International Veterinary Students' Association and Bayer Announce Partnership to Raise Awareness of Animals and Public Health

SHAWNEE, Kan., April 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on a tradition of veterinary science and innovation, today, the International Veterinary Students' Association (IVSA) and Bayer HealthCare Animal Health announce a strategic partnership to raise awareness of global public health on topics of interest to students of veterinary medicine and veterinarians.

Through this partnership, IVSA and Bayer will work together to develop and share best-practices, information and content, which will be made available to a broad audience within the veterinary profession. As partners in educating and informing the public, Bayer and IVSA are already working together to raise awareness of canine vector-borne disease (CVBD), through the upcoming CVBD 2014 Web Conference.

Member organizations of IVSA include the Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA), which gives a national voice to more than 12,000 veterinary student members from over 33 schools of veterinary medicine, both within the U.S. and across the globe.

"With a global network extending into 56 different countries, representing 150 faculties, and representing 35,000 veterinarian students worldwide, we believe working closer with IVSA creates opportunities in veterinarian medicine through knowledge and best-practice sharing," says Prof. Norbert Mencke, Head of Global Veterinary Services, Bayer HealthCare Animal Health. "The CVBD 2014 Web Conference is only one example of ways in which we can educate and broadly inform our communities."

As part of its mission, IVSA believes that better veterinary education comes from interaction and sharing knowledge with veterinary students worldwide. Expanding on this pillar of IVSA's mission, IVSA and Bayer are also social media partners and will be working together to raise awareness of key topics related to the full spectrum of the veterinary profession of clinical relevance, scientific knowledge to the forefront of public health. Through these educational and awareness opportunities, the organizations hope to communicate best-practice veterinary knowledge and passion for a life dedicated to animal and public health.

"We are pleased to partner with Bayer, as our respective international perspectives and missions match to provide benefits to society by raising awareness of important animal and public health topics," says Pim Polak, President of the IVSA, enrolled at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. "The social media aspect of our partnership is unique and provides our membership with a special opportunity to develop professionally. We are excited to advance our mission for our member base in a way that is tailored to their expectations and career needs for the future."

"Actively engaging with our stakeholders is one of our prioritites," says Dr. Dirk Ehle, President of Bayer HealthCare's Animal Health division. "We partner with over 90 research and animal focused organizations that contribute to the health, safety and well-being of animals around the world. Our division has trained thousands of students and farmers on the better treatment of animals and we are pleased to work closer with IVSA."

About the International Veterinary Students' Association
The International Veterinary Students' Association was founded in 1953 and has been active in veterinary schools across the world for more than 50 years. The mission of IVSA is, "To benefit the animals and people of the world"by harnessing the potential and dedication of veterinary students to promote the international application of veterinary skills, education and knowledge. IVSA is an independent, strictly non-profit, non-political organization based on volunteer efforts of veterinary students worldwide. More information is available through http://www.ivsa.org and [email protected].

About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 18.9 billion (2013), is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover, develop, manufacture and market products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 56,000 employees (Dec 31, 2013) and is represented in more than 100 countries. More information at www.healthcare.bayer.com.

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SOURCE Bayer HealthCare Animal Health