U.S. Army joins AAVMC

Washington - 10/30/07 - The U.S. Army's veterinary science department has joined the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges .

The move is a first for a federal-government agency engaged in veterinary medicine. As an AAVMC member, U.S. Army veterinarians will collaborate with other AAVMC-member institutions as they interact with government bodies, veterinary medical organizations, the animal- and human-health industries, education and scientific organizations and the public, officials say.

The U.S. Army Department of Veterinary Sciences is billed as the world's leading center for military animal medicine and food-inspection skills and teaches courses for officers, enlisted personnel and civilians who are involved in veterinary care, food technology, military rations, Defense Commissary Agency stores and Army/Air Force Exchange Service food establishments for the U.S. Department of Defense .

It is one of the largest providers of direct veterinary medical education in the federal government, says Dr. Tim Boosinger, AAVMC president and Auburn University's veterinary college dean. The partnership will "help strengthen the relationships between Army veterinary educators and researchers and their peers in academia," he says.

Former department chief Col. David S. Rolfe, DVM, DACVIM, adds: "Enhancing the relationships between the Army and other veterinary medical educational institutions permits Army veterinarians to better perform their mission to strengthen the security of the nation and the health of military personnel and their working animals."