AAVMC Retains Governmental Affairs Firm

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In order help tell the story of academic veterinary medicine to policymakers within the federal government, the Association of American Veterinary Colleges (AAVMC) recently retained Cavarocchi, Ruscio, Dennis (CRD) Associates, LLC, to supplement the AAVMC's governmental affairs activities.

"CRD & Associates will aid the AAVMC with strategic planning, communications, and engagement with our government partners," said veterinarian and the AAVMC's Executive Director Marguerite Pappaioanou. "We believe CRD Associates will assist the AAVMC—as an educational association—in its efforts to educate leaders in the executive branch on the many and vital ways that veterinary medical education contributes to our nation's human and food animal health, security, defense, and well-being, and on the importance of federal support in complementing other funding sources to ensure that our nations' veterinary medical colleges can continue to meet critically important health workforce needs."

The firm will focus on the relationships AAVMC members have with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in order to be promote veterinary medical education and explore new funding opportunities for its members.

"In a challenging fiscal environment, it's more important than ever to communicate the critical role that academic veterinary medicine plays in promoting and protecting our nation's health as members of our nation's healthcare team," said Pappaioanou. "Support to veterinary medical education from both the legislative and executive branches of federal and state government is critical to ensuring that there are sufficient numbers of veterinarians in the public health, biomedical research, and food animal health workforce."

The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) is a non-profit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals, people and the environment by advancing academic veterinary medicine. Its members include all 33 veterinary medical colleges in the United States and Canada, nine departments of veterinary science, eight departments of comparative medicine, three veterinary medical education institutions, nine international colleges of veterinary medicine, and five affiliate international colleges of veterinary medicine.  On the Web:  http://www.aavmc.org

SOURCE Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges