Over 700 pre-veterinary students will travel from across the U.S. to attend the 2018 American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association Symposium at Auburn University.
This two-day event will be held from March 23 – 24 and will bring together pre-veterinary students, faculty advisors
“The APVMA Symposium exposes undergraduate students who want to be veterinarians to the diversity of the field of veterinary medicine and provides valuable networking and professional development opportunities,” said Claire Reach, chair of the APVMA Symposium planning committee.
The majority of the symposium's lectures and hands-on laboratories will be held at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Tuskegee University will host two small ruminant medicine labs at the Caprine Research and Education Center located on the Tuskegee University research farm.
“Students attending this year’s symposium are wanting a strong educational and hands-on learning experience to prepare themselves for vet school,” Reach, senior in animal sciences, said.
The symposium is coordinated by Auburn’s Pre-Vet Medical Association chapter with more than 55 undergraduate students, primarily those within the College of Agriculture, have worked on the planning, logistics
“This committee of students, with the assistance of the College of Veterinary Medicine, has done an outstanding job of organizing lectures and labs to create a truly outstanding program that should inspire the future veterinarians attending this year’s APVMA symposium,” Brandebourg said.
Brandebourg said this international event aims to enhance the professional development of the next generation of veterinarians by providing unique learning opportunities and chances to network and make new friendships.
“If the leadership shown by our Auburn students serving on this year’s symposium planning committee is any indication, I am proud to say that we are in good hands for the future," Brandebourg said.
The symposium is ultimately aiming to inspire attendees to seek their own roles in the career and recognize the vitality in protecting the food supply chain and public and animal health, Brandebourg said.
“The College of Veterinary Medicine is proud to partner with the Auburn PVMA group to host the symposium at the college and to bring students interested in veterinary medicine to Auburn,” said Dan Givens, associate dean for Academic Affairs at the college.
The keynote speaker on Saturday, March 24, will be Charles Hendrix, College of Veterinary Medicine professor emeritus of parasitology. The beloved and inspirational four-time Teacher of the Year award winner, Hendrix was chosen to inspire students on their journey.
His lecture, "The Trees Have Names," is a recently published book by veterinary student Matt Miller and is the subject of the last lecture given by Hendrix in the spring of 2016 — in which he shares his thoughts on life, luck and veterinary medicine.
The symposium will involve more than two dozen Auburn veterinary faculty leading lectures, seminars and hands-on laboratories on advances, techniques and opportunities in the field of veterinary medicine.
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