AAVMC Annual Conference

AAVMC is proud to host Catalyze 2023, March 9-11, at the historic Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC.

The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) is excited to present our 2023 conference.

The AAVMC’s annual conference is considered one of the leading professional development events in international academic veterinary medicine. Hundreds of educators and other leaders from the veterinary medical profession gather every year for a three-day symposium that features respected thought leaders from around the world, explores issues and opportunities, shares best practices, and focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion. The conference also features the AAVMC’s annual Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill.

Registration and Hotel Bookings for Catalyze 2023 are closed.

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Jonathan Ripp

March 9th, 2023

Dr. Jonathan Ripp

Associate Dean for Well-Being and Resilience, and Chief Wellness Officer, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai– Wellbeing

Jonathan Ripp, MD, MPH is Professor of Medicine, Medical Education and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Senior Associate Dean for Well-Being and Resilience and Chief Wellness Officer at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS). He received both his undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University and completed internship and residency in Internal Medicine (IM) at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. In the role of chief wellness officer, Ripp oversees efforts to assess and provide direction for system-and individual-level interventions designed to improve well-being for all students, residents, fellows and faculty in the Mount Sinai Health System. He is the former Associate Dean of GME for Trainee Well-Being within the ISMMS Office of Graduate Medical Education’s in which capacity he served to help spread well-being initiatives across the training programs of the Mount Sinai Health System. Ripp also co-founded and is the former Director of the ISMMS Department of Medicine’s Advancing Idealism in Medicine (AIM) Initiative. In the Department of Medicine, Ripp serves as core faculty for the IM Residency Training Program and faculty in the Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors home-based primary care program. In addition, Ripp is the Co-founder and Co-Director of CHARM, the Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine, an international group of medical educators, academic medical center leaders, experts in burnout research and interventions, and learners all working to promote learner and trainee wellness. Recognized for his leadership in this area, Ripp has been invited to participate in the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Symposia on Physician Well-Being, join the American College of Physician’s Promoting Physician Wellness Task Force and participate in the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-being and Resilience. Ripp’s primary research interest is in physician burnout and well-being, for which he has received grant support and has published and lectured widely. His multicenter studies have served to better elucidate the causes and consequences of physician burnout and have explored interventions designed to promote trainee well-being.

Dr. Claire Simeone

March 10, 2023

Dr. Claire Simeone

Conservation Leader, and Veterinary Leader – Climate Change

Dr. Claire Simeone is a conservation leader working fearlessly to heal the animals and ecosystems of our planet. A veterinarian by training, Claire specializes in working with marine mammals, studying the connections between animal health, ocean health, and our own health.

In the wake of her father’s death, and the day she brought her son home from the hospital, Claire suffered a spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a rare postpartum heart attack. This, coupled with severe burnout, led her to a re-evaluation of life, work, and saving the world.

Claire is the Founder and CEO of Sea Change Health, an organization working to massively shift our understanding and cultivation of health for all those who rely on the sea. Claire was the first veterinarian ever selected as a TED Fellow and is the author of numerous scientific articles, book chapters, and is a seasoned speaker. Prior to founding Sea Change Health, Claire led conservation efforts for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal at The Marine Mammal Center. Claire’s work underscores the connection between humans and animals and how our survival relies on listening to the wisdom that the natural world shares.

Dr. Anthony Jack

March 11, 2023

Dr. Anthony Jack

Harvard University, School of Education – Education and Diversity

Anthony Jack, sociologist and Assistant Professor of Education at Harvard University, is transforming the way we address diversity and inclusion in education. His new book, The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students, reframes the conversation surrounding poverty and higher education. In it, he explains the paths of two uniquely segregated groups. First, the “privileged poor”: students from low-income, diverse backgrounds who attended elite prep or boarding school before attending college. The second are what Jack calls the “doubly disadvantaged”—students who arrive from underprivileged backgrounds without prep or boarding school to soften their college transition. Although both groups come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, the privileged poor have more cultural capital to navigate and succeed—in the college environment and beyond.