Student Experiences: La Isla del Encanto

Growing up in “La Isla del Encanto,” Puerto Rico, presented unique challenges that shaped who I am today. From devastating natural disasters to lack of opportunities and mentorship, my path to becoming a veterinarian was not linear. These setbacks did not deter me from pursuing my professional goals but they did make my journey more challenging, and I did not wish for others to go through the same thing. These hardships only served to reinforce what some of my life goals are; to support others in their journey while also being an advocate for underrepresented minorities. Not wanting others to face the same obstacles I did, I have made it my mission to leave behind the necessary tools for them to succeed. This is why I founded the first pre-veterinary club in my undergraduate university to aid my peers in achieving their goals. Together, we participated in many activities, the most important one being our collaboration with the Humane Society’s Spayathon. This was an initiative that was created to help aid families and animals that had been affected by Hurricane María in 2017. We donated food to shelters and helped provide free veterinary care to over 5,000 animals. By helping families in need, we eased the financial burden that makes veterinary care inaccessible in many parts of Puerto Rico. We were also able to have a significant impact in lowering the high number of stray animals that populate our streets by helping provide free spays and neuter surgeries.

After being accepted to veterinary school, I was determined to continue serving as an advocate for others, especially underrepresented individuals with the goal of bolstering the importance of diversity and inclusivity within this industry. This aspiration led me to help found the first Latinx club at my veterinary institution. I was able to create a safe space for Latinxs to be represented, heard, supported, and helped them to form connections with people that can contribute to their ambitions. We have also helped others become allies for any minority community by speaking about topics such as defining what microaggressions are and what we can do as allies to prevent these from occurring in the workplace. This opportunity also allowed me to experience something I once thought was out of reach: visiting undergraduate schools to speak about my journey to becoming a veterinarian. This past October, I had the extraordinary opportunity to visit Puerto Rico to represent NC State College of Veterinary Medicine at the yearly Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science’s (SACNAS) conference and I was also able to visit my alma mater to speak to pre-veterinary students. It is difficult for words to accurately describe what these opportunities meant for me. Being able to connect with other Latinx peers that share the same aspirations that I do and to serve as a beacon of hope by offering support, making any of my resources available to them, and simply sharing my story has been the highlight of my veterinary career thus far. 

These experiences have further fortified my goals of serving as a mentor, ally, and advocate. They have made me hopeful for the future of veterinary medicine and that as an industry, we are moving towards being more diverse and inclusive. I often reflect on the hardships I encountered leading up to my journey to become a veterinarian. The road was not easy but my experiences have made me realize that we have to pave the way for others so that together we can bring innovations, empathy, and hope for the veterinary profession.

AVMA Government Relations Externship: Marie Cozzarelli

By Marie Cozzarelli, Mississippi State University

When I first heard about the AVMA’s Governmental Relations Division externship in Washington, DC I knew it was going to be the perfect experience for me to advocate for and provide transparency for the veterinary profession. My name is Marie Cozzarelli and I am a 4^th year veterinary student from Mississippi State University and a Master’s in Veterinary Public Health student at the University of Tennessee. While I am originally from Asheville, North Carolina, I grew up traveling between Asheville and San Jose, Costa Rica in Central America due to my parents’ professions. Growing up partially in the US and partially in Costa Rica opened my eyes to how intrinsically linked the health of our environment and animals is to human health. Furthermore, as our planet becomes more globalized, our local public health issues morph into global health issues.

This was the 1^st week in DC with the AVMA GRD and already so much is happening! My passion for One Health brought me to the COVID-19 origin hearing that took place this week on Capitol Hill. In this hearing, subcommittee members asked four physicians and virologists for their scientific opinions on the origins of COVID-19. The subcommittee’s primary concerns were that the virus was spread from a research lab or from animal disease spillover in a food market in Wuhan, China. It hit me as I was sitting rows behind accomplished MDs explaining what a zoonotic disease was how important it is that veterinarians be included in these conversations. COVID-19 has taken over 1 million American lives and overwhelmed our global health care systems; highlighting that we need to focus on how to prevent the next pandemic by understanding how this one came to be. Preventing the next pandemic will require transparency from public health professionals in addition to collaboration between all health sectors. This needs to include veterinarians as 3 out of every 4 new emerging disease comes from animals.

For veterinarians to be included in public health conversations at the highest level, advocacy for the importance of the One Health initiative must happen first. This week, we also got to aid in the planning of the AVMA’s Legislative Fly-in coming up in about a month. Back in September, I had the opportunity to participate in a Fly-in and speak with my representatives about the importance of including veterinarians in public health legislation. It was a very meaningful and fulfilling experience to talk about the issues that impact our profession and the animals we treat, but I didn’t realize how much planning and coordination must take place prior to these events until now.

