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World Veterinary Year Celebrates More than Just a Profession

Posted by Rebecca Frank, New Media Content Specialist, Office of Communications in Animals Plants
Dec 27, 2011
Associate Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) Animal Care (AC) program Dr. Andrea (Andy) Morgan with her horse, Belle. While on a road trip with her parents as a young child, Dr. Morgan saw horses in Louisville and Lexington, KY and realized that she wanted to be a veterinarian.
Associate Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) Animal Care (AC) program Dr. Andrea (Andy) Morgan with her horse, Belle. While on a road trip with her parents as a young child, Dr. Morgan saw horses in Louisville and Lexington, KY and realized that she wanted to be a veterinarian.

In any large organization, it can be easy to overlook the contributions of individuals, each with unique stories and perspective. With this in mind, USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) was proud to mark the 250th anniversary of the veterinary profession by offering a series of weekly blogs showcasing a different APHIS veterinarian each Thursday. Written in first person, the “world veterinary year” blogs share career paths - from dream to reality – and put a face on the sometimes overlooked aspects of 'on-the-ground' USDA employees. It is this creative use of social media to effectively showcase the rich personality of our workforce that makes this series our number 4 favorite new media moment.

In the series, which began in early 2011, each blog highlighted one of over 700 APHIS veterinarians and his or her job within the agency. A few notable stories told of APHIS vets ensuring that the U.S. Equestrian Team horses were safe to travel to the Olympics and protecting our nation’s bison populations in Yellowstone National Park. Others are overseas battling infectious diseases and on the front lines in times of great need. They are our unsung heroes, ensuring that USDA is always prepared and that we are secure, healthy, and safeguarded against the unforeseen.

We hope you’ve had a chance to tune in to some these amazing stories throughout the year, but if not, you can find them all here.

Be sure to check out the rest of our 2011 social media moments too!

Category/Topic: Animals Plants