Come to the Women's Leadership Symposium at the WESTERN VETERINARY CONFERENCE

By Donald F. Smith
February 11, 2014

As millions turn on their television sets tomorrow morning to watch the fierce US-Canada women's hockey rivalry play out in Sochi, an expert in the sport says there may be something else to watch for than fast skating and great stick handling.

A.J. Mleczko, former Harvard hockey standout,
and member of the 1998 USA team that won gold in Nagano

Mleczko comments on what many hockey fans have observed in women's and men's style of hockey. Besides the lack of checking--that is a non-no for women--the former Harvard star says that women tend to pass the puck to teammates more than men, to ensure the best possible angle or opening for a goal. Also looking for the greatest likelihood of a shot going into the net, they sometimes delay too long and thereby get too close to the net where the chance of finding the opening is snuffed by the goalie or other defensive players. 

Men, on the other hand, are more inclined to take low-yield shots, many from further away from the net. They are less concerned with teamwork than women from the standpoint of passing the puck to get the perfect shot by a teammate, or finding the perfect angle or opening from which to release the puck themselves. 

Does this sound familiar?

Join the directors of the Women's Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI) for a four-hour interactive symposium on Women's Leadership in Veterinary Medicine at Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas. It takes veterinary leadership to a new level. Join us, please.

Monday, Feb 17, 2014; 8:00am - 12:00pm

Presenters: Karen Bradley, Julie Kumble, Douglas Aspros and Donald Smith

For additional information, please go to 
http://veterinarylegacy.blogspot.com/2014/02/womens-leadership-in-veterinary.html


We are grateful to the American Veterinary Medical Association and 
also CEVA Animal Health
for their commitment and generous support.

            

Learning Surgery from a Master Musician

By Donald F. Smith, Cornell University
Posted February 9, 2014

Glenn Gould was a household name while I was growing up in Ontario. A child prodigy classical pianist, he was well-known throughout Canada while still a teenager. When he arrived in New York City in 1955 in his early twenties and recorded the previously obscure Goldberg Variations (Bach, 1741), he became an overnight sensation and from that moment onward, was recognized one of the greatest classical musicians of the 20th century.

Gould was 17 years my senior, and besides a love of music, I had little in common with him except perhaps the desire to seek refuge in nature. As a young child, I aspired to be a pianist myself, but I realized by the age of eleven that it was well beyond my reach. I nonetheless continued to follow Gould's career closely. Though I didn't realize it at the time, his understanding and interpretation of J.S. Bach, especially the contrapuntal form, and his ability to perform it in ways that were unique, unusually creative, and breathtakingly masterful, was to have an enormous impact on my professional career.

More than any other person, Gould's recorded performances taught me more about the art of surgical technique (I would become a boarded surgeon), and later how to lead a college as dean. Though I never met him, Glenn Gould would become my most important mentor. To this day, I return to his music episodically, sometimes listening to recordings over and over again.

Among the tributes at his death in 1982--he was just fifty years old when he suffered a fatal stroke--is one that I always thought personally relevant. It was that of a heart surgeon in London, who "made it a practice to operate only after he and his patient had both listened to Gould recordings." (Otto Friedrich, Glenn Gould, 1989)

What is it with Glenn Gould, the man whose interpretation of Bach was selected to be placed on the Voyager spacecraft in 1977 so that potential forms of life some 500,000 years from now could understand life on earth?

In this blog, I describe what I consider to the relevance to surgical technique.

Photo from the back cover of Glenn Gould. A Life and Variations,
by Otto Friedrich, Random House, NY 1989
(Photo by the author)

If you watch recordings of Gould perform pieces like the Goldberg Variations, you are struck by the independent power of each of his fingers.You immediately are overwhelmed by the strength, the power, and clarity of sound that is generated by the normally weak fourth and fifth fingers of the non-dominant hand (the left, for him and most of us). His childhood friend, and later a woman whom he loved and who loved him, talked about how the strength of his "weak" fingers was simply amazing, yielding a powerful and fully-united force in all of his fingers.

Second, you note the independence of his fingers, each working dynamically as a completely separate machine, yet creating a horizontal energy that produces a linear flow of music. In his later years, Gould commented upon Bach's ability to combine the linear contrapuntal flow that looks back to the Baroque period, with the horizontal harmonic sound of the coming romantic era. More on that in a subsequent story of how Gould's interpretations formed the basis for my administrative style as dean.

