UCVM Community Report 2023
Message from the Dean
As we bid farewell to 2023, I am delighted to reflect on the remarkable journey of UCVM over the past year. It has been an extraordinarily busy year dedicated to meticulously planning for our expansion on top of our everyday work.
UCalgary initiative to address veterinarian shortage earns medal
Vet Med dean credits team effort for award of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal
Community
Vet med students get hands-on experience in the community
Partnership sees third-year DVM students practise professional and communication skills while helping disadvantaged Calgarians and their pets
Stoney Nakoda Nation hosts 1st preventative vet clinic with UCVM partnership
More than 300 pets spell success for the animal health and community-building initiative
Vet med profs give injured bobcat a second chance at life
When Bobbi the bobcat got caught in a bear trap, our vets partnered with Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society members to fix the damage
Indigenous Engagement
Clinical & Teaching
Student Life
Class Expansion
UCVM is expanding our class size to 100 students starting in the fall of 2025. With this class expansion comes the opportunity and obligation to reassess our curriculum. UCVM graduates will meet the diverse veterinary needs of all Alberta, now and in the future.
What are our goals for the curriculum?
- Develop veterinarians who are successful across the breadth of career opportunities within Alberta and beyond
- Continue to produce veterinarians who can serve the rural, equine, and production animal needs of Alberta
- Provide an educational experience that:
- Allows graduates to succeed on the first day of graduation Serves as a robust foundation for graduates to continue their ongoing professional development
- Support a culture of compassionate wellbeing to facilitate long term job satisfaction while concurrently combating professional attrition
- Contribute to greater opportunities for equity, diversity, inclusivity, and reconciliation both within the UCVM and the profession as a whole
- Be nimble and open to iterative change so we can rapidly adapt our educational offerings in light of current and future challenges
How are we moving forward?
Our curriculum should consider the scope and dynamic nature of the veterinary profession:
- Identify graduate outcomes & determine overarching curricular structure
- Define assessment plan
- Identify learning activities
Diagnostic Services Unit
The Diagnostic Services Unit (DSU) offers fee-for-service veterinary anatomic pathology, histopathology, cytology, and bacteriology services to the veterinary community and researchers.
Research
Awards
W.A. Ranches
North America’s biggest outdoor classroom
In 2023 we celebrated the five year anniversary of the ranch donation from the Anderson-Chisholm family.
Message from the Director
“People are amazed by their generosity, as I am, every day. I love that the work I’m doing here today is opening doors for the next generation, while maintaining the vision of using a working cow-calf ranch to create opportunities for hands-on training, youth education and research in animal welfare. That gives me energy. With this ‘living lab’ comes opportunity for university-wide collaborative research, as well as mutually beneficial outreach to the cattle community, including to veterinarians and other ranchers.”
Dr. Ed Pajor, PhD
W.A. Ranches Director
Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare
Donor Updates
The success of our Veterinary School relies on the support of our communities, industry partners and donors. Simply put, we could not do what we do without support from people, Foundations and businesses like you! We are on track to reach over $2,000,000 in gifts for UCVM by the end of this fiscal year. This year, gifts to UCVM have supported a variety of areas like research, event sponsorship, faculty positions and donations of equipment, food and medicine.
We received support from over 100 unique donors this year, and secured eight new students awards which will be awarded starting in the 2024-2025 academic school year.
We have begun fundraising for our Community Care Clinic, which will offer new hands-on learning opportunities for our growing number of students, while also offering low-cost pet care to our community’s pet owners in need. We wish to thank our community partners for their support and wisdom as we move forward with this fundraising campaign.
We also worked hard this year to revamp our Pet Memorial Program and look forward to watching this unique and important program grow in 2024.
It has been five years since the University of Calgary was gifted W.A. Ranches. It has already become a space for research, teaching and learning, community engagement and outreach. We are excited to continue to advance capital projects, research and education at W.A. Ranches with the help of our partners.
Lastly, we created a new Indigenous Initiatives Fund that will support our indigenous partnerships, youth outreach and UCVM-led free community clinics in Albertan Indigenous communities. We hope this fund will continue to grow as we work to advance Indigenous focused learning in a good way.
Whether you supported UCVM this year by volunteering, advising, or making a gift, I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks on behalf of the dean, faculty, staff and students at UCVM.
Sarah Parker
Director of Development
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
sarah.parker1@ucalgary.ca
