WCVM GLOBAL VETS.

Veterinary teaching schools face the impossible task of preparing students for future careers that could lead them all over the world, dealing with a diversity of animals, people, and diseases. As the population continues to expand, veterinarians are finding themselves at the center of issues such as the safety of the world's food supply, the international spread of zoonotic diseases, and the rapidly decreasing habitat for wild animals. The need for global cooperation among veterinary professionals is becoming essential. The Global Vets program, developed at the Ontario Veterinary College, is based on the Defi Vet-Monde program at the Faculte de medecine veterinaire at the University of Montreal. Global vets was designed to “increase knowledge and awareness of international health issues; to promote international collaboration on such issues as animal health and welfare, agricultural development, and ecosystem health; and to enhance working relations and the exchange of information between Canadian veterinarians and international colleagues.” The participants in the WCVM Global Vets pilot project are hoping to increase Canada's contribution to such endeavors by initiating a similar program at a 3rd Canadian veterinary school, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. In May 2003, 8 students from the WCVM class of 2005 are traveling to Peru for an 8-week Global Vets project designed to explore the profession of veterinary medicine in Peru. Project goals To gain insight and experience in various aspects of the veterinary field in Peru. To investigate wildlife management practices in Peru and their relationship to domestic animal production and human population growth. To promote the exchange of ideas between Canada and Peru regarding food animal husbandry, small animal veterinary medicine, and wildlife conservation. To establish a lasting Global Vets Program at the WCVM. All Global Vets participants will arrive in Lima on May 3, 2003. The students will break into groups of 2 and rotate through an 8-week schedule: 2 weeks in Lima, 1 week in Paracas, 3 weeks in the Andes, and 2 weeks in Iquitos. Although each pair might only be at a location for 1 week, as a group, students will have been at each place for 3 weeks, allowing the completion of longer and more in depth projects. Each pair will take on the responsibility of updating the succeeding group and ensuring continuity of the project. The Global Vets participants will return to Canada on June 29, 2003. The benefits of a Global Vets program are numerous. There is enormous potential for both personal and professional growth among the participating students. They learn how to raise corporate support and awareness for a project, both before and after the actual trip. In the receiving countries, students have the opportunity to meet future colleagues and open the lines of communication between Canada and another part of the world. There is also the potential to both teach and learn veterinary skills. The WCVM, as a whole, benefits by learning more about health issues, agriculture development, and ecosystem health from a more global perspective. By speaking at local schools and with community groups, Global Vets participants can share their views on the role of the veterinary profession both in Canada and in the rest of the world. The Global Vets Peru project can benefit both the veterinary profession and the general public in a variety of ways. The educational value of this program will be extended first and foremost to the students and staff at the WCVM, through seminars and presentations. Specifically, participants hope to share their experiences with the college through presentations at noon hour seminars, SCVMA Symposium, and Vetavision. The public relations aspect of this program is extremely important. Participants in the Peru project have linked a school in the Peruvian Amazon with Saskatoon's Sutherland Elementary School's Grade 6 class. Global Vets will act as a liaison by taking letters, pictures and stories to and from the 2 schools. By speaking at these and other public schools, participants can teach children more about the role of veterinarians in both Peru and Canada, and can use the opportunity to educate them further about global issues, such as food safety and endangered species. For more information or to make a donation to the Peru project, visit the following Web site: http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/globalvets/about.php (submitted by WCVM Global Vets participants: Mairead Drain, Emma Agg, Leanne Boyd, Suzanne Lynde, Rebecca Korven, Karen Kemp, Patrick Garcia, Sarah Flint and Shannon Burns)

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