General
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Wednesday, June 6th, 2018What a week! I came in to this externship excited and ready to learn, but I don’t think I could have imagined all of the opportunities we are given as AVMA GRD externs. This first week has been a whirlwind of activity. This has been stated by previous externs, but there are just so many […]
Global Health Diplomacy Symposium
Monday, June 4th, 2018On Thursday, May 31 I attended a Global Health Diplomacy Symposium at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The Symposium focused on past, present, and cases in international health diplomacy, analyzing the relationships between nations and how they determine the outcomes of global health issues. In Session I, historical examples of international […]
Visiting USAID
Wednesday, May 30th, 2018Last week I visited the headquarters of The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a federal branch of the US government that works to facilitate humanitarian aid and development efforts worldwide. Since its inception in 1961, USAID has funded numerous initiatives that help provide disaster relief, medical aid, and healthcare to impoverished communities. More […]
Meeting Congressman Yoho
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018Last week, I wrote about the version of The Build Act that is currently working it’s way through The Senate (S. 2463). This week, fellow AVMA extern McKenna and I were able to meet one of the Congressmen who introduced The Build Act in The House (H.R. 5105)! Congressman Ted S. Yoho of Florida also […]
The Hill is a Zoo…. Literally
Friday, May 18th, 2018One of the best things about my house in Saint Paul is how close it is to Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. Como is an amazing zoo that is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which is an accreditation process that less than 10% of zoos complete. In addition to being AZA accredited, […]
Being a Tourist in D.C.
Monday, May 14th, 2018One of the best things about being in D.C. is that many of the tourist attractions are free. During my time here, I have been taking full advantage of the typical tourist attractions along the National Mall, but I was excited to get out and explore what D.C. has to offer outside of the typical […]
The Build Act (S. 2463)
Monday, May 14th, 2018There’s a lot going on in D.C. right now! The Farm Bill is up for renewal so debate over the SNAP program is raging, the opioid crisis has led to new legislation that’s moving quickly, and midterm elections are looming. While that’s all exciting, I chose to focus my first blog post on a lower-profile […]
First Week in Washington
Friday, May 4th, 2018As a student, you get used to introducing yourself with your name, where you’re from, major, and a little bit about yourself, so I figured I’d do the same here. My name is McKenna Guettinger and I am a fourth year veterinary student at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. I will be graduating in May […]
Tying It All Together
Friday, April 27th, 2018It’s hard to believe that 4 weeks have already gone by since we started the AVMA GRD externship! Looking back at the past month, I have met such inspirational people, both veterinarians and non-veterinarians, who left me with valuable lessons. Leaving DC, I feel like I have acquired a new level of knowledge of the […]
What’s APHIS?
Friday, April 27th, 2018One of the legislative issues that I have been following closely with Alex Sands, one of the amazing Assistant Directors at the AVMA GRD, is the Budget and Appropriations Act. One of the key components within the act affecting veterinary medicine is the appropriations of money to critical USDA programs. There are a number of […]
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