Easterwood Begins New Leadership Role With Texas A&M Veterinary Continuing Education
Story by Megan Bennett, VMBS Marketing & Communications
Dr. Leslie Easterwood, a strong advocate for lifelong learning, has been named director of the Office of Continuing Education (CE) at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS).
Easterwood, who also serves as a VMBS clinical associate professor, began her new role on Jan. 1 and is excited to expand the VMBS’ CE offerings across a variety of veterinary fields and continue establishing Texas A&M as a nationally renowned source for veterinary CE.
“Dr. Easterwood is well-known in the veterinary profession as a proud Aggie, dedicated equine practitioner, and a leader in organized veterinary medicine. These roles made her the perfect candidate to take the reins as director of our Office of Continuing Education,” said Dr. Bonnie R. Rush, the Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M. “We thank Dr. Jordan Tayce for his significant work in enhancing the visibility and quality of CE offerings by the college.”
As she leaves her previous role with the Texas A&M Large Animal Teaching Hospital’s Equine Community Practice Service, Easterwood is excited to enhance the future of veterinary medicine though her new position.
“I’ve always enjoyed participating in CE, so the opportunity to provide and expand our CE is exciting,” Easterwood said. “I’m looking forward to building upon the programming and networking opportunities Dr. Jordan Tayce (the former CE director) has established and offering more and more targeted, hands-on opportunities.”
Embracing Hands-On Learning
With more veterinarians seeking engaging learning experiences, Easterwood sees the future of CE taking place in the lab or field as much as the classroom.
“We hope to expand not only the number of CE offerings — across both small and large animal medicine — but also the wet lab component,” Easterwood said. “More veterinarians are seeking and expecting hands-on opportunities instead of the traditional lecture-only format.”
She plans to continue the CE office’s regular annual offerings, which include the Emergency & Critical Care Conference, the Feline Forum, the Veterinary Technician Annual Conference (VTAC), and the Veterinary Instruction Through Alumni (VITA) conference.
In addition, she hopes to pursue new, unique opportunities such as a mixed animal ophthalmology conference and even extend CE beyond the VMBS’ walls with an exotic animal training in South Africa.
“Our attendees want to gain knowledge and skills that they can take home and put into practice on Monday,” Easterwood said.
She also hopes to incorporate student education into current and future CE events, providing veterinary students from across the country with the chance to learn from VMBS experts.
To support this growing schedule, Easterwood has hired Miranda Britton, a veterinary technician and program assistant, to join the CE staff support team and help ensure that the office is equipped to plan and run a wide variety of events.
A Passion For Service
Easterwood earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M in 1995 and spent 10 years working in private practice before returning to the VMBS in 2005 for a residency, followed by her faculty position.
She is well-known for living out the Aggie Core Value of selfless service through her decades of dedication to organized veterinary medicine.
Easterwood has served on the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ (AAEP) Foundation Advisory Council, Board of Directors, Membership Development Committee, and more. Most recently, she served as chair of the Foundation for the Horse, initiating the AAEP’s most ambitious fundraising program and substantially increasing efforts to support equine research and student scholarships.
In addition, she is a past president of the Texas Equine Veterinary Association and has served as one of two official veterinarians for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for 21 years.
Her efforts have been recognized with numerous awards over the years, including the My Mentor Honor that was announced on Dec. 7 at the AAEP annual convention. This award celebrates Easterwood’s tremendous impact on the lives of students, colleagues, and others in the equine community.
“Teaching students and contributing to the next generation of equine practitioners is one of the most satisfying parts of my job; that is why I have stayed in academic practice in our Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for the last 20 years,” Easterwood said. “There is no higher honor for me than to have received this recognition for mentorship.”
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Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
