Internal medicine fellowship program launches at California institution

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The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) is offering its Fellowship Program, a multi-year, hands-on clinical training opportunity in cases specifically within a discipline, at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. This first course will be focused on infectious diseases, but ACVIM intends to create more programs featuring several specialties in veterinary medicine.¹

These ACVIM fellowships are open to diplomates of the ACVIM seeking to add an additional level of expertise and mastery in their discipline. Qualified ACVIM diplomates are required to have previously completed an ACVIM-approved residency and passed board certification examinations in one of the college’s 6 specialty disciplines: small animal internal medicine, large animal internal medicine, cardiology, nutrition, oncology, or neurology. After enrolling in this new infectious diseases fellowship program, veterinarians will be officially credentialed as Fellows of the ACVIM followed by the particular domain of study, which in this case would look like: “FACVIM (Infectious Disease),” according to the UC Davis release.¹

“The ACVIM Fellowship Program represents a bold step towards redefining the boundaries of veterinary internal medicine,” said Keith Richter in an ACVIM news release. “It's a unique opportunity for passionate professionals to further their careers, collaborate with thought leaders, and drive innovation in their chosen field.”²

More information about the fellowship program in general can be found here. The UC Davis infectious diseases program will be directed by Jane Sykes, BVSc (Hons), PhD, DACVIM, professor of internal medicine with a special interest in infectious diseases. She stated, “I think a big reason why UC Davis was selected to become the first facility to host the fellowship is partly because we’ve been working toward this for many years to build an extraordinary training program. But another part of it is the unique relationship we have with the infectious disease group at the UC Davis School of Medicine. We’ve been able to study very closely how they train their fellows and then develop our program to mimic the success they’ve had.”¹

This 2-year training fellowship is supported by the Judith McBean Trust Foundation and will be titled, “The Judith McBean Trust Foundation Fellowship in Small Animal Infectious Disease” starting August 1, 2024.¹

“We are honored to be chosen to host the first ACVIM-recognized fellowship,” said Jamie Burkitt, DVM, DACVECC, co-director of House Officer Affairs and Education at UC Davis. “Dr Sykes’ and other faculty members’ backgrounds in the field, the school’s research and laboratory facilities, and the Internal Medicine Service’s expertise and caseload provide an ideal training opportunity for veterinary specialists seeking to enhance their knowledge of infectious diseases. This fellowship is an ideal fit for our house officer program and an important step in advancing specialty veterinary medicine.”¹

References

1. Warren R. UC Davis to be first training site of new fellowship program. News release. University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. February 21, 2024. Accessed February 23, 2024. https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/uc-davis-be-first-training-site-new-fellowship-program
2. ACVIM launches fellowship program to advance veterinary internal medicine expertise. News release. American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 13, 2023. https://www.acvim.org/docs/default-source/news-publications-documents/press-releases/fnl-fellowship-press-release0e882fff-1f86-4443-a842-b49773426a7e.pdf?sfvrsn=f7daa173_3