The "Post Universitaire Opleiding Diergeneeskunde", or PUOD for short, was launched in the early 1990s with Prof. Dr. Aart de Kruif as its driving force. The idea behind it was that veterinary medicine (even back then!) was evolving rapidly and that veterinarians who wanted to keep their knowledge and skills up to date would need to undergo regular training. Soon, the first specialist veterinary courses were introduced, similar to the specialist title ‘Fachtierarzt’ in Germany. Based on de Kruif's great love of cattle, the first courses and specialist veterinary training were mainly designed for this species. Other species followed later. The courses were well attended and were not only educational but also social in nature. I vividly remember that many Friday afternoon sessions of the PUOD Ruminants course ended at ‘De Teugel’ and later ‘Het Boerderijtje’.
Over time, the PUOD was renamed the "Instituut voor Permanente Vorming", or IPV for short. In the meantime, compulsory continuing education also became an issue with the awarding of recognized continuing education credits (ECTs).
Since 2021, the "Instituut voor Permanente Vorming" has been included in Ghent University's Lifelong Learning (LLL) project and, in that context, has been renamed the Academy for Veterinary Medicine, or AcVetMed for short. In addition to traditional classes, where participants can study both theory and practice at our faculty, a large proportion of the classes can be followed online (live or recorded). Ghent University's LLL project is part of the Nova Academy. The Nova Academy's mission is to promote lifelong learning and make it accessible to a wide audience, including alumni and other interested parties. It does this by offering a joint platform that centralizes and presents the educational opportunities offered by Ghent University, the University of Antwerp, and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
The Academy strives to support individuals in the continuous development and renewal of their competencies in a rapidly changing society, with a focus on technological progress and social developments.
Prof. Dr. Geert Opsomer
Director of the Academy of Veterinary Medicine