2025 Impact Report

Katie Mullen, DVM, MS, DACVIM (LAIM)

"Simply excellent educational experience delivered by a slate of the top equine cardiologists from around the world. They do a great job catering to different levels of experience and provide valuable information that every attendee can utilize in clinics, teaching and research activities. Highly recommend.” (2025 Advanced Large Animal Cardiology)
 

"Excellent value for money…I feel more up to date on current knowledge in this field and took away many new things that I can apply to my day-to-day practice immediately with confidence. I have always found these courses worthwhile and wish I could take them all!"
 

Heidi Banse, DVM, MS, DACVIM (LAIM)

"The ACVIM Forum is one of my favorite conferences to attend each year. It consistently features leading experts sharing cutting-edge research and insightful perspectives on key topics in veterinary medicine. It's an invaluable opportunity to stay up to date with the latest advancements in the field."

"The ACVIM allowed me to reconnect with some of my old friends while watching them excel in their specialties. Giving a lecture was a truly unforgettable experience, and the positive feedback I received exceeded all expectations."

• Implemented consistent exam score reporting model (scaled scoring) as a natural next-step in becoming more aligned with high-stakes examination best-practice, which increases confidence in examination and certification process and overall candidate experience.
• Approved a phased implementation of equating as a means of cut-score determination for the ACVIM exams. Implementation of equating for specific exams is based on continuous data analysis over time.
• Ongoing work to improve the quality of exam item banks. 
   

Kate Echeverria, DVM, MS, DACVIM (LAIM)

• Royal Canin SAIM Resident Support Program
• Boehringer and PRN Pharmacal Product Spotlight Webinars
• Purina Institute Research Awards
• Research Study Partners: Boehringer, CareCredit, and Purina Institute
• MentorVet Scholarship Program: Chewy Health
• ACVIM Forum Travel Awards: MedVet and Hill’s Pet Nutrition

The ACVIM established a strategic alliance partnership with VETgirl to expand access to high-quality education, strengthen collaboration between specialists and primary care veterinarians, and elevate awareness of specialty medicine. Through shared educational resources, cross-promotional initiatives, and joint conference engagement, this partnership amplifies ACVIM’s reach within the primary care community and supports improved referral communication and patient care.

99.36%

The 2026 dues campaign pulled in 3,587 accounts for renewal in 2025: of these, only 8 individuals chose not to renew their membership with their certification, and 15 individuals lapsed

Andrew Specht, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM)

• In 2025, the ACVIM Membership Committee deployed a veterinary specialty compensation and benefits benchmarking survey in partnership with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). The first of its kind, the survey collected 2024 compensation and benefits data from both ACVIM and ABVP members and aggregated this data into a dynamic reporting dashboard called the Specialty VetMed Compensation Compass. An new exclusive  member benefit, the Compensation Compass survey launched in the final quarter of 2025 with the interactive results dashboard and reporting going live in December. It provides valuable insights into salary and overall compensation in the field. 

As part of our commitment to support the ACVIM community’s mental health and wellbeing, the ACVIM partnered with MyGroup in 2025 to offer a new Member Assistance Program, or MAP, providing free, 24/7 support for both Candidates and Diplomates and their household family members. The MAP can connect you and your loved ones with licensed clinicians in your area to address a wide range of personal and work-related concerns via in person, telephonic, or virtual counseling sessions. The MAP also offers both financial and legal consultations and support, in addition to an online library of resources, including a free Will-builder tool. There’s no enrollment required, so you can start using the MAP whenever you need it. 

• "The use of and attitudes toward artificial intelligence in American and European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine members.” describes the current state of AI in veterinary medicine and provides a framework for practitioners to evaluate tools that leverage AI in the clinical setting. Accepted for publication in JVIM. Due to be published in January 2026.
• “The impact, promise, and potential perils of artificial intelligence in veterinary medicine: a call to the ACVIM community for improved awareness and literacy.” This Perspectives article describes results of a survey of ACVIM and ECVIM members regarding their use of and attitudes toward AI tools in veterinary medicine. Due to be published in January 2026.
• Developed a flyer for pet owners that describes questions they should ask their veterinarian about the use of AI in the care of their pet. 

• Establishment of criteria and standard operating procedures for the new ACVIM Endorsed Statement (AES) program to begin in 2025.
• Publication of one consensus statement “ECEIM consensus statement on equine kidney disease”
• The ACVIM-Endorsed Statement: Consensus Statement and Systematic Review on Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Inflammatory Enteropathy in Dogs. Romy M. Heilmann and Albert E. Jergens are co-chairs of the panel and contributed equally as first authors. Annette M. O’Connor served as the methodological expert. Aarti Kathrani, Karin Allenspach, Silke Salavati Schmitz, Simon L. Priestnall, and Julien R.S. Dandrieux were all panel members.
  • Due to be published January 2026

In 2025, the Education and Research Committee (ERC) created a framework that describes research competencies generally expected of the ACVIM Candidates and Diplomates. This tool will guide the development of offerings that support members in advancing their research skills and fully develop their scholarly identity. Members of the ERC will share the competency framework at the 2026 ACVIM Forum in order to gather feedback and elicit ideas for how the ACVIM can define ways to support development in these areas

Romy Heilmann, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), Dipl. ECVIM-CA, MANZCVS (Small Animal Medicine), PhD, AGAF

Four impactful success stories were published on VetSpecialists.com this year, each highlighting the skill and dedication of ACVIM Diplomates. Covering cases in neurology, oncology and small animal internal medicine, these stories demonstrate how expertise in veterinary specialty medicine leads to improvements in patient outcomes.

In 2025, Beyond the Clinic, powered by VetSpecialists.com, released five new episodes, each offering specialist insight into key areas of veterinary specialty care.

This year’s topics included the role of veterinary cardiologists, guidance on the referral process, navigating complex cases, strengthening primary care collaboration, and a cross-disciplinary neurology case involving a chimpanzee.

The Members in the News initiative continues to provide a platform for recognizing member achievements throughout the year. A total of 43 features highlighted professional accomplishments, media appearances, and advancements within specialty medicine. 

As the most effective social media campaign of the year, this initiative played a key role in broadening awareness of specialty medicine and its impact on the veterinary profession.

In 2025, we launched the ACVIM SmartBrief, a curated newsletter in partnership with SmartBrief, delivering the latest news, research, and trends in veterinary internal medicine. Designed for busy specialists, each issue provides reliable insights in just two minutes of reading, keeping members informed about the stories that matter most to their practice and profession. Engagement with the newsletter remains strong, with a 44% open rate and 10% click-through rate, reflecting the value members place on staying connected to breakthrough developments in veterinary medicine.

Baye Williamson, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)

In 2025, the Specialty Medicine Awareness Committee advanced a comprehensive research project designed to better understand how pet owners and primary care veterinarians perceive Board-certified veterinary specialists. This work has the potential to shape the way our profession communicates its value for years to come.

Key milestones from 2025:

• Deep insights from pet owners - data collection with animal owners is complete, and Trone Research & Consulting is analyzing results that will help us understand awareness gaps, decision-making, and opportunities to elevate specialty medicine.
• Momentum and support, the project secured partial funding for 2025, with additional support being pursued for 2026 to continue building on this important work.
• Expanding the research, planning is already underway for the next phase, the referral DVM survey, set to launch in 2026, allowing us to compare perspectives across audiences and strengthen our understanding of the referral relationship.

This foundational research represents a major step toward empowering Diplomates, strengthening referral relationships, and ensuring pet owners everywhere understand the value of specialty care.