International collaboration promotes Animal Welfare through Veterinary Education, in China

Society increasingly expects veterinarians to ensure that animals used for food, companionship or research are healthy and managed humanely. It is understood that international standards of animal welfare are vital to public health, animal disease management and the economic role of animals in society, and this requires dynamic and progressive teaching techniques.

To this end, the JMICAWE in partnership with Animal Asia and Nanjing Agricultural University delivered a three day conference for academics from leading Veterinary Universities across China. The conference highlighted the need for skills in critical thinking and evidence-based veterinary medicine, and utilised creative, problem-based teaching techniques to engage lecturers. We also shared international standards of best practice in veterinary education and promoted the integration of new innovative approaches and technologies into veterinary teaching.

By encouraging the development of analytical skills and creative solutions to current animal welfare issues in veterinary education, JMICAWE aims to highlight the international importance of animal welfare in the veterinary curriculum, and promote integrated themes of practical animal welfare, and appropriate animal use in veterinary teaching.

Following on from this meeting, students from the NAU had the unique opportunity to experience international training in surgery, anaesthesia and dog population management delivered by veterinary experts from the JMICAWE and Animals Asia through a collaborative programme with the Nanjing Public Security Bureau (Nanjing PSB).

It is hoped that this collaborative programme will continue to promote practical training in key analytical, problem-solving and advanced clinical veterinary skills in the future, resulting in veterinarians being better equipped to work in an increasingly global profession.