OSU Veterinary Center celebrates 250th Anniversary of Veterinary Medicine

Monday, September 19, 2011

Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences joins in the worldwide celebration of the 250th anniversary of veterinary medicine.  According to the AVMA, 2011 has been declared "World Veterinary Year." The world’s first veterinary school was founded in Lyon, France, in 1761 and the profession was revolutionized.  OSU’s veterinary center will celebrate this 250th anniversary during its Annual Fall Veterinary Conference, which is scheduled for October 6 and 7 at the Wes Watkins Center on the Stillwater campus.

“While the veterinary profession has been striving to improve both animal and human health for the past 250 years, OSU’s veterinary center has only been in existence for 63 years,” explains Dr. Carolynn MacAllister, professor and conference organizer.  “In that short span, OSU has many Emeriti faculty and alumni who have made significant contributions to the veterinary medical profession.”
Special recognition of OSU’s veterinary “Shining Stars” and “Points of Pride” will be displayed in many forms during the conference activities.

“Veterinary medicine is a profession that serves society by helping to protect the health of animals, humans and the ecosystem in which we live,” says MacAllister.  “Veterinarians are key public health stakeholders playing a crucial role in reducing global hunger, controlling diseases that affect both humans and animals, ensuring the safety and quality of the food we eat, advancing biomedical research and protecting the biodiversity of our environment.  They are so much more than your ‘family’s other doctor’.”

OSU’s veterinary conference is open to veterinarians, veterinary technicians and office managers.  For more information and to register, visit here.