Veterinary Students as Global Citizens Workshop for the Vet Ed Symposium, Edinburgh 2012
Aims of project Develop and test methods to embed global perspectives in the training of professionals three communities of practice that are highly relevant to international development veterinarians, pharmacists and doctors Work with School of Pharmacy, UCL Institute of Global Health
Context for the Project Globalised nature of higher education and professions focused degrees Drivers of internationalisation and sustainable development DFID interest in building support for development Health professions recognising global nature of their work
What has emerged? Curriculum development recognising interdisciplinary nature including within health professions Level of student understanding and engagement Challenges for professional development of staff More than add-on: embedding in core curriculum
What are global and development issues when applied to veterinary medicine? Global public health Livestock and food production Emerging and pandemic disease Zoonoses Climate change One Health Cultural awareness and a rounded education
Why should veterinary students learn about these issues? The world is getting smallerenvironmental change and increased population movement both increase global disease transmission. With increased pressure on natural resources, vets have a key role to play in efficient food production and international development. Increasing recognition of the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing these issues
there is a concern that, over the next 25 years, humans, animals and plants will be threatened by completely new infections, as well as continuing to suffer from those that are already known... the majority of the human pathogens that have been reported within the last 25 years have had zoonotic origins. The risk of zoonotic infection shows no sign of diminishing and could increase in the future Brownlie, J, Peckham, C, Waage, J, Woolhouse, M, Lyall, C, Meagher, L. Tait, J, Baylis, M & Nicoll, A. (2006). Foresight. Infectious Diseases: preparing for the future. Future Threats. Office of Science and Innovation, London p1-83. Veterinarians possess the cross-species expertise required to address some of the world s most pressing problems from a comprehensive, comparative perspective. Academic veterinary medicine has a key role to play in training the next generation of veterinarians to apply One Health solutions to a range of challenging problems that require an integrated approach Gerhardt Schurig, Association of American Veterinary Medicine Colleges (AAVMC) president commenting on the 2012 AAVMC study Workforce Needs In Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Record 2012 170: 580 We want to empower the curriculum with a global perspective of the veterinary profession, as well as with a humanist education that can help students recognize the importance of respect for cultural differences and the reasons for different degrees of development and growth in the world - (Outlining a Education of Global Veterinarians program at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine) Hernandez JA, Krueger TM, Robertson SA,, Greiner EC, Heard DJ, Stone AE, Bellville ML, Condor-Williams V. Education of global veterinarians Prev Vet Med. 2009 Dec 1;92(4):275-83..
Are these topics relevant to all students? What about those that want to be small animal vets in the UK? Global diseases are a threat to animals and people in the UK An increasingly multicultural society means global and cultural awareness is important for all students Aim to give all veterinary students a broad appreciation for these issues, and inspire an interested subset to become enthused by the subject and pursue it in their careers.
What has the Students as Global Citizens project involved at the RVC? Introduced a new component to the professional skills strand which runs through all 5 years of the course
First year Lecture on One Health and Vets as Global Citizens to introduce students to their international responsibilities. These sessions are run by Nick Short and recent graduates.
Second year Lecture on One Health Issues by Dr Wendy Harrison from Imperial College. This lecture focused on the interrelationship between human and animal disease and the need to for an international approach to managing human and animal health.
Third year Afternoon of directed learning where students considered issues encountered by students visiting Kenya, Tanzania and Bangladesh. These were presented to students in video form.
Third year Workshop involving veterinary and medical students working together to control a simulated outbreak of Avian Influenza in Sudan.
Fourth year Evening session on overseas opportunities to undertake extra mural studies (EMS) with external speakers.
Final year Sessions on career opportunities in the developing world.
Other activities Production of comprehensive guide to undertaking overseas extra-mural studies (EMS) Compilation of database of reports of previous student trips overseas Interviews of academic staff about their views on global issues and their inclusion in the curriculum Interviews of student focus groups on the inclusion of global issues in the curriculum and their feedback on the project
Other activities Veterinary Times articles
What do academic staff and students think? Both staff and students tend to be supportive of teaching of global and development issues within the curriculum. Staff are concerned that there is very little space in the curriculum. Students and staff are concerned that material is often lost in the professional studies strand, which is not examined and seen as optional for students. Both staff and students welcome improved overseas opportunities for students, and also the integration of global and development issues within the core curriculum.
Activity One: Evaluation Your group is presented with a specific curriculum intervention aimed at communicating global and development issues to veterinary undergraduates. Please discuss how effective you think this scenario will be in achieving the overall aim of educating and enthusing students about these issues. You may like to consider: Student engagement Ease of practical implementation Sustainability and long term curriculum impact Financial considerations Any ethical issues Do you have any other ideas for effective ways of teaching these topics?
Activity Two: Engagement and longevity We are currently considering how to maximise the long term impact of the Students as Global Citizens project. Please discuss with your group: How can increased institutional and wider professional engagement with these issues be encouraged? Are you or your institution currently involved in teaching any of these topics?
What s next for the Students as Global Citizens project? Vets as Global Citizens publication Further publicity in the veterinary press Continued interdisciplinary focus Workshop event to be held at the Institute of Education in October. (provisional date 27 th October) Workshop will involve representatives from UK veterinary schools along with the Students as Global Citizens project partners. Workshop will aim to disseminate the findings of this project, and create a working group to continue and build upon its work.
If you would like further information, or have any ideas, please contact us on: www.rvc.ac.uk/global Doug Bourn: D.Bourn@ioe.ac.uk Nicole Blum: N.Blum@ioe.ac.uk Nick Short: nshort@rvc.ac.uk Jenny Maud: jmaud@rvc.ac.uk