2000 Fall Conference Line-Up

Technology Strengthens College Outreach Programs
by Jonas Siegel

 The College’s hospital can’t move from farm to farm. And the research faculty can’t go from producer to producer explaining the applicability of their research. But the College can make connections with veterinarians, producers, and animal owners all over the state through its Continuing Education and Public Service (CEPS) unit. 

The CEPS staff is too busy to be photographed all in one place at one time!

Dr. Dean Scoggins, equine; Dr. Gavin Meerdink, beef and feed safety; Dr. Allan Paul, coordinator and small animal; and Dr. Dick Wallace (seated), dairy. 

Below, from rear: Dr. Paul; Dr. Larry Firkins, swine and EVP; Dr. Peter Bahnson, swine; Chris Beuoy, College editor; front: Judy Mewes, Linda Lauchner, and Karel Earl, CEPS support staff.
 
 

 

Too busy to even be pictured: Dr. Lydia F. Miller, visiting program coordinator Small Animal EVP.

 
 
 
 

“We are a resource for the community,” says Dr. Allan Paul, coordinator of CEPS. “Whether we are fulfilling our Extension functions or offering continuing education programs for veterinarians and producers, we try to keep the needs of the public in mind.” 

“When veterinary practitioners have questions, they call us,” said Dr. Richard Wallace, assistant professor in production medicine/theriogenology and the director of instructional programming and distance learning. 

The best preparation for this type of work, says Dr. Wallace, is private practice experience. “It brings perspective to the job,” he said. 

In addition to his practice experience, Dr. Paul’s fifty-percent research appointment brings an authoritative dimension to his work as the small animal Extension veterinarian.

“Extension veterinarians rely on their academic training to be able to critically evaluate new topics and be able to synthesize research into something that producers can use,” says Dr. Wallace. 

CE on CD
The CEPS department has always managed both Extension and continuing education programs at the College, but new technologies are beginning to change the way these programs are administered. 

For example, the 1999 Fall Conference was conducted in the usual way, but the proceedings were available on CD-ROM as well as in printed form.

Soon the department will offer continuing education credit over the Internet and on CD-ROM. This will allow CEPS faculty to craft a single message that can be heard many times over. 

Practitioners using an instructional CD-ROM could follow the module as though they were in a lecture, seeing and hearing everything, and could also engage in online, real-time sessions with an instructor and other practitioners.

This type of instruction, if approved by the veterinary licensing board, could drastically change the continuing education process. 

Dr. Larry Firkins, director of the College’s research stations and swine Extension veterinarian, says that online capabilities will enable him to make the Executive Veterinary Program in swine a more academically rigorous program. But he doesn’t see the entire program going on line. 

“It is important to find the balance between online work and the hallway discussion that goes on during a module,” says Dr. Firkins. “The networking and interaction among veterinarians is a very valuable part of EVP.” 

Email Inquiries
As part of their Extension duties, the CEPS faculty also answers questions from clients and producers. The number of Internet inquiries coming through Extension Web sites has been growing at an overwhelming rate, according to Dr. Paul. 

This type of interaction makes the CEPS staff more visible to the public as “windows into the College,” but it also illustrates some limitations of the use of technologies in Extension work. “It is hard to diagnose an animal’s problem over the Internet,” said Dr. Wallace. 

Attempting to do this would not only violate practice laws but would also thwart CEPS veterinarians’ goal of encouraging animal owners and producers to consult their local veterinarians about animal medical problems.

We’re All Connected
Ultimately, sharing information with veterinarians using the Internet and CD-ROM programs can be only so effective. 

Dr. Wallace, who is also the dairy Extension veterinarian, routinely travels to practitioner and dairy conferences, as well as to smaller gatherings of producers and veterinarians, to answer questions about new products and address individual problems. 

“I like to get out in the field every once and a while to stay in touch with veterinarians and what is going on,” he says. 
Sustaining those connections is at the heart of the CEPS mission. 

2000 Fall Conference Line-Up

Great speakers and topics are slated for the October 12 and 13 Fall Conference, so plan to attend! Registration materials will be mailed in August. 

For more information, call the CEPS office at 217/333-2907.

Cattle
Dr. Darrel Kesler, Illinois College of ACES: Illinois Heifer Development
Dr. Dawn Morin, Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM): Training Students for Bovine Practice
Dr. Randall Ott, Illinois CVM: Breeding for Disease Resistance
Dr. Richard Randle, University of Missouri CVM: Select Heifer Development
Dr. Randall Singer, Illinois CVM: Disease and Trade Restrictions; Antibiotic Usage and the FDA

Equine
Dr. G. F. “Andy” Anderson, Equine Veterinary Associates, Broken Arrow, Okla.: Restraint
Dr. Harold Hintz, Cornell University: Nutrition for the Performance Horse 

Personal Improvement
Dixie Carter, Family Life Skills Learning Center, Champaign, Ill.: Dealing with Emotions
Dr. Greg Ekdale, Highland Hospital for Animals, Bloomington, Ill.: Veterinary Staff Education

Small Animal
Dr. Nicole Ehrhart, Illinois CVM: Soft Tissue Sarcomas; Tumors of the Thoracic Cavity
Dr. Tim Fan, Illinois CVM: Mast Cell Tumors
Dr. Cathy Greenfield, Illinois CVM: Gastrointestinal Surgical Problems
Dr. John Haburjak, Illinois CVM: Genital Emergencies
Dr. Joseph Harari, Illinois CVM: Fracture Repair
Dr. John Hintermeister, Illinois CVM: Oncologic Emergencies
Dr. Walter Hoffmann, Illinois CVM: Cytology Rounds
Dr. Pam Jones, Illinois CVM: Hyperthyroid Cats
Dr. Lisa Klopp, Illinois CVM: Cranial Trauma
Dr. Alfred M. LeGendre, University of Tennessee CVM: Infectious disease and vaccinology
Dr. Sheila McCullough, Illinois CVM: Electrolyte Disorders; Fungal Disease
Dr. Joanne Messick, Illinois CVM: Cytology Rounds
Dr. David Polzin, University of Minnesota CVM: Renal Function
Dr. Marc Raffe, Illinois CVM: Point of Care Testing; Acid-Base Balance; Artificial Hemoglobin Therapy
Dr. Ron Smith, Illinois CVM: Internet Resources in Veterinary Practice
Dr. Phil Solter, Illinois CVM: Cytology Rounds

Swine
Dr. Peter Bahnson, Illinois CVM: Control of Salmonella on Farms
Dr. Allan Carlson, Swine Health Center, Morris, Minn.: Swine Influenza H3N2; Preharvest Food Safety 
Dr. Perry Harms, Iowa State University: Diagnosing SIV; Interpreting Porcine Circovirus Diagnostics 
Dr. Bill Hollis, Carthage (Ill.) Veterinary Service: PRRS Elimination vs. Control
Dr. Christopher Kuster, Illinois CVM: Artificial Insemination