“We truly look forward to your visits each year,” Addison Sheldon, Purdue Veterinary Medicine director of Global Engagement, told visiting students from Japan as he began a farewell ceremony Friday, August 18 in the David and Bonnie Brunner Small Animal Hospital. The program marked the conclusion of a visit by students and faculty from the Kitasato University School of Veterinary Medicine and Rakuno Gakuen University. The visit was part of an ongoing international exchange relationship between Purdue University and the two Japanese universities.
The exchange program with the DVM program at Kitasato dates back nearly 30 years. Though the exchange was temporarily suspended during the pandemic, the annual visits resumed last year. This year’s delegation included four students and a faculty member.
The relationship with the Veterinary Nursing program at Rakuno Gakuen was established more recently, and this year marked the first time since the pandemic that Purdue Veterinary Medicine hosted a group of three veterinary nursing students and a faculty member.
The primary purpose of the visit by the students from the two universities was to spend time in the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital observing the work done by PVM clinicians and veterinary nurses. The program is designed to give them an overview of how veterinary medicine is practiced in the United States. The visitors also participated in a variety of other activities, including visiting the Indiana State Fair and the Indianapolis Zoo. “We have a lot of fun and share a lot of laughs and we always admire your enthusiasm to learn,” Addison said at the farewell ceremony.
During the ceremony, each member of the visiting delegations was recognized and presented with a certificate. A student from each of the universities also spoke and thanked the PVM faculty and staff members who helped host them during their stay. Addison also thanked all the PVM faculty and staff who helped the visitors feel warmly welcomed in Lynn Hall.
The program concluded with a reception that featured refreshments and plenty of photo ops.
