Students host veterinary open house at University of Saskatchewan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 20, 2012 2012-09-09-WCVM Saskatoon - Students at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) on the University of Saskatchewan campus will host thousands of people of all ages from September 20 to 23 during Vetavision 2012, the veterinary college's public open house.

"Veterinary medicine is one of those professions that everyone is curious about so it's a lot of fun to answer people's questions, demonstrate what we do, and give people a close up look at the animals and the facilities here at the WCVM," said Angela Lê, a senior veterinary student and chairperson of Vetavision 2012.
Held every three years and entirely organized by the WCVM's 319 veterinary students, Vetavision includes over 30 educational displays, more than a dozen speakers and demonstrations, and a variety of furry, slippery and hairy creatures to visit. A pre-veterinary information night will also be held for high school and university students.
Lê added that the event is also an opportunity to help the public understand some of the major shifts in veterinary medicine.
"I think more and more people are realizing that veterinary medicine is much more than taking care of animals," said Lê. "Because of our broad-based training, veterinarians are becoming more involved in public health initiatives, in research that benefits humans as well as animals, and in One Health."
One Health is a global movement that encourages collaboration among all health disciplines with the goal of attaining optimal health for people, animals and the environment.
This is the 15th Vetavision since the first event was held in 1970. When people visited the WCVM during its first Vetavision, the new regional veterinary college at the
U of S was barely five years old and equipped with the basics for training students.
Forty-two years later, Vetavision 2012 organizers expect more than 8,000 visitors to tour through a college that has dramatically grown in size as well as reputation. Today, the WCVM is Western Canada's centre of excellence in veterinary education, clinical services and research as well as an integral part of Canada's food safety and public health networks.
Vetavision 2012 visitors will also witness the results of a major infrastructure project that was completed in 2011. The project included additions to the college's Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC), diagnostics area and research laboratories. Renovations to its large and small animal clinics and lecture theatres, along with the addition of new medical imaging and research technologies, have also helped to enhance the WCVM's veterinary education, clinical and research programs.
An expanded equine performance centre, which will have a standing MRI and equine treadmill in place later this fall, will also be the venue for some of Vetavision's equine-focused activities.
Vetavision 2012 is open to media and the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 20, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 21-22, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 23. Visit www.vetavision.ca for more details.
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For more information, contact:
Myrna MacDonald, Communications, WCVM
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 291-9950
myrna.macdonald@usask.ca
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