Don’t miss AVC’s All-Years Alumni Reunion in July!

During the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association's conference in Charlottetown this July, AVC will host an All-Years Alumni Reunion on Friday, July 14, at 7 p.m., in the beautiful McCain Foundation Learning Commons. In anticipation of the reunion, we have launched the first annual AVC Alumni Challenge Cup, a friendly and fun fundraising challenge to recognize the DVM class with the greatest proportion of grads who donate a $25 gift or more to the College. The winning class will be awarded the inaugural AVC Alumni Challenge Cup at the reunion. Your contribution is a wonderful way to show your pride in your class and your school! Alumni will also have the chance to learn about the new AVC Alumni Association, a great way to stay in touch with their alma mater and classmates. For more information or to get involved, please contact Anthony Gill, manager of alumni engagement for UPEI, at adgill@upei.ca or Janice MacWilliam, special events coordinator for AVC, at jmacwilliam@upei.ca.

Photo: Members of the Class of 1990, AVC's first graduating class, celebrate the 25th anniversary of their graduation at a reunion in 2015.

Congratulations, AVC Class of 2017!

Earlier this month, members of AVC’s Class of 2017 celebrated their entry into the profession of veterinary medicine at two ceremonies—AVC’s annual White Coat Ceremony on May 12 and UPEI Convocation on May 13. During the White Coat Ceremony, the graduates were presented with white lab coats, symbolizing their transition from veterinary students to veterinary professionals. The event also included the presentation of student and faculty awards. The following day, the graduates were presented with their doctor of veterinary medicine degrees at UPEI’s morning convocation ceremony and then attended a post-convocation reception hosted by Dr. Greg Keefe, dean of AVC. Click here to view the list of DVM graduates. Congratulations, Class of 2017!

Dr. Tim Ogilvie named professor emeritus

Dr. Tim Ogilvie, a founding faculty member and a past dean of AVC, was named professor emeritus at UPEI’s 2017 Convocation earlier this month. During his distinguished 29-year career at AVC, Dr. Ogilvie was an extraordinary teacher, mentor, and administrator. He led the College through many important changes, including curricular development, a major physical expansion, and creation of Canada’s first veterinary youth camp. He has been recognized with many awards and honours, including a President’s Award and a life membership from the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, and an honorary degree from his alma mater, the University of Guelph. After retiring from AVC in 2014, he accepted the position of dean of St. George’s University in Grenada. He will retire from that post this summer. He will continue to be actively involved with AVC. Congratulations, Dr. Ogilvie!

Photo: UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz (left) and Chancellor Don McDougall (right) present Dr. Ogilvie with a certificate naming him professor emeritus at  Convocation.

AVC graduate student wins Governor General's gold medal

Congratulations to Dr. Robert Déziel on being awarded the Governor General’s gold medal for graduate studies at UPEI’s Convocation in May. Dr. Déziel did his PhD under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Tasker, Biomedical Sciences. Shown above, His Honour, the Honourable H. Frank Lewis, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, presents the medal to Dr. Déziel.

The complete list of AVC graduate students who received their degrees at Convocation is as follows:
Master of Science—Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: Denise Happ, Charlottetown, PE; Jonathan Lichtenberger, Barr, France; Louise-Marie Roux, Bathurst, NB; Amanda Thomas-Sheppard ,Belledune, NB

Master of Veterinary Science: Aisha Naomi Young, Pearl City, Hawaii

Doctor of Philosophy—Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: Michel Gérard Arsenault, Warren Grove, PE; Melanie Amber Buote, North Rustico, PE; Robert Andrew Déziel, Charlottetown, PE; Beibei Jia, Charlottetown, PE; Ori Elad, Charlottetown, PE; Erin Patricia Barbara McCauley, Duncan, BC; John Obinna Onukwufor; Charlottetown, PE; Gailene Ann Tobin, Charlottetown, PE

Congratulations, everyone!

Dr. Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Lecompte wins 2017 Zoetis Award for Research

Congratulations to Dr. Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Lecompte, Pathology and Microbiology, winner of the 2017 Zoetis Award for Research Excellence for AVC. This award is given by each veterinary college in North America to researchers with outstanding scholarly achievement. Dr. Rodriguez-Lecompte’s research focuses on the nutritional immunological factors regulating immune responses, animal health, and food safety.

He accepted his award from Dr. Juanita Glencross-Winslow (left), of Zoetis, at AVC’s annual Graduate Studies and Research Days held May 18–19. During the event, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows presented their research findings in areas ranging from terrestrial and aquatic animal health to environmental health and biomedical sciences. Watch for more awards information in the June newsletter.

Dr. Fred Kibenge wins UPEI Merit Award for Scholarly Achievement

Congratulations to Dr. Fred Kibenge, chair of Pathology and Microbiology, who is a recipient of the 2017 UPEIFA Merit Award for Scholarly Achievement. He was honored at the annual Faculty Recognition Night held on May 10 in Stratford, PEI. Shown above, Dr. Tim Goddard (left), a member of the UPEIFA Awards Committee, presents Dr. Kibenge with the award.

Contributing to Spanish-language textbook about animal welfare

Dr. Alfonso Lopez, Professor Emeritus, Pathology and Microbiology, and Dr. Julio Martinez-Burnes (PhD, AVC-2001), University of Tamaulipas, Mexico, have contributed to the third edition of Bienestar Animal, a 500-page book written in Spanish concerning issues of animal welfare. Mexico was the first market for earlier editions, but the demand grew rapidly in Spanish-speaking countries. Published by Elsevier, this third edition is the standard reference book for DVM students, veterinarians, animal organizations, and governments in Latin America and Spain.

The book is edited by Dr. Daniel Mota, Universidad Metropolitana, Mexico, and chapter contributors include authors from seven Latin American countries, Spain, Portugal, and Canada. Dr. Lopez and Dr. Martinez-Burnes coauthored the chapter entitled “Animal welfare of neonatal pigs.” For the last 15 years, Dr. Lopez has been part of a team investigating the pathophysiology of stress, perinatal diseases, and mortality in piglets.

AVC Wildlife Service releases barred owl in Macphail Woods

The AVC Wildlife Service released a beautiful barred owl on Tuesday, April 25, at Macphail Woods in Orwell, PEI. 

Atlantic Veterinary College and PEI BioAlliance co-host 2018 International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health

UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) is proud to partner with the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance and the Fish Health Section of the American Fisheries Society (FHS) to co-host the eighth International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health (ISAAH 2018). The 2018 event will be held at the Prince Edward Island Convention Centre from September 2 to 6 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.