Dr. Henry Childers, a long time instructor and volunteer at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, has been elected president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
The AVMA represents 86 percent of the nation's 80,000 veterinarians. The group provides education, resources and other benefits to its member doctors.
Childers has been volunteering at the Vet School for 25 years, since the school's inception. In 2001, the Vet School recognized his years of service by establishing an award in Childers' name.
With his 50 years of experience in animal medicine, Childers has brought a lifetime of experience to his veterinary students. He served two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, where he helped maintain the health and safety of animals used by the army.
At the University, Childers oversees a case-study learning program. The problem-based project allows groups of about eight students to study individual veterinary cases.
In addition to overseeing the school's unique program, Childers leads a group of his own students, dedicating about four hours a month to the school.
As president of the AVMA, Childers has stated an interest in promoting pain relief for animals during surgery, including drug therapies such as morphine. In the veterinary profession there is a strong concentration on saving the life of the animal, he explained, but its comfort is often ignored.
"A human patient, if that person feels any pain at all, they complain to the physician but animals can't say 'I'm in pain, I'm hurting,'" Childers said. "They might look anxious or they might not sleep. We should be more aware of that and institute therapy for all surgical patients."
Childers works for Tufts on an entirely volunteer basis. He drives over an hour from Rhode Island to the Grafton campus several times a week. "I can't think of a more highly respected private practitioner in New England than Dr. Childers," Vet School Dean Philip Kosch said.
"It's not often that you find a private practitioner who's willing to devote the time and energy to make such a positive impact on a veterinary school as an educator and a role model," Kosch said.
Childers graduated from Auburn University in Alabama in 1954 with a doctorate in veterinary medicine. He previously served as president of the American Animal Hospital Association and the New England Veterinary Medical Association. Childers will assume AVMA's presidency in July 2005.
