AAVMC’s annual conference, Catalyze 2025, was held April 10–12 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in D.C. View gallery of photos here.
Recognized as a leading professional development gathering in global academic veterinary medicine, Catalyze 2025 welcomed more than 400 participants. Throughout the three-day event, attendees connected with experts, tackled emerging issues and opportunities, exchanged ideas and strategies, and collaborated to help shape the future of veterinary medical education.
Catalyze offered a dynamic space for exploration, conversation, and creative thinking, all focused on navigating the complex issues facing academic veterinary medicine. The 2025 program featured sessions on preparing a rural veterinary workforce, equity-centered wellbeing, enhancing Spectrum of Care preparation, updates from the AAVMC Climate Change Working Group, and more. All abstracts from Catalyze 2025 are published in the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education.
Dynamic, Timely, and Educational Programming
Attendees also participated in town halls on the academic workforce, admissions and the new administration, and distance education and accreditation. Also, new this year, attendees had their choice of three hands-on workshops during the Saturday sessions focused on admissions trends, navigating difficult conversations, and supporting long-term student retention.
Rick Seltzer of the Chronicle of Higher Education, Zachary Pardos, PhD, of the University of California, Berkeley, and Jade Sasser, PhD, of the University of California, Riverside, were the keynote speakers. They spoke on emerging issues in the higher education landscape, “Paving New Academic Pathways for Socio-Economic Mobility with AI,” and “Climate Justice at the Intersections: Communicating Scholarly and Engaged Perspectives,” respectively.
The award presentations are always a distinctive feature of the event, recognizing established leaders in academic veterinary medicine who have excelled in their respective areas. This year’s awardees were:
- AAVMC Excellence in Research Award
Herman Barkema, DVM, PhD, University of Calgary - 2024 AAVMC Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award, Presented by Zoetis
Dean Hendrickson, DVM, Colorado State University - AAVMC Iverson Bell Award
Susan Williams, DVM, PhD, University of Georgia - AAVMC Billy E. Hooper Award for Distinguished Service
Oscar Fletcher Jr., DVM, PhD, North Carolina State University