Finally, you notice that the position of his seat, several inches closer to the floor than the average pianist, forces his elbows into an acute angle and his hands appear like claws hanging over the keyboard. As unkempt as the appearance is to the first-time observer, what this position demonstrates is the strength of the hands and fingers, whether working separately or together.

These strengths, and the independence and codependence of the fingers, didn't just happen. As a teenager, Gould would routinely practice with his mentor, Alberto Guerreo, late into the night, often past two or three in the morning. His was an amazing example of the love and interpretation of musical sound, coupled with the development of manual dexterity at the highest level.

The best surgical trainees, whether in human or veterinary medicine, spend several years mastering operative technique and manual dexterity at the side of master surgeons. A sinlge hour watching Gould playing Bach would be a wonderful supplement.

One hundred hours could very well change your life, and in more ways than surgical technique. It did mine.

Dr. Smith welcomes comments at dfs6@cornell.edu

Women's Leadership in Veterinary Medicine to be Featured at the Western Veterinary Conference

By Donald F. Smith, Cornell University
Posted February 8, 2014

Join the directors of the Women's Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI) for a four-hour interactive symposium on Women's Leadership in Veterinary Medicine at Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas.

Monday, Feb 17, 2014; 8:00am - 12:00pm

Presenters: Karen Bradley, Julie Kumble, Douglas Aspros and Donald Smith

Karen Bradley, DVM, President WVLDI
Partner, Onion River Animal Hospital, VT

Julie Kumble, MEd
Interim CEO, Women's Fund of Western MA

Douglas Aspros DVM, Past President of AVMA;
Partner, Bond Animal Hospital and
Pound Ridge Veterinary Center

                      

Major Symposium Themes include:

• Understanding the gap in women's leadership in all professions, with special emphasis on veterinary medicine.
• Explaining why 30% women in leadership positions in organized veterinary, college administrations, and veterinary corporate boards is critical to maximizing productivity and promotion a diverse and work-friendly environment.
• Identifying and overcoming some of the factors that contribute to the gap between male and female financial compensation.
• Identifying the advantages of pursuing opportunities for leadership in the AVMA and state associations, and describing how veterinarians can prepare themselves for these positions.
• Providing case examples of state organizations, veterinary colleges and corporations that are advancing women's leadership, and describing institutional and other changes that made this possible.
• Understanding how to develop personal skills to increase the likelihood that you will be prepared for leadership positions.

Please accept my personal invitation to attend part or all of the symposium.

We are grateful to the American Veterinary Medical Association and 
also CEVA Animal Health
for their commitment and generous support.

            

Dr. Smith can be reached at dfs6@cornell.edu

Dr. Andrea Dennis-LaVigne to Become President of the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association

By Donald F. Smith, Cornell University
Posted February 7, 2014
Recognizing Women's Leadership in Veterinary Medicine and Honoring Black History Month

An expanded version of this story was posted in Feb 10th at   http://veterinarylegacy.blogspot.com/2014/02/dr-andrea-dennis-lavigne-to-become.html

     

      "It's a great conversation piece," Dr. Andrea Dennis-LaVigne says of President Obama's personal note and signature on a poster in the Bloomfield Animal Hospital, the hospital she began 20 years ago just north of Hartford, Connecticut.

During a visit to the White House, Dr. Dennis-LaVigne
received an autograph and personal greeting from 
President Obama and Bo
Photo provided by Dr. Dennis-LaVigne.

      Dr. Dennis-LaVigne grew up in Connecticut, the oldest of three girls, raised by a single mother who taught her to be industrious and self-sufficient. At the age of 17 she went off to Cornell, but the racial tension she found there in the early 1970s proved too much for this young African-American woman, and after one year she transferred to the University of Connecticut where she continued to pursue her undergraduate degree.

      Andrea had wanted to be veterinarian since childhood, but her advisor at UCONN told her, “You’ll never be a veterinarian.” Undaunted, she switched advisors, applied as a junior and started veterinary college in 1978. She almost didn’t accept the offer from Tuskegee ―“George Wallace was governor, I can’t go there,” she said―but her advisor encouraged her, telling her to just go and she’d be fine in Alabama. He insisted that she would fulfill her dream of becoming a veterinarian and, by matriculating as a junior, would even save a year of college and tuition. “One person believed in me,” Dr. Dennis recalls sentimentally. “One person believed in me.”

     She had a wonderful time in Tuskegee. “It was a small school and the Dean, Dr. Walter Bowie was great, and everyone was a mentor. Everyone had my back.” 

      After graduation, Dr. Dennis completed an internship in large animal medicine and surgery at the University of California, Davis, then taught for a year at the newly-opened Ross School of Veterinary Medicine. Ross was still located on the island of Dominica when she started, and she actually experienced the move to the island of St. Kitts.

