December 9, 2018
The December 2018 General Meeting of the JVMA saw the making of veterinary history in Jamaica with the delivery of a Licensing Certificate to Dr. Ralston Bent, a 2011 graduate of the Central University of Las Villas in Cuba. Dr. Bent is the first Cuban-trained veterinarian to be registered to practice in Jamaica.
Cuban-trained vets have not been accepted for registration in Jamaica without undergoing further training approved by the Jamaica Veterinary Board. Dr. Bent attended the enrichment programme at Tuskegee University in the United States earlier this year. JVB Chairman, Dr. St. Aubyn Bartlett noted that he hoped to see other Cuba grads brought into the fold.
In his response, Dr. Bent noted that it had been a long, difficult road and he thanked the veterinary community for the support and encouragement he had received as he prepared for the National Examination for the Registration of Veterinarians (NERV).
Another historic registration from the November sitting of the NERV came in the form of marine mammal specialist Dr. Eva Alvarez-Figueras of Spain. She is the first non-Caribbean national to sit the exammination and will be working with Dolphin Cove.
Two 2018 UWI SVM graduates were also registered: Drs. Gabrielle Beckford and Michka McCalla-Francis, joining four others who sat the NERV in July and registered in August of this year - Drs. Tracy-Ann Buchanan, Roxann Hayles, Simone Johnally and Andre' Smythe.
The General Meeting was held at the Altamont Court Hotel in New Kingston under the kind sponsorship of the Pet Food Institute, based in Washington D.C. in the United States, which provided our international guest speaker, Dr. Leslie Hancock-Monroe who presented on Obesity in pets. The presentation was excellent, well-received and generated interesting discussion. Dr. Hancock-Monroe was accompanied by PFI's Director of Business Mr. Daniel Nat-Davies who underlined his organization's commitment to the promotion of good nutrition for pets in partnership with the veterinary community.
To find out more about the Pet Food Institute please click HERE.
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