Broadening the Public Perception of Veterinarians: Can We Keep What We've Got While Transforming Ourselves?

Abstract

Before becoming Dean, I thought I had a special insight: I would like to broaden the public’s perception of veterinary medicine, to get media attention focused on the roles veterinarians play, including support for research and agriculture. In early January, when I first attended the annual deans’ meeting of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), I found that this is the explicit goal of the deans, and, indeed, of the AAVMC as an organization. Appropriately humbled to discover that my deep insight was old news, I was also happy to see that the profession is widely engaged in increasing our influence. The deans believe that—in our position within the human–animal bond that includes all caretakers and users of domestic animals for research, agriculture, work, and entertainment—we are the most sensitive detectors of emerging infectious diseases and of some vitally important societal changes in the relationship between man and beast. We are therefore frustrated to be omitted from high-profile media coverage and, more importantly, from federal bodies focused on the future of research and management of infectious-disease and bioterrorism threats. But who must do something about this, ‘‘them’’ or ‘‘us’’?