On December 2, 2006, veterinary parasitology educators representing veterinary schools from the US, Canada and the Caribbean met in Atlanta for the purpose of sharing and improving the teaching of parasitology in veterinary curricula.
The meeting, sponsored jointly by the AAVP and the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC), brought together 35 individuals (representing 24 colleges of veterinary medicine, one college of veterinary technology, the Gluck, one European veterinary faculty and the boards of AAVP and CAPC) to examine how material was currently presented and ways in which its presentation could be improved. The first session included a short talk from a representative of each of the veterinary schools on "One thing that works well in my teaching is..." This was followed by a presentation on "Education Technology: The Hype and the Reality" by Dr. Amy Bruckman, Associate Professor, College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, followed by a discussion of potential implementation in the different curricula. The day was completed with break-out groups examining the prior events, formulation of action plans, and plans for future meetings. The meeting represented the very high passion held by the faculty present for the teaching of parasitology, and our continued commitment to prepare veterinarians and veterinary associated professionals for the future. It is planned that the meeting will be followed by another at this summer's AAVP/AVMA meeting in Washington, DC and at another stand-alone meeting in Atlanta next autumn.