan B. Chadima, Topsham, Maine; Orlando Garza, El Paso, Texas; Peter W. Hellyer, Fort Collins, Colo.; Anthony M. Miele, New York; Mark Nunez, Van Nuys, Calif.; Jason Stanhill, Fort Collins, Colo.; and Caroline J. Zeiss, New Haven, Conn.