Linking veterinary and human public-health education: collaborations at the University Of Tennessee

The increasing demand for veterinarians in public health has created an environment for innovative educational approaches, providing opportunities for veterinary students to gain additional education in public health. At the University of Tennessee, this environment has enabled a collaboration between the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences to establish a veterinary concentration in an existing Master of Public Health degree program. The veterinary public-health concentration was approved in 2004. In addition, other courses and initiatives have been developed at the College of Veterinary Medicine, creating stronger collaborations with academic units and public-health professionals.     

Veterinary education with career emphasis: a partnership with private, public, and corporate veterinary practice.

The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine responded to the Pew-sponsored National Veterinary Education Program by proposing a Center for Government and Corporate Veterinary Medicine. The Center is currently providing, through elective course offerings and practical experiences, a senior clinical curriculum that permits career emphasis in a number of species areas, in addition to a unique program for graduates wishing to enter the field of public and corporate veterinary medicine. The Center is also developing post-veterinary medicine. The Center is also developing post-veterinary school education for advanced degrees (PhD, MS) and residency training in public and corporate fields, and for midcareer updating and changes of career emphasis.     

All-purpose veterinary education: a personal perspective

The Recognition Lecture is an annual honor awarded by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) to an individual whose leadership and vision have made significant contributions to academic veterinary medicine and the veterinary profession. In 2011, this prestigious honor was awarded to Dr. Peter Eyre, Dean Emeritus of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM). Dr. Eyre is a fierce advocate for veterinary medical education, with a clear vision of its value in ensuring that veterinarians are well positioned to meet societal needs. Dr. Eyre possesses an international perspective regarding the challenges and problems facing veterinary medical education and has a keen eye for getting to the heart of these challenges. He is known to ask hard questions and propose difficult choices. Dr. Eyre received his undergraduate veterinary degree (BVMS), bachelor of science degree, and PhD from the University of Edinburgh. He was Lecturer in Pharmacology at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies for seven years before joining the faculty of the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College, where he was Chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Associate Director of the Canadian Centre for Toxicology. Dr. Eyre was appointed Dean of the VMRCVM in 1985, where he established the Center for Government and Corporate Veterinary Medicine in 1989. After retiring in 2003, he was named Interim Dean of the University of Calgary's new veterinary school. Among his many awards are the Norden Distinguished Teacher Award and the Sigma Psi Excellence in Research Award. In 2008 the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) honored him with the President's Award, and in 2010 the University of Edinburgh awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery. The Peter Eyre Student Leadership Award at the VMRCVM and the Peter Eyre Prize in Pharmacology at the University of Guelph are both named in his honor. He is a past president of the AAVMC, a fellow and former board member of the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and a former member of the AVMA Legislative Advisory Committee. In the following article, Dr. Eyre offers his insights on the current debate about the future of veterinary medical education.     

Public health education at Michigan State University

Many reports have highlighted the need for the veterinary profession to fill critical shortages of veterinarians in public health and food safety. Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine offers educational programs within the professional veterinary curriculum, as well as graduate degree programs, to meet these societal needs. Within the scope of the professional veterinary curriculum, educational opportunities in public health include clerkships in veterinary public health and an innovative Web-based curriculum on judicious use of antimicrobials. For graduate degree programs, Michigan State University has a memorandum of understanding with the University of Minnesota for the Master of Public Health degree and an innovative Online Professional Master of Science in Food Safety degree program. A new option available is the opportunity for veterinary students to pursue the Master of Science in Food Safety concurrently with the DVM (DVM/MS in Food Safety). These educational programs will prepare graduates to meet societal needs in public health and food safety.     

