Eleventh Annual ACVIM Forum Largest tver

Nearly 2,050 veterinarians attended the Eleventh An- nual ACVIM Forum in Washington D.C., making it the largest continuing education event ever produced by the Amencan College of Vetennary Internal Medicine.

“We’re very pleased to see this continued growth,” said Dr. Mary Ann Crawford, a specialist in private prac- tice at New Jersey’s Oradell Animal Hospital and Chair- person of the ACVIM’s Board of Regents. “The message it sends to us is that today’s veterinarians are looking at their CE commitments more seriously than ever before. We remain committed to meeting their needs.”

The ACVIM Forum’s scientific programming is widely regarded as offering some of the highest-quality CE available in veterinary medicine, and this year’s pro- gram was no different. Organized by Program Chair Dr. Greg Grauer and his committee of I 1 leading educators from around the nation, the Forum’s 3’h-day program offered over 300 presentations specially designed for spe- cialists and generalists in internal medicine, cardiology, neurology, oncology, and many other areas.

Registrants also attended programming sponsored by an impressive list of affiliates that included the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology, the Veterinary Emer- gency and Critical Care Society, the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, the Compara- tive Respiratory Society, and the Society for Compara- tive Endocrinology.

Affiliates for 1993 also included the American Acad- emy of Veterinary Nutrition and the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, the Liver Study Group, the In- ternational Society of Perinatology, the Comparative Gastroenterology Society, the American College of Zoo- logical Medicine, and the American Society of Veteri- nary Nephrology/Urology.

The Eleventh Annual ACVIM Forum also included the largest commercial exhibit hall in the history of the Forum, with over 80 companies represented in the 100- plus-unit hall.

During the Annual Business Meeting, Dr. Donald Strombeck of the University of California at Davis was inducted into the ACVIM as an honorary member in the Specialty of Internal Medicine.

Dr. R. Lee Pyle, who has served the ACVIM as trea-

Copyright 0 1993 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine

089 I-6640/93/0705-00 10$3.00/0

surer and secretary-treasurer for the past 16 years, was recognized for his years of volunteer service. Board members announced that Pyle has agreed to accept an appointment as part-time executive director of the AC- VIM.

Members of the Board of Regents of the ACVIM for 1993-94 include Dr. Mary Ann Crawford, Chairperson. Dr. Jean Barsanti of the University of Georgia, Presi- dent: Dr. Gary P. Carlson ofthe University ofCalifornia, President-Elect: and Dr. David Twedt of Colorado State University, Vice-president.

At-large members of the board are Dr. Robert DeNovo of the University of Tennessee and Dr. Keith Richter of Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego. Dr. David Sisson of the University of Illinois is President of the Specialty of Cardiology, Dr. Bruce Madewell of the Uni- versity of California is President of the Specialty of On- cology, Dr. Joe Kornegay of North Carolina State Uni- versity is President of the Specialty of Neurology, and Dr. Guy Pidgeon of Hill’s Pet Products is President of the Specialty of Internal Medicine.

Seventy-two new ACVIM Diplomates were recog- nized and presented with credentials at the Eleventh An- nual Meeting, including 61 in the Specialty of Internal Medicine, 6 in the Specialty of Cardiology, and 5 in the Specialty of Oncology.

Over 200 veterinarians seeking board certification by the ACVIM sat examinations at the Eleventh annual meeting. Eighty-seven candidates took the qualifying ex- amination, 85 the certifying examination in internal medicine, 6 in cardiology, 21 in neurology and 25 in oncology.

Veterinarians receiving awards during the Eleventh Annual ACVIM Forum’s research abstract and scientific poster session competitions included Dr. Philip F. Solter of the University of Illinois, Drs. Rance Sellon and Ke- vin A. Monce of North Carolina State University, Dr. Robert A. Mason of the Ontario Veterinary College, Dr. Steven L. Marks of Washington State University, Dr. Jean-Martin Lapointe of the University of Montreal, Dr. Jana Lea Cargile of the University of Florida, Dr. Dana A. Buoscio of the University of Illinois, Dr. John D. Broussard of the Animal Medical Center in New York City, and Dr. David R. Bostwick of Colorado State Uni- versity. This award was sponsored by SmithKline Bee- cham.

The 12th Annual ACVIM Forum will be held June 2 through 5, 1994, at the Hyatt Regency at Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, California.

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Vol. 7 . NO. 5 , 1993 ACVIM FORUM 329

FIG. 1. Dr. R. Lee Pyle receives an award from Dr. Crawford for his FIG. 2. Dr. Bob Hardy. outgoing Chairperson of the Board of Regents. many years of service as Secretary-Treasurer.

News From the Board of Regents

The Board of Regents met at the Sheraton Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C. on May 18 and 19, 1993, to handle the business matters of the association. The Chairman, Dr. Bob Hardy, welcomed the two newly elected Board members-Dr. Dave Twedt, Vice Presi- dent and Keith Richter, member-at-large. Other members in attendance included Drs. Mary Ann Craw- ford, Jeanne Barsanti, Gary Carlson, Jill McClure, Bob

receives a plaque from incoming Chairperson. Dr. Mary Ann Craw- ford.

anticipated that a final contract will be available in June 1993 and that the delivery of the journal to subscribers will be uninterrupted.