      But after the year, she decided to go into practice back in the Northeast and, for the next eight years, worked in two small animal practices. While she learned a great deal observing how these owners ran their practices, she yearned to start her own business.

      So in 1992, she started out on her own. Using a house that she co-owned with her mother as collateral, she borrowed $100,000 from the bank and acquired a wonderful array of used equipment given to her by the the local hospital to complement new equipment purchases. Even in her first year, the business at her Bloomfield Animal Hospital business was above expectations and she has never looked back. In 1997, she was joined by Dr. Eva Ceranowicz and together they have built a thriving practice with a diverse and supportive clientele.

Dr. Andrea Dennis-LaVigne and her associate, Dr. Eva Ceranowicz
Photo provided by Dr. Dennis LaVigne

      Dr. Dennis-LaVigne is passionate about giving back and supporting her community. She has held many leadership positions at her undergraduate alma mater, the University of Connecticut, and currently serves on it Board of Trustees. In 2011, she gave the commencement address for the university in front of some 8,000 graduates, family members and friends.

      A firm believer in organized veterinary medicine, Dr. Dennis-LaVigne will become the sixth woman president since 2000, of the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association. Just as she was the first African American veterinarian in Connecticut, she will also carry that distinction to the presidency. 

I thank Ms. Julie Kumble, Interim CEO, Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, Easthampton, MA 01027, for arranging an interview for the two of us with Dr. Dennis-LaVigne on January 28, 2014. The information in this blog is based upon that interview to support our ongoing research in women's leadership in veterinary medicine.

Check out my New Blog at www.VeritasDVMblog.com

Posted August 29, 2013

Donald F. Smith DVM

Please explore my new blog, Perspectives in Veterinary Medicine, produced in conjunction with Cornell and Texas A&M Universities, and Zoetis.  

In celebration of the 150^th anniversary of the American Veterinary Medical Association, I am posting this series of stories to chronicle the events that have contributed to the way the veterinary profession functions today. This is all with an eye to the future, helping us anticipate what comes next in our profession.

Regular readers of this blog will see some overlap but most stories are new and more detailed, with more references and footnotes.

I am deeply appreciative of the almost 100,000 "reads" that you have provided over the past three years. You have been my most loyal support base and I deeply appreciate your readership.  It is my hope that you will also join me now at Perspectives in Veterinary Medicine.

As always, you can reach me at dfs6@cornell.edu.

With all good wishes, Donald Smith.

Frederick Douglass Patterson and Tuskegee's School of Veterinary Medicine

By Donald F. Smith, Cornell University

Posted on January 21, 2013, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

African-American veterinarians have played a special role in animal care and public health since the early days of the profession. The most notable of the approximately 70 African-Americans who received their DVM degrees during the first half of the 20^th century is Frederick Douglass Patterson. Orphaned shortly after his birth in 1901 and raised by his sister in Texas, Patterson received his veterinary degree at Iowa State University and later his PhD from Cornell. He became the third president of Tuskegee Institute in 1935 as the south was moving from cotton plantation agriculture to raising livestock.

Overcoming enormous challenges, Patterson developed a veterinary college for African-Americans at a time when higher education in the South was segregated and there were only 12 other veterinary colleges in the country.

To people outside of the veterinary profession, Patterson’s most memorable achievement was organizing fellow Historic Black College presidents to form the United Negro College Fund in 1946. He was also instrumental in establishing the Tuskegee Airman program during his tenure as university president.

Dr. Eugene W. Adams,
Author of "The Legacy"
A History of The Tuskegee University
School of Veterinary Medicine
(Photo by the author, 2012)

Published on the 50th anniversary of veterinary medicine at Tuskegee, Dr. Eugene Adams' definitive historical book, "The Legacy"  describes Patterson's contributions to Tuskegee and to African-American education in general. 

Dr. Adams received his DVM from Kansas State University and his PhD from Cornell. A distinguished pathologist, Adams served on the Tuskegee faculty for almost four decades.

Concern for public health has always been a feature of Tuskegee’s veterinary program, and many of their graduates have had careers in food safety and research. The college is now even closely aligned with human health because of its unique organizational structure that combines Veterinary Medicine as well as Nursing and Allied Health in the same college. Veterinarian Tsegaye Habtemariam, who jointly administers all of these programs, feels that the unified governance facilitates opportunities for advancing the ‘one health’ agenda by which veterinarians can have a stronger role in promoting the health of people as well as animals.