Public-health education at Kansas State University

What are veterinary medical and public-health professionals doing to remedy the immediate and impending shortages of veterinarians in population health and public practice? This question was addressed at the joint symposium of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges and the Association of Schools of Public Health, held in April 2007. Thinking locally, faculty and students at Kansas State University (KSU) asked similar questions after attending the symposium: What are we doing within the College of Veterinary Medicine to tackle this problem? What can we do better with new collaborators? Both the professional veterinary curriculum and the Master of Public Health (MPH) at KSU provide exceptional opportunities to address these questions. Students are exposed to public health as a possible career choice early in veterinary school, and this exposure is repeated several times in different venues throughout their professional education. Students also have opportunities to pursue interests in population medicine and public health through certificate programs, summer research programs, study abroad, and collaborations with contributing organizations unique to KSU, such as its Food Science Institute, National Agricultural Biosecurity Center, and Biosecurity Research Institute. Moreover, students may take advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of public-health education at KSU, where collaborations with several different colleges and departments within the university have been established. We are pleased to be able to offer these opportunities to our students and hope that our experience may be instructive for the development of similar programs at other institutions, to the eventual benefit of the profession at large.     

A new approach to teaching veterinary public health at the Ohio State University

Public-health practitioners with expertise in the area of veterinary public health are expected to understand the prevention and control of zoonotic infectious diseases in both human and animal populations. This focus on multiple species is what makes the veterinary public health (VPH) official unique. The development of a new VPH specialization within the existing Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program at the Ohio State University represents a significant new collaboration between the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Public Health. The main objective of the VPH specialization is to educate and train professionals to provide them with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to protect and improve human health using a One Medicine approach. The program targets a population of students who will likely enter the professional veterinary medicine curriculum but have one year available to enhance their preparatory training in health sciences before beginning the program. A core series of VPH courses was initiated to complement the existing MPH course requirements. The program has been successful in attracting students from the primary target population, but it has also attracted students wanting the MPH as a terminal degree and veterinarians returning to school to expand their career options.     

Training the veterinary public health workforce: a review of educational opportunities in US veterinary schools

This article presents the results of an Internet-based review conducted in January and February 2003 to assess the educational opportunities available in veterinary public health, epidemiology, and preventive medicine at the 27 veterinary schools in the United States. Most professional veterinary curricula are designed to train students for careers as highly qualified private practitioners, although there is an increased need for veterinary perspectives and contributions in the public health sector. The future of veterinary public health relies on the opportunities available in education to teach and encourage students to pursue a career of public service. The results of this review indicate the availability of a wide variety of required courses, electives, and post-graduate training programs to veterinary students in the United States. Veterinary students are exposed to a median of 60 hours of public health, epidemiology, and preventive medicine in required stand-alone courses in these areas. Four veterinary schools also have required rotations for senior students in public health, preventive medicine, or population medicine. Contact time for required public health, epidemiology, and preventive medicine courses ranges from 30 to 150 contact hours. Advanced training was available in these subjects at 79% of the 27 schools. Greater collaboration between veterinary schools, schools of public health, and the professional public health community will increase exposure to and opportunities in public health to all future veterinarians.     

The cooperative University of Iowa / Iowa State University MPH program

Public health is an important component of veterinary medicine. In the last 10 years, there has been growing recognition of the need to increase the number of veterinarians trained in public health. The Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) at Iowa State University (ISU), College of Veterinary Medicine, received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support veterinarians working at CFSPH while pursuing the Master of Public Health degree. CFSPH and ISU administrators worked with the University of Iowa (UI) College of Public Health to establish three cooperative programs for veterinarians to earn the MPH degree. This article describes how these programs were developed and how they operate. (1) Between 2002 and 2005, CFSPH used funds provided by the CDC to support 15 veterinarians as they worked for CFSPH and toward the MPH degree. As the program grew, distance-education methods such as the Internet, Polycom videoconferencing, and the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) were incorporated. (2) A concurrent DVM/MPH degree is now offered; students can complete both degrees in four years. As of January 2008, three students have received their DVM and MPH degrees and 16 students are enrolled in the program. (3) In June 2007, the UI and ISU launched a distance MPH program for veterinarians working in private practice, industry, and government. Eight veterinarians are participating in the program, which includes two two-week, in-person summer sessions, with the remainder of the coursework taken at a distance via the Internet.     

Global veterinary leadership.

