Our faculty members have an impressive array of skills, and now a couple of them can add “lobbyist” to their CV’s.

During the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges annual meeting in Washington D.C., Dr. Sue VandeWoude, professor of Comparative Medicine and Associate Dean of Research, and Dr. Kristy Pabilonia, section head in the CSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories, met with Colorado representatives to advocate for the veterinary profession and issues of concern in nationally and in Colorado.

In a meeting with Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, they discussed support for veterinary loan repayment, the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, One Health initiatives, and support for animal health within the Farm Bill. They also discussed the importance of research funding at the National Institutes of Health, Department of Agriculture, and the National Science Foundation.

The visits with legislators were part of the association’s Advocacy Day: 72 educators representing 27 states made the trek to Capitol Hill, where 138 meetings were held with scores of Congressional offices.

The AAVMC is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals, people and the environment around the world by advancing academic veterinary medicine. Members include 49 accredited veterinary medical colleges in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean Basin, Europe, Australia and Mexico.