Purdue SAVMA President Brenda Najar Joins Dean Willie Reed for AAVMC Advocacy Day

March 30, 2018

On the eve of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) annual meeting March 2-4 in Washington, D.C., dozens of veterinary medical educators visited with federal lawmakers as part of “Advocacy Day.”  Among the veterinary school representatives participating were Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s own Dean Willie Reed and Purdue SAVMA president, Brenda Najar, of the DVM Class of 2019.

Each year, the AAVMC organizes “Advocacy Day” in conjunction with its annual conference to encourage attendees to take part in advocacy meetings on Capitol Hill with government and NGO leaders. This year, Brenda delivered 27 letters with real-life stories from Purdue students in each year of the veterinary program to the office of Indiana 4th District Congressman Todd Rokita, urging him to join the Veterinary Medicine Caucus as the congressional representative of Lafayette, Ind., and ultimately work to help lower student debt for veterinary students. “You will hear a common theme discussing the importance of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that strongly affects many of our long-term loan repayment plans,” Brenda wrote in her letter to the congressman.  “You will find disturbing totals of current federal loan debt, including sky-high interest rates between 6 and 8.5 percent, and what that looks like over 20 years. You will read compelling examples of how veterinarians are healthcare superheroes, and ultimately, why the government should be investing in us. I have compiled these stories and given them to you for a better glimpse of the upstanding, role-model citizens of your Lafayette district.”

In addition, Brenda and Dean Reed also paid a visit to United States Senator Joe Donnelly.  Afterword, Brenda said, “I had a wonderful time on Capitol Hill talking to representatives about the changes we’d like to see. It was an honor to speak for my peers.”  A total of 72 educators representing 27 states participated in Advocacy Day, making the trek to Capitol Hill where 138 meetings were held at scores of Congressional offices.

Writer(s): Helen Thimlar, PVM Communications Intern | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

Behind the scenes, Alicia Williams has been making PVM a kinder, stronger place.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine Computational Biologist Uses Big Data, AI and Math to Find Patterns in Cancer

With recent advances, cancer research now generates vast amounts of information. The data could help researchers detect patterns in cancer cells and stop their growth, but the sheer volume is just too much for the human mind to digest. Enter Nadia Lanman, research associate professor in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, whose expertise in computational biology helps researchers at Purdue University distill solutions from the sea of numbers.

Purdue to Host Fourth Annual Antimicrobial Conference in February

With leadership by the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, the Fourth Annual Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) will be held at Purdue University West Lafayette February 25–26, 2026. With multidrug-resistant infections on the rise globally, this event brings together experts and practitioners across the spectrum of human, animal, and environmental health to address one of today’s most urgent public health challenges.

PVM Well-represented by Humans and Animals During Annual Homecoming Celebrations

Every fall, Boilermakers from near and far return to the campus in West Lafayette for the annual ritual known as Homecoming. And Purdue’s Homecoming events also attract plenty of non-alumni who are Purdue fans, patrons, prospective students, or clients of the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital. During this year’s Homecoming weekend October 24-25, Purdue Veterinary Medicine engaged with attendees in multiple ways, with the help of some furry companions.

Purdue University and Akston Biosciences Bring “First Dose of Hope” in New Cancer Immunotherapy Trial for Dogs with Urinary Bladder Cancer

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, in partnership with Akston Biosciences Corporation, has initiated the enrollment of dogs with urinary bladder cancer in a clinical trial of a pioneering immunotherapy. The strategic partnership between Purdue and Akston was announced in August after the underlying technology was developed at the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research (PICR).

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

Today we share appreciation for Beth Laffoon, MS, RVT, and Holly McCalip, BS, RVT, who are both instructional technologists in the Veterinary Nursing Program.

MMAS Symposium Brings Participants Face to Face with Specialists and Species from Parrots to Pocket Pets

Thanks to Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Exotic Animal Club and dedicated faculty, staff and students, nearly 100 in-person and on-line participants got a chance recently to gain valuable knowledge and insight about the Medicine of Mammalian and Avian Species. The two-day educational event known as the MMAS Symposium is a biennial conference, and the 2024 edition held in Lynn Hall November 9 and 10 featured an impressive program that included 22 lectures and several hands-on labs, organized into two tracks focusing on avian and mammalian species.

Veterinary Boilermakers Take Part in Purdue One Health Alumni Reunion

Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine faculty, staff and students turned out for Purdue University’s first One Health Alumni Reunion, which was held on the West Lafayette campus November 14-16. They joined more than 150 Boilermakers from a variety of medical professions who came together to network and participate in timely discussions with Purdue President Mung Chiang, First Lady Kei Hui and fellow alumni.