‘Mining Diamonds’: VPHA & AGV 2020 Conference adapting to the virtual era
2020 marks the 60th anniversary of the VPHA (Veterinary Public Health Association). Back in March, a VPHA & AGV 2020 Spring conference, ‘Mining Diamonds’, was set to celebrate the contribution of vets to One Health in a hotel in Leicester, featuring an afternoon workshop run by UK veterinary undergraduates. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to a halt all plans for a celebration in person and raised the question of how and when an alternative event could be held to mark the occasion.
A cohort of vet students, with representation from every vet school in the UK, came together to form a team determined to reimagine the conference they had helped to plan for March in a virtual format. Working alongside the VPHA conference organisers, a novel online conference week was planned for 10th -17th October 2020.
Pre-recorded presentations by five excellent speakers were made available on YouTube and circulated to all conference delegates. Professor Lord Trees discussed the contribution of vets to the UN sustainable development goals, whilst Dr Rens van Dobbenburgh highlighted the evolving roles and responsibilities of EU official veterinarians. Dr Rakesh Chand gave a fascinating insight into the growth of international insect trade; Anthony Ridge discussed the crucial role of vets in safeguarding animal health, animal welfare and public health in international trade; and Lucy Johnson reviewed animal welfare cases as reported by OVs at UK abattoirs. The pre-recorded lectures gave great flexibility as they could be watched, re-watched and paused throughout, helping delegates gain as much as possible from the insights of experienced individuals in veterinary public health.
During the conference week, members of the cohort of organising UK vet students hosted 4 online discussion sessions with graduate members of the profession to debate some open questions about the past, present and future role of the veterinary profession in One Health. In parallel, the students also hosted their own discussions within their vet schools to gather student perspectives on the topic. These interactive sessions allowed many students, regardless of their previous knowledge, to have their say and take part in the debate on the broader impact of the veterinary profession in One Health.
On 17th October 2020, there was a final live zoom call to conclude the conference. During this session, the cohort of UK vet students collectively fed back on key findings from the week’s discussions. Amongst the outcomes of the conference arose three proposals for which the majority of delegates present showed great support: a request for increased VPH-related EMS opportunities for undergraduates; a proposal for opportunities for students to provide comments on consultation documents; a request for more teaching on the environmental impact and sustainability strategies of the veterinary profession. VPHA and AGV presidents gave some closing remarks before the conference week was brought to a close.
The VPHA & AGV 2020 virtual conference week format was, as far as we are aware, one of the first of its kind. We were able to explore new educational platforms, maximise our potential for networking and ‘mine diamonds’ of knowledge and experience from graduate members of the profession, albeit virtually.
The event also brought together like-minded vet students to work as a team and run a successful event where graduates and students had so much to learn from each other. The VPHA have since set up a VPH Ambassador scheme in which a representative from each vet school will act as an interface between the VPHA and the veterinary undergraduate body. This new network should pave the way for collaboration and potentially more student-led conferences in the future, whether in person or virtually.
Upon reflection, the COVID pandemic has had a huge impact on our learning with many opportunities and events being cancelled. However, the restrictions have also forced us into unpredictable situations and pushed us to develop new transferrable skills. 2020 has certainly taught us to be flexible in the way we learn and the importance of embracing opportunities to try something new.
Jennifer Simpson (6th year, Cambridge) & Laura Copley (5th year, Nottingham)