My plans for the weekend include museum-hopping at the National Mall and grocery shopping at the DuPont Farmer’s Market. In the weeks to come I hope to keep exploring DC and veterinary medicine on Capitol Hill! Both of which I will report in my blog post next week. 

AVMA Government Relations Externship: Bailey Goff

By Bailey Goff, Iowa State University

AVMA GRD Extern or TV Star?

As the first externs in the AVMA GRD office since the COVID-19 surgency, Marie and I have an unparalleled opportunity to experience vibrant, bustling Washington D.C. to its fullest.

Before venturing into the details of time in DuPont Circle, I’ll first begin by introducing myself – Bailey Goff, a fourth-year veterinary student at Iowa State University.  I obtained my B.S. in Animal Sciences with a concentration in Pre-Veterinary Medicine and a Minor in English from Purdue University in 2019.  With graduation in approximately two months, my next steps are pending (I’ll clue in later), but what I can say is I plan to make Washington D.C. my new locale in the immediate future.

My first week with the Government Relations Division (GRD) was nothing short of energetic.  After overview and establishment of externship goals, Marie and I introduced ourselves to troves of D.C. veterinarians with varying backgrounds, experiences, and passions.  On Thursday, I chatted with a veterinarian-turned-coach that made a career shift based on his strengths in helping those he works with.  On Friday, we heard the successes of an individual working in agricultural defense and research, a previous Capitol Hill fellow now working as a policy analyst, and an inspiring DVM/MPH with a proclivity for federal law and the enforcement of drug security.  Networking with individuals from FDA, USDA, AVMA, AAAS, and other organizations remains a crucial tool to recognize the density of veterinary medicine, and Marie and I look forward these continued conversations throughout our externship.

As a nonpartisan entity, the AVMA ensures appropriate relationships are established with members of both the Democratic and Republican parties (or other parties, if present).   On Wednesday evening, I had the pleasure of attending two AVMA Political Action Committee (PAC) events – one with GOP Freshman House members and one with a Democratic Representative from New Jersey.  These “informal-yet-formal” events are opportunities to network with offices and establish partnerships for influencing legislation relating to veterinarians (like the impending xylazine scheduling changes or the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act [VMLRPEA]).  Alongside Dr. Lindsey Hornickel, I got to “event hop” and chat with Representatives, Chiefs of Staff, and staffers from Senate Committees – all while advocating for veterinarians across the country.

So why mention the possibility of “TV Star” in the title of this blog post?  While I’m not quite ready for the Oscars or Emmys, Marie and I did appear on C-SPAN during a House Committee hearing (see picture for proof – thanks, Mom).  Congressional hearings are held – usually alongside expert witnesses – to obtain information or insight on a certain topic, in regards to impending legislation, or for purposes of investigation (https://www.congress.gov/committee-schedule/).  On Wednesday morning, we attended the first hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic titled “Investigating the Origins of COVID-19” (this is where the C-SPAN photo comes from, and I took my own ‘POV’ shot from my seat).  Thursday’s hearing with the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works titled “Protecting Public Health and the Environment in the Wake of the Norfolk Southern Train Derailment and Chemical Release in East Palestine, Ohio” was especially busy, bringing public spectators and commentors from across the United States.  These were a perfect introduction to the happenings on Capitol Hill, engaging with topics important to the 118^th Congress.  While my C-SPAN appearance isn’t my next “claim-to-fame,” I loved getting to attend these hearings, listening to committee conversations across the aisle.

I look forward embracing all opportunities during my next two weeks as an AVMA Government Relations Division (GRD) veterinary student extern!

