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The mission of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) is to advance the quality of academic veterinary medicine. Founded in 1966 by the 18 US colleges of veterinary medicine and 3 Canadian colleges of veterinary medicine then in existence, the AAVMC is celebrating 50 years of public service. Initially, the AAVMC comprised the Council of Deans, the Council of Educators, and the Council of Chairs. In 1984, the tri-cameral structure was abandoned and a new governing structure with a board of directors was created. In 1997, the AAVMC was incorporated in Washington, DC and a common application service was created. Matters such as workforce issues and the cost of veterinary medical education have persisted for decades. The AAVMC is a champion of diversity in the veterinary profession and a strong advocate for One Health. The AAVMC has adopted a global perspective as more international colleges of veterinary medicine have earned COE accreditation and become members.

Objective: To obtain information on educational programs offered in complementary and alternative veterinary medicine (CAVM) among AVMA Council on Education (COE)-accredited colleges and schools of veterinary medicine., Design: Survey., Sample: 41 COE-accredited colleges and schools of veterinary medicine., Procedure: A questionnaire was e-mailed to academic deans at all COE-accredited colleges and schools of veterinary medicine., Results: Responses were received from 34 of 41 schools: 26 in the United States, 2 in Canada, 3 in Australia and New Zealand, and 3 in Europe. Sixteen schools indicated that they offered a CAVM course. Nutritional therapy, acupuncture, and rehabilitation or physical therapy were topics most commonly included in the curriculum. One school required a course in CAVM; all other courses were elective, most of which were 1 to 2 credit hours. Courses were usually a combination of lecture and laboratory; 2 were lecture only, and 1 was laboratory only. Of the 18 schools that reported no courses in CAVM, many addressed some CAVM topics in other courses and 4 indicated plans to offer some type of CAVM course within the next 5 years., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: The consensus among survey respondents was that CAVM is an important topic that should be addressed in veterinary medical education, but opinions varied as to the appropriate framework. The most common comment reflected strong opinions that inclusion of CAVM in veterinary medical curricula must be evidence-based. Respondents indicated that students should be aware of CAVM modalities because of strong public interest in CAVM and because practitioners should be able to address client questions from a position of knowledge.

'One World, One Health' is a foundation concept in veterinary medicine, much like comparative medicine. However, teachers of veterinary medicine often fail to identify it or speak of its importance within the veterinary curriculum. The resurgence of interest in the 'One World, One Health' concept aligns well with the underlying principles on which the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) has been newly founded. This concept is therefore a key component of the UCVM programme, and one that is well highlighted for those studying in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) course and graduate students.

The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) was established in 1992 as an organization among Canada's 4 veterinary colleges, with a mandate to apply veterinary medicine to wildlife management and conservation in Canada. A major function of the CCWHC is nation-wide surveillance of wild animal diseases. Disease surveillance is conceived as consisting of 4 different activities: detection, diagnosis, information management, and use of information. In the CCWHC surveillance program, detection of disease is carried out by a wide range of professional and avocational field personnel, and much effort is expended to stimulate and support this activity. Diagnosis is done by personnel of provincial and federal veterinary laboratories and the CCWHC. Information management is achieved through a national database of wildlife disease incidents developed and maintained by the CCWHC. Use of information is enabled through established channels for distribution of information derived from the surveillance program to persons responsible for wildlife programs and policies, and to the public. There has been a high demand for the services of the CCWHC since its establishment. The CCWHC responds to approximately 2000 requests for information annually, distributes its newsletter to over 1700 recipients, examines approximately 1200 wild animal submissions each year, and has accumulated records of over 5000 disease incidents in its database. Technical information from the CCWHC has benefited federal, provincial/territorial, and nongovernment wildlife agencies; endangered species recovery programs; federal and provincial veterinary services; and federal and provincial public health programs.