The Board discussed the process and implications of the recent credentialing symposium held at the AVMA. The reliability of some of the data that was presented at the meeting was questioned, and the Board was pleased to learn that a better reporting system has been devised. I t was decided that the ACVIM specialties will continue to track candidates through the credentialing and exami-

DeNovo, Guy Pidgeon, Phil Fox, Cleta Sue Bailey, Ralph Richardson, R. Lee Pyle and Ms. Inge Pyle.

A major topic of discussion was the pending journal contract with W. B. Saunders, which was presented by Drs. A1 Legendre and Guillermo Couto (the new editor). In October 1992, J. B. Lippincott notified the Board that they would cease publishing the journal; therefore, the Board has been active in developing a workable contract with Saunders. The group agreed that the latest version

ing; however, further negotiations will be necessary. It is Of the contact was an improvement Over the initial offer- FIG. 3. The largest group of new diplomates in Internal Medicine re-

ceive their certificates from Dr. Guy Pidgeon.

330 ACVIM FORUM Journal of Veterinary

Internal Medicine

FIG. 4. The Board of Regents and Mrs. Inge Pyle. Executive Secretary.

nation processes and will make this information avail- able as required. The Board was informed that a second AVMA-sponsored symposium on specialty examina- tions is being planned for December 1993.

The 1993- I995 Forums were major topics of discus- sion. Chairman Hardy asked the Board members to as- sume specific work assignments for the current Forum, including working at the registration desk. The general plan for the 1994 Forum in San Francisco was presented by the Forum Chairman, Dr. Art Lage. He discussed how the expected large crowd will be accommodated in the Hyatt Regency and adjacent hotels. Dr. Greg Grauer, the Program Chairman, outlined the program plan for 1994. The 1995 Forum was discussed at great length, because a fundamental decision had to be made about

FIG. 6. ACVIM Forum abstract and poster winners receive their awards from Dr. Jeanne Barsanti and Dr. Robin Stan. Dr. Starr repre- sents SmithKline-Beecham Animal Health. which sponsors the com- petition.

the size of hotel the ACVIM needs to use for future For- ums. Based on a recommendation from Dr. Lage and full support of the Board, it was decided that Dr. Lage should attempt to negotiate a contract with the Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, Florida, because it is a “mega-hotel’’ that can easily match the space needs of the Forum. The Dolphin is a Disney property that is operated by the Sheraton Corporation. It appears that a contract will be signed by July 1993.

The process for selecting the 1993 Kirk Award recipi- ent was presented. The Board was pleased to learn that Dr. Steve Ettinger will join a growing list ofdistinguished ACVIM diplomates as the I993 recipient.

FIG. 5 . Dr. Guillermo Couto. incoming JVIM cditor. addresses the membership. certiiicatc.

FIG. 7. Dr. Don Strombeck receives an honorary ACVlM diplomate

Vol. 7 . NO. 5, 1993 ACVIM FORUM 33 1

The Board committed to updating the General Infor- mation Guide (GIG) by July 1993 so that a current ver- sion will be available for the upcoming credentialing and examination cycle. The specialty presidents will lead this effort.

The specialty presidents presented status reports. Dr. Guy Pidgeon said the standing committees of internal medicine have functioned smoothly and met self-im- posed deadlines. He stated that the overall pass rate for case reports has been quite high this year. Dr. Pidgeon indicated that the membership will be considering a pro- posal by the Credentials Committee to reduce the publi- cation requirement from two to one. At the Board “wrap-up” meeting on Sunday, Dr. Pidgeon reported that the proposal was accepted.

Dr. Cleta Sue Bailey stated that 22 candidates were scheduled to take the neurology certifying examination. She said the neurology group plans to review the present credentials requirements to determine if changes are needed. In addition, the group is exploring ways of get- ting more diplomates involved in examination valida- tion.

FIG. 9. ACVIM registration desk staff.

Dr. Phil Fox indicated that five candidates would be taking the certifying examination in cardiology. He said the membership voted to accept the recredentialing pro- posal developed over the past two years. Activities that members may choose to participate in include examina- tion validation, producing examination materials, at- tending relevant continuing education programs, com- mittee service, and other activities that will strengthen the specialty and the knowledge and skills of the diplo- mates.

Dr. Ralph Richardson announced that 25 candidates plan to take the 1993 oncology certifying examination. He indicated that a great deal of time over the past year has been devoted to streamlining the examination pro- cess with particular emphasis on communication with failed candidates. The specialty has requested that each examination committee chairperson communicate with all failed candidates relative to examination perfor- mance.

Other items that were discussed by the Board included the executive director position, the potential move of the central office, and a variety of other business and finan- cial matters. In addition, the Board had a post-Forum review on Sunday morning, May 23, 1993, to discuss various aspects of the 1993 Forum. The Board con- cluded that the Forum was a substantial success but rec- ognized that moving to larger meeting space in 1995 is well justified.

The next Board meeting will be held November 12 and 13, 1993, in Denver, Colorado. The Finance Com- mittee will meet the morning of November 12th.

FIG. 8. Dr. Joe Kornegay receives a plaque from the Editor in recogni- tion of his service as Associate Editor in neurology.

Submitted by R. Lee Pyle, VMD, MS Secretarv-Treasurer. ACVIM