Op-Ed: Nail Trims

Submitted by Shannon Rudin, University of Minnesota

We've all been there. You get a dog with jet black nails, it won't hold still, your next appointment is waiting, and you accidently cut the quick of the dog's nail. The bleeding starts, you feel a punch of guilt, and you quickly lather the nail bed with Kwik-Stop to prevent more bleeding. By doing so, a fearful association with touching feet, visiting the veterinarian and pain has been formed. I'm not here to say that people are intentionally hurting animals or make anyone feel shame for previously nicking one too many nails. I'm saying that we need to make a change moving forward. For our sake, for our patient's sake, and for our client's sake. I think that some people feel the need to get nails as short as possible in order to make the nail trim worth the client's money and allow them to hold off longer from coming in for another appointment. I think that some people are trained to cut them swiftly and have the Kwik-Stop on hand knowing you'll probably knick a few but that it's no big deal. The problem is that this is a big deal. Puppies and kittens aren't born afraid of their nails being trimmed. The fear is built from years of painful memories associated with nail trimmers and a lack of positive associations with their feet being touched. The fear is what leads to clients complaining that they can't even touch their pet's feet. The fear is what leads to stress and physical harm of veterinary staff when attempting to fulfill a client's request. The fear is what leads to overall friendly dogs that need a muzzle and restraint to get a nail trim completed. I know that the nail trimming process may never be perfect. Owners may goof up at home and unintentionally create a fear-based relationship with nail trimming. Groomers may be involved in a dog or cat's life and they too, are humans that make human-like errors and may clip a nail or two too short. Anyone trimming an animal's nails is subject to making a mistake and I know that human error is inevitable. I do have a problem with not at least attempting to change the process. The veterinary profession is moving toward fear-free spaces for all patients and cautious nail trimming is intimately intertwined with this movement. I propose that we emphasize making the nail trimming process a smoother event for everyone involved. It's better to trim the nails to a medium length in a trauma-free process than to try to send home a nail free, yellow-toed, panicked patient. Save yourself and your team the burden of working with aggressive and non-compliant patients by starting the slow, gentle approach early on in their lives. Work with owners to find an appropriate plan for adult patients with pre-established nail related stress, anxiety, or aggression. Nail trimming isn't going anywhere, but like every other process or procedure in our career field, it should continuously evolve to more appropriately serve it's purpose.

Student Experiences: AVCO 2022

Submitted by Marissa Matthews, Ross University

My name is Marissa Matthews and I’m a clinical year veterinary student about to graduate with the Pink Semester Class of 2023. Veterinary ophthalmology has been an interest on mine since before starting at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM). I had been eyeing the annual American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) Conference each year, hoping the dates would fall during a semester break. Unfortunately, this was not the case, but I knew clinical year would be an opportune time to attend the conference in person. With the help of SAVMA’s Professional Development Funds (PDF), I was able to travel to Palm Springs, CA and attend my first ACVO conference.

The General Session included three days of in-depth lectures, research presentations, and networking opportunities. Many of these topics were a little over my head, such as vitreoretinal surgery and endolaser treatment; however, other topics were immensely helpful, like managing feline herpesvirus. Overall, this was a very informative experience, and it allowed me to reconnect with ophthalmologists I’d met over the years. Though the highlight for me was on the last day of the conference.

The General Practitioners’ Practical Ophthalmology Course was an all-day lecture series geared toward primary veterinary care providers. This was the perfect way to end the conference, as it contained valuable diagnostic and therapeutic advice about common ocular conditions. I think any veterinary student would benefit from this course, which can be taken separately from the General Session. While I can’t delve into every lecture, the presentation I would like to highlight contains information that I believe would benefit the RUSVM student body the most.

Dr. Lucien Vallone’s “Smartphone Ophthalmology” presentation demonstrates how to make ophthalmology more accessible by obtaining high quality photos with minimal equipment. These photos can be used to identify small lesions, document response to therapy, and discuss referral options. The techniques described were for non-magnified imaging, magnified imaging, direct fundoscopy, and indirect fundoscopy.

Non-magnified imaging uses a smartphone camera with room lights on, which is ideal for head photos, eyelids, or for demonstrating asymmetry with two views: a front and dorsal (top down) view. When obtained prior to application of proparacaine, the photos can be evaluated for blepharospasm (squinting) and help differentiate between buphthalmos (enlarged eye) and exophthalmos (pushed forward eye of normal size).

Magnified imaging utilizes a $15 EasyMacro lens over a smartphone. The “recipe” is phone + EasyMacro lens + white tape filter over LED flash + room lights off + video mode with continuous flash + anchored hand-phone-patient position. The video can be used to obtain as many screenshots as necessary to document all pathologies, then crop the final images, and the large video file can be deleted. Common mistakes for this method are leaving the room lights on or having the EasyMacro band overlap the flash on the phone. It is important to note that the EasyMacro band is a typical rubber band that can dry out, so it should be kept in its clear plastic pouch when not in use.

Direct fundoscopy utilizes the same “recipe” as above, just without the macro lens. Limitations of this technique are that any lens opacity will impede viewing the fundus, peripheral lesions are difficult to visualize due to the narrow field of view, and shadowing occurs when there is a large distance between the LED flash and camera lens. Indirect fundoscopy overcomes all those limitations by using the direct fundoscopy “recipe” with a condensing lens (20D to 40D). Volk has a Single-Use 20D lens that can be bought in bulk, $170 for a box of 10. I would like to disclose that neither myself nor the presenter have a financial incentive in promoting either of the above-mentioned products.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to attend the ACVO conference and subsequently share some of the knowledge I was imparted with. I would encourage anyone to attend the General Practitioners Course, especially those looking for an ophthalmology refresher. I would also recommend that students utilize programs like SAVMA PDF, to attend an event or conference in their field of interest.