The public needs no reminder that deadly infectious diseases such as FMD could emerge in any country at any moment, or that national food security could be compromised by Salmonella or Listeria infections. Protections against these risks include the knowledge that appropriate and equivalent veterinary education will enable detection and characterization of emerging disease agents, as well as an appropriate response, wherever they occur. Global veterinary leadership is needed to reduce the global threat of infectious diseases of major food animal and public health importance. We believe that the co-curriculum is an excellent way to prepare and train veterinarians and future leaders who understand and can deal with global issues. The key to the success of the program is the veterinarian's understanding that there is a cultural basis to the practice of veterinary medicine in any country. The result will be a cadre of veterinarians, faculty, and other professionals who are better able (language and culture) to understand the effects of change brought about by free trade and the importance of interdisciplinary and institutional relationships to deal effectively with national and regional issues of food safety and security. New global veterinary leadership programs will build on interests, experience, ideas, and ambitions. A college that wishes to take advantage of this diversity must offer opportunities that interest veterinarians throughout their careers and that preferably connect academic study with intensive experiential training in another country. At its best, the global veterinary leadership program would include a partnership between veterinarians and several international learning centers, a responsiveness to the identified international outreach needs of the profession, and attention to critical thinking and reflection. The global veterinary leadership program we have described is intended to be a set of ideas meant to promote collaboration, coalitions, and discussion among veterinarians and veterinary educators who may be intrigued by the concept. The impact of the program can be summarized as follows: Outreach Programs: The global veterinary leadership program will establish new partnerships between veterinarians and veterinary college faculty as they supervise the international internships and see a relationship between their goals and the value of food safety to this country. Strategic Opportunity: The program will build on the critical role that US veterinarians and veterinary colleges already play in strengthening the safety of free trade in this hemisphere. Diversity in an Age of Specialization: The program will combine a global orientation, language ability, and access to comprehensive, research- and economic-related work/study opportunities to expose veterinarians to the expanding world market for veterinary expertise. New Linkages Through Corporate Partners: Through the success and high visibility of current research and education programs, most veterinary colleges are well positioned to engage industry, government, and university leaders in ways to use the proposed program to increase the flow of new ideas and talent into the world food enterprise. International Funding: A new partnership among veterinarians, industry, government, and university leaders can coordinate strong multilateral requests for funding from national and international sources. An Interdisciplinary Strategy that Benefits Veterinary Medicine: The program will combine the diverse veterinary research and education system with our strong national and international network of collaborators to provide globally competent veterinarians who will be needed for the corporate and public opportunities of the future.     

Outcomes assessment of an alternative career choice program

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcomes of an alternative track program designed to address shortages of veterinarians in nonpractice areas of the veterinary profession. DESIGN: Telephone survey. STUDY POPULATION: Recent veterinary graduates. PROCEDURES: A telephone survey of recent graduates from the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Alternative Career Choice program was conducted. Respondents were asked to give open-ended responses to a list of 9 interview questions. RESULTS: Of the 21 alternative career choice students who graduated between the years 2000 and 2005, 17 were interviewed. CONCLUSION: Analysis of the data suggested that it may be possible to decrease the total number of weeks allotted to the alternate career choice program without impairing the ability of graduates to find employment in their chosen career fields.     

Veterinary public health in a problem-based learning curriculum at the Western University of Health Sciences

As detailed in the Association of Schools of Public Health / Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges 2007 Joint Symposium on Veterinary Public Health, veterinary public health (VPH) can no longer be viewed as a unique sub-specialty of veterinary medicine. Rather, its practice pervades nearly every aspect of the veterinary profession, regardless of whether the practitioner is engaged in small-animal, large-animal, research, corporate, or military practice. In congruence with the practice of VPH, the teaching of VPH should also pervade nearly every aspect of veterinary education. Accordingly, at Western University of Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine (WU-CVM), public health is not simply taught as an individual course but, rather, is interwoven into almost every aspect of the curriculum, continually emphasizing the relevance of this discipline to the practice of veterinary medicine. This article outlines the teaching philosophy of WU-CVM, provides an overview of the curriculum, and describes the integral nature of public health throughout all four years of the educational program.     

