Melbourne – 25 September 2023
AVBC is delighted to announce that City University of Hong Kong’s Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, has become the first veterinary school outside of Australia and New Zealand to be guided from “reasonable assurance” to accreditation by a series of its expert teams. After all Boards had time to consider the report from the site visit to the school at the end of May this year, the decision was ratified at the AVBC meeting on the 21 September.
Over six days, the VSAAC team met with College staff and current students and toured the School’s teaching facilities, in addition to veterinary clinics and specialist centres associated with the university and Hong Kong Jockey Club. Dr Julie Strous, AVBC’s Executive Director, who also attended the visit earlier this year, said, “After six years of AVBC collaboration with the School, this is a significant milestone for animal welfare and for those supported by veterinary services in the Hong Kong region. Accreditation has been reached through the concerted effort of many people at City University, over many years.
Accrediting a new veterinary school can be a long and demanding process, but it is an integral part of assuring the quality of veterinary education. The 12 standards on which AVBC evaluates veterinary schools focus on the attributes of veterinary graduates and how veterinary schools are developing and delivering their curriculum. By accrediting veterinary schools, AVBC is not only assuring and promoting education standards, it is providing an endorsement of the quality of veterinary services to the wider community.”
Professor Freddy Boey, President of City University, said, “The journey to obtaining full accreditation has been a paramount endeavour for us, as it not only validates the quality of our program but also contributes to the overall advancement of the veterinary industry in Hong Kong. [We appreciate] AVBC’s support and recognition of the tremendous efforts we have invested in establishing the first professional veterinary degree at CityU.”
Congratulations to the staff and students at City University’s Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences!
For more information about the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council please contact: admin@avbc.asn.au or telephone the office on: + 61 3 9620 7844.
For more information about the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, please contact: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/jcc/.
Notes for editors:
The Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) has three core functions: to provide a forum for discussion, advice and co-operation among the veterinary boards in Australia and New Zealand; to encourage the standardisation and quality assurance of veterinary services to the community; and to assure and promote uniform educational standards through accreditation of veterinary schools, the Australasian Veterinary Examination, assessment of veterinary qualifications for migration and assessment of specialist qualifications.
The Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences’ vision is to create a centre of excellence in veterinary and biomedical education and research under the One Health paradigm to enhance public health, food safety, animal welfare and help prevent and control infectious diseases in Hong Kong and the region.