The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) has named Dr. Gayle B. Brown, a senior lecturer at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, as the recipient of the 2018 AAVMC Distinguished Teacher Award, presented by Zoetis.
"The AAVMC is proud to recognize outstanding educators and researchers like Dr. Brown who elevate academic veterinary medicine and inspire others through their commitment to professional excellence and service,” said AAVMC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe. “We look forward to publicly honoring her for her achievements during our 2019 annual conference.”
The award, which is considered one of the most prestigious teaching awards in international academic veterinary medicine, recognizes excellence in professional veterinary medical education and is presented to an educator whose sustained record of teaching excellence and ability, dedication, character and leadership has contributed significantly to the advancement of the profession.
“Zoetis is proud to partner with the AAVMC on an award which both inspires and recognizes excellence in teaching at our colleges and schools,” said Dr. Christine C. Jenkins, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Veterinary Medical Services and Outcomes Research at Zoetis, Inc. “Dr. Brown is a wonderful example of the kind of talented and dedicated educators we are so fortunate to have in academic veterinary medicine and all of us at Zoetis congratulate her on earning this prestigious honor.”
Dr. Brown teaches classes that include immunology, emerging and exotic diseases of animals, and microbiology laboratory. She has been a veterinary specialist at Iowa State’s Center for Food Security and Public Health since 2002, where she works on the Exotic Diseases of Animals/Initial Accreditation Training (EEDA/IAT) course. That course is used in some form by all veterinary medical colleges in the United States.
Fourteen components of the EEDA/IAT course are required for all new veterinarians who wish to become accredited for the first time by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and more than 4,000 students use the course every year. Brown’s responsibilities include course content and working with instructors at other veterinary colleges who teach the course.
She believes in using evidence-based teaching approaches to help students invest in basic science education and love learning, even when tackling challenging courses.
At Iowa State, Brown engages students using practical techniques such as discussion groups or the introduction of a “Disease of the Day” to illustrate the basic immunology principles.
In recommending Dr. Brown for the award, Iowa State University’s Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Dr. Jared A. Danielson, wrote that, “Dr. Brown’s enthusiasm for teaching, her genuine interest in student learning, her commitment to understanding and implementing best practices in teaching and assessment, and her remarkable ability to provide infectious leadership in this area make her truly deserving of this award.”
Dr. Brown was the ISU CVM basic sciences teacher of the year in 2008, the recipient of the outstanding achievement in teaching award in 2014, ISU CVM Outstanding Academic Advising Award in 2015, and twice (2013 and 2018) named as the ISU CVM recipient of the Zoetis Animal Health Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Denver, her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Illinois and both a master’s and doctoral degree in immunobiology from Iowa State University.
Dr. Brown’s award will be officially presented during the AAVMC's 2018 Annual Conference and Iverson Bell Symposium, March 8-10, 2019 at the Grand Hyatt Washington, where she will also address attendees.
The AAVMC is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals, people and the environment around the world by advancing academic veterinary medicine. Members include 49 accredited veterinary medical colleges in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean Basin, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.