Personal Experience with Veterinary Education for All Purposes

Abstract

The Recognition Lecture is given every year by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) to an individual whose leadership and vision have made significant contributions to academic veterinary medicine and the veterinary profession. In 2011, Dr. Peter Eyre, Dean Emeritus of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, was honoured with this honou (VMRCVM). Dr. Eyre is a strong supporter of veterinary medical education, seeing its importance in ensuring that veterinarians are prepared to address societal requirements. Dr. Eyre has a broad understanding of the challenges and issues that face veterinary medical education, as well as a keen eye for getting to the heart of the matter. He is noted for asking probing questions and presenting uncomfortable options. The University of Edinburgh awarded Dr. Eyre his undergraduate veterinary degree (BVMS), Bachelor of Science degree, and PhD. Before joining the Ontario Veterinary College faculty at the University of Guelph as Chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Associate Director of the Canadian Centre for Toxicology, he spent seven years as a Lecturer in Pharmacology at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. Dr. Eyre was designated Dean of the VMRCVM in 1985, and the Center for Government and Corporate Veterinary Medicine was formed in 1989. After retiring in 2003, he was elected Interim Dean of the University of Calgary's new veterinary school. He has received numerous awards, including the Norden Distinguished Teacher Award and the Sigma Psi Excellence in Research Award. In 2008, he earned the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) President's Award, and in 2010, he got the honorary degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from the University of Edinburgh. The VMRCVM's Peter Eyre Student Leadership Award and the University of Guelph's Peter Eyre Prize in Pharmacology are both named after him. He is a fellow and former board member of the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, as well as a former member of the AVMA Legislative Advisory Committee and a previous president of the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. In the following article, Dr. Eyre discusses his thoughts on the current debate over the future of veterinary medical education.