Purdue dean will use leadership position to focus on diversity in vet medicine
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Willie M. Reed, dean of Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine, has begun a one-year term as president of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges.
Willie Reed
Continuing to increase diversity in the field, leadership development of faculty, as well as implementing a new veterinary medical education model will be three main program goals during his presidency, which began Aug. 1 following the association's summer meeting in Atlanta.
"Since 2005, our association has been actively engaged in increasing diversity in our field," Reed said. "Our goal is to see the diversity of professionals in our field mirror that of the animal owners we serve. One way to achieve this goal is to encourage more ethnic and racial minorities in the field to pursue teaching and research careers because they can inspire students as mentors and role models."
Reed will assist the organization's efforts to increase diversity in veterinary medical colleges as part of its new strategic plan. Another component of the strategic plan is to review and refine the veterinary medical educational model. The North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC) was created in 2009 to begin reviewing the current educational models and the relationship between licensure, testing and accreditation in the field.
"The consortium is composed of more than 200 veterinary partners who are creating a new road map for veterinary medical education that will prepare veterinarians for 21st century careers," Reed said. "Our goal is to improve veterinary medical education to meet the changing needs of society. Right now, a school of veterinary medicine may want to revise its curriculum to focus more on areas such as ecosystem health, public health, food safety or emerging zoonotic diseases, but doing so may not be in line with today's current accreditation expectations. Changes to licensure, testing and accreditation are needed to reflect curricula that prepare our students to better serve our communities."
The association represents the nation's 28 veterinary colleges, as well as the five colleges of veterinary medicine from Canada, eight international veterinary schools, nine U.S. departments of veterinary science, eight U.S. departments of comparative medicine, three veterinary medical education organizations and four affiliate international veterinary schools. The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) provides leadership for and promotes excellence in veterinary medical education.
Reed was appointed dean at Purdue in 2006 after serving as professor of pathology and chairperson of the Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation and director of the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health at Michigan State University. Before then, he was chief of Purdue's Avian Diseases Diagnostic Service from 1985-90, assistant professor of veterinary pathology from 1982-87 and associate professor of veterinary pathology from 1987-90.
He earned his bachelor's degree in animal and poultry science and his doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala., in 1976 and 1978, respectively. He earned his doctorate in veterinary pathology from Purdue in 1982. He holds diplomate status in both the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and the America College of Poultry Veterinarians. Diplomate status is given to board certified members of specialty colleges approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Willie Reed, 765-494-7608, wreed@purdue.edu