Two current deans of veterinary medicine in the United States are graduates of Tuskegee: Willy Reed (Purdue University) and Phillip Nelson (Western University of the Health Sciences). Along with another alumnus, Michael Blackwell (dean emeritus of the University of Tennessee) and Tuskegee’s current dean, Dr. Habtemarian, these distinguished educators serve as great role models for young African-Americans who aspire to leadership positions in the health professions. 

Sign at the entrance to Moton Field, named after Tuskegee's
second president and made famous by the
Tuskegee Airmen who trained there during World War II.
(Photo by the author, 2012)

Visitors to Tuskegee's campus are deeply moved by symbols of the African-American educational tradition. An inspiring sculpture of founder Booker T. Washington sits beside the campus chapel and is inscribed by the words, "He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry." A few miles from campus is the airfield used by the Tuskegee Airman and made famous by the 2012 movie “Red Tails” and the current off-Broadway play, “Black Angels over Tuskegee".  

For current and future veterinarians of all backgrounds, one cannot consider Tuskegee University or her veterinary graduates without acknowledging the extraordinary legacy of Frederick Douglass Patterson, DVM, PhD, one of the most important veterinarians of the 20^th century.

Dr. Smith invites comments at dfs6@cornell.edu

Arizona's New College of Veterinary Medicine

By Donald F. Smith, Cornell University

Posted January 18, 2013

With the appointment last week of a dean of veterinary medicine for Midwestern University, Arizona is moving forward with plans to open the 29^th veterinary college in the United States in fall 2014. They have already received a State of Arizona License and are scheduled for a site team by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association starting January 20, 2013.

Dr. Brian Sidaway is the
dean of veterinary medicine
at Midwestern University
in Glendale, Arizon
(Photo by Midwestern University)

Midwestern University, a not for profit health sciences university in Glendale, Arizona is home to colleges of osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, optometry, dental health and a large number of master and doctorate programs in its health science college.  When I asked President and CEO Kathleen H. Goeppinger, Ph.D. last year why she would contemplate starting a college of veterinary medicine, she gave one of the most compelling rationales I have ever heard by a senior university administrator.  “Quite simply,” she said, “animals contribute to human health and I felt having a health sciences campus without veterinary medicine would be incomplete.”  Apart from the important role that animals play in supporting human health and well-being, she also pointed to the need to educate more veterinarians to serve in rural areas of Arizona.

At the national level, many practicing veterinarians feel that the 25% growth in the number of veterinary graduates in the last decade has created an oversupply of new veterinarians entering clinical practice. However, Arizona is the second most populous state without a veterinary college (1) and the number of Arizona residents who are accepted each year into U.S. veterinary colleges is among the lowest in the country. Similarly, the number of veterinarians per capita practicing in Arizona is much less than the national average.

When it comes to the vast rural areas in Arizona, the need for veterinarians is especially acute for both livestock and horses, but also for companion animals. Midwestern proposes to accept more students from rural areas with the hope that they will fill that critical need.

Another great unmet need for veterinarians across the entire U.S. is in public and corporate practice. This priority is recognized by former surgeon general Rich Carmona, MD, who lives in Tucson, AZ. Dr. Carmona is a strong supporter of the critical role of veterinarians in public health and he shared the following with me in March last year when the first announcement of Midwestern’s plans were made public.

"During my tenure as United States Surgeon General [2002-06], it became very apparent that veterinarians were essential elements not only to the nation's health, but also to national and global preparedness activities, and as leaders of our multidisciplinary teams.

Veterinarians were some of the most sought-after professionals by all branches of the Federal Government. Whether from traditional veterinary practice to research and development, zoonoses, emerging infectious and global health, we were always in short supply of veterinarians."

Midwestern will be just the fourth veterinary college in the U.S. to be established on a non land-grant campus. Though it will fulfill the need to educate students in species of agricultural interest, its urban location (2) and its educational priorities will also reflect the reality that the overwhelming majority of practicing veterinarians are needed in companion animal practice. These veterinarians not only serve the health needs of the family pet, but also promote the concept of one health for all species because of the positive impact pets have for human health and well-being.

1)  Arizona's population is 6.6 million (2012 estimate). New Jersey, the most populous state without a veterinary college, has 8.9 million people.
2)  Midwestern is located in a metropolitan area of over four million people, one of only four veterinary colleges in the country located in the top 15 metropolitan areas in the U.S. Like Midwestern, each of the other three colleges is located on a campus with other health science colleges (University of Pennsylvania, Tufts University and Western University of the Health Sciences).