Public health education at the University of California, Davis: past, present, and future programs

This article reviews the history of public-health education at the University of California, Davis, from the inception of the Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Program in the School of Veterinary Medicine through the creation of the Master of Public Health Program offered jointly by the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. The long history of collaborative teaching and research between the schools, as well as the university's close proximity to and relationship with numerous university-affiliated and state public-health agencies, has created remarkable opportunities for novel and creative public-health education. The university is already anticipating the approval of a School of Public Health on its campus, which will create even more educational opportunities in both human and veterinary public-health disciplines. Given the projected shortfall of veterinarians entering such fields, the opportunity of a novel Doctor of Public Health degree program specifically suited to the needs of veterinary medicine is also discussed as a means of addressing this shortage.     

Future directions in training zoological medicine veterinarians

The American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM) is dedicated to excellence in furthering the health and well-being of both captive and free-ranging wild animals. Currently there are 14 ACZM-approved residency programs in zoological medicine. In addition, eight non-approved residencies and 15 internships in North America provide training opportunities in this field. This article outlines some of the training opportunities for both veterinary students and graduate veterinarians that would best position them for entry into a zoological medicine training program. Although there is a growing number of opportunities for individuals to serve in captive and free-ranging wildlife health positions, existing training programs are inadequate to meet these needs. It is also acknowledged that there is an increasing number of veterinary students entering veterinary schools with an interest in zoological medicine and that the job market is still limited. However, positions and opportunities in zoological medicine are available for those individuals with the drive, dedication, and passion to succeed.     

Public-health instruction necessary to supplement the veterinary professional curriculum: the DVM/MPH coordinated-degree program at Auburn University

To meet long-term needs, many veterinary colleges and schools are participating in dual-degree DVM/MPH programs. Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have developed a coordinated-degree curriculum in which the DVM and the MPH are not necessarily awarded simultaneously. Other opportunities at Auburn include Public Health Careers Day, trips to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, several elective courses related to veterinary epidemiology, and online access to the Emerging and Exotic Diseases of Animals course available from the Veterinary Information Network. We have been able to increase our students' exposure to the role of the veterinarian in public health and to develop a program to augment their training in public practice.     

A flexible approach to training veterinarians in public health: an overview and early assessment of the DVM/MPH dual-degree program at the University of Minnesota

As a result of the growing need for public-health veterinarians, novel educational programs are essential to train future public-health professionals. The University of Minnesota School of Public Health, in collaboration with the College of Veterinary Medicine, initiated a dual DVM/MPH program in 2002. This program provides flexibility by combining distance learning and on-campus courses offered through a summer public-health institute. MPH requirements are completed through core courses, elective courses in a focus area, and an MPH project and field experience. Currently, more than 100 students representing 13 veterinary schools are enrolled in the program. The majority of initial program graduates have pursued public-practice careers upon completion of the program. Strengths of the Minnesota program design include accessibility and an environment to support multidisciplinary training. Continued assessment of program graduates will allow for evaluation and adjustment of the program in the coming years.     

Reaching beyond our walls: library outreach to veterinary practitioners

The Texas A&M University Medical Sciences Library (MSL) supports lifelong learning for Texas veterinarians and College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) alumni through several ongoing outreach efforts. The MSL provides free document delivery and literature search services to practicing veterinarians in support of patient care. The MSL also responded to unique opportunities to expand services and increase its visibility through collaborations with the American Association of Equine Practitioners and CABI, provider of VetMed Resource. The MSL continues to explore ways to expand its mission-critical veterinary outreach work and market library services to veterinarians through participation in continuing education, regional meetings, and veterinary student instruction.     

Two differentiated programs of veterinary medical education at the university of veterinary and pharmaceutical sciences in the Czech Republic

This article describes the two separate programs of veterinary education offered at the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Brno, Czech Republic, which are directed to clinical veterinary medicine and to veterinary food safety, hygiene, and ecology, respectively. Both programs provide a level of training such that all graduates are competent for veterinary practice in any area of veterinary medicine; however, each offers an extended and deepened emphasis of training in clinical medicine, on the one hand, and food safety, on the other. A key feature is that the cohort of students for each program enters having pre-selected a career in one of these two areas. One of the important end results of this structure is that it fulfills the growing and important mission of providing a critical number of veterinarians in food safