Around 90 veterinary professionals from Hong Kong gathered at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) recently for an illuminating seminar by Professor Sydney Moise, Chief of Cardiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University.

The subject of Professor Moise’s talk was the treatment of heart disease in dogs, and the attendees were members of the Hong Kong Veterinary Association (HKVA), the professional organisation for local vets set up in 1982.

"The talk went down very well with the audience and the Q&A session went on for quite some time," said Professor William Ho Shiu-wei of CityU who organised the event jointly with the HKVA.

A prime concern of the HKVA is the active promotion of continuing education for its membership to ensure that Hong Kong veterinarians continue to keep abreast with the most recent global veterinary knowledge.

Professor Moise has published widely in the field of veterinary cardiology and specialises in dogs. She is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Veterinary Cardiology.

"Professor Moise dealt with a subject that is of great relevance to veterinary professionals in Hong Kong and she offered a mixture of practical tips, clinical insight and a research update," Professor Ho added.

CityU has made the creation of a School of Veterinary Medicine a long-term goal. There is currently inadequate support for training, research or continuing professional development activities available in Hong Kong.

The University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. Cornell will assist CityU in designing the curriculum, facilities and teaching faculty for a proposed six-year undergraduate programme in veterinary medicine.

"We are fully convinced that Hong Kong needs a School of Veterinary Medicine for the training of top-level graduates to meet local and regional demand, and there is tremendous community support for that," said Professor Way Kuo, University President.

Such a School would be a centre for excellence for academic research, professional advancement, and the sustained elevation of practice standards to promote public health, animal care, food safety and food production industry in the region.