President’s Message 2011
My first year as AVDS
president has come to a close in the midst of a successful and enjoyable
Veterinary Dental Forum (VDF) in San Antonio, Texas. Thanks to all who
provided an exemplary educational experience for conference attendees.
Special thanks to those who volunteered their time and talent to lecture,
teach laboratories, serve on committees, and staff the AVDS booth. Your
efforts continue to improve the Forum each year. The AVDS was founded in
1976 for the purpose of creating a forum for advancement of knowledge,
education, and awareness of veterinary dentistry among veterinarians,
students and the public. The VDF is an important conduit for achieving this
mission. Much thanks also to sponsors and exhibitors who provide financial
support to make this educational experience affordable for attendees. In
addition to the next VDF in Boston, November 10-13, 2011, keep in mind other
great educational opportunities, including the World Veterinary Dental
Congress in Cape Town, South Africa on October 10-14, 2011, and the European
Congress of Veterinary Dentistry in Chalkidiki Greece, September 1-3, 2011.
Another conduit of the Society’s mission is the Journal of
Veterinary Dentistry (JVD). Mark and Debra Smith, with the help of Barry Rathfon,
Kurt Peckman, and the Journal Management Committee, are committed to providing
the highest quality journal. The journal continues to improve each year, and we
appreciate recent suggestions made by members in an effort to strive for
continual improvement. We encourage submissions of original research and other
featured articles that will continue to strengthen the journal. The journal is
the greatest benefit of an AVDS membership, but there are many other benefits.
Please visit the AVDS website at
www.avds-online.org for information on newly developed benefits such as
discounts on Elsevier and Manson publications, online scrubs orders, and much
more.
Your AVDS Board of Directors consists of dedicated and
talented people who are excited about ongoing and new projects. We welcome a new
AVDS Board member, MJ Redman. We congratulate Rod Salter on his reelection. We
look forward to the initiatives our new members will foster in the coming years!
The AVDS supports educational programs such as the distance-based learning
modules of the Veterinary Dental Educators group and the Student Chapters of the
AVDS (SCAVDS). These efforts are instrumental in allowing students to receive
the dental training they need and want. If you’d like to support these efforts,
a donation can be made on your AVDS dues renewal form. Please contact
avds@avds-online.org if you have not received your renewal for 2011. If you
have received your 2011 dues invoice, you may have noticed an increase in AVDS
dues. Everyone I have spoken with supports the bold initiatives mentioned above
whole-heartedly, and programs like this require capital. We are also actively
pursuing options for an electronic version of the JVD and electronic searchable
archives.
I speak for the entire AVDS Board of Directors when I say
that we realize the importance of having a proactive Board that represents the
Society as a whole. Thank you to those of you who took our AVDS member survey in
April. Please continue to provide us further feedback in future surveys. We will
strive for continued improvements of established programs and will nurture new
programs that heighten awareness and education in veterinary dentistry and oral
surgery. Please feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments.
Sincerely,
John R. Lewis, VMD,
FAVD, DAVDC
President, American
Veterinary Dental Society
