Response to letter “Rethinking leadership in veterinary neurology: a transatlantic shift”

Veterinary Neurology is an international community that includes the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Australia and Asia. The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Neurology Specialty was one of the first specialties to embrace the European College of Veterinary Neurology (ECVN) and promote reciprocity between the colleges. Collaboration and open communication continue between the organizations and within the limits of geography and law. Many European task forces have included ACVIM Diplomates, and the ACVIM has its own number of European Diplomates active within the community. ACVIM Diplomates are training residents in Europe, and ECVN Diplomates are training ACVIM Candidates in residencies in the United States. Specialty veterinary practice has changed dramatically in the last 30 years, accelerated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Historically, many veterinary neurologists worked in academia in tenure track positions. Today, approximately 70% of ACVIM Neurologists are in private practice, reflecting the significant shift in client expectations and advances in specialty veterinary care. Specialty veterinary medicine is facing threats of corporatization, academic faculty shortages, reduced research time, and fewer clinician scientists across the institutions of the world. We need to work together to counter these threats and embrace these challenges. Veterinary practice and academic institutions are inherently different across the world, and so these challenges are manifested in different ways. Currently at least 10 academic veterinary neurology faculty positions are open in the United States and finishing veterinary neurology residents have no difficulty finding private practice jobs in North America. The European job market is a very different place with significant variation by country. Traditionally, the bulk of scientific publications have come from tenure track faculty at academic institutions. Today, just under 17% of ACVIM Neurologists are in academia. The increasing reduction of grant funding, shift of specialists into private practice, and the more recent shift toward clinical and non-tenure track faculty are all elements that impact research productivity and publication numbers. Corporate practice organizations have recently established scientific investigation arms to support private practice clinician scientists and residents in private practice training programs; thus providing structure that will facilitate generation of research and published articles. The Neurology Specialty of ACVIM has a research requirement for board certification, which can be fulfilled in a variety of ways. In contrast, the ECVN has a publication requirement for board certification. Latin America has not yet developed a formal residency training program, and the Asian College of Veterinary Internal Medicine is newly formed, and those domains traditionally have graduate degrees included in the training. Considering the challenges facing veterinary neurology today, it is especially important that we acknowledge the different landscapes in which we practice and support and collaborate with our peers around the world. All authors are currently, or have been, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) board of regent members. S.C.-J. is the current ACVIM Neurology Specialty President from 2024 through 2026. J.R.C. is the past ACVIM Neurology Specialty President from 2021 through 2023. T.M. is the ACVIM Neurology Specialty President-Elect from 2026 through 2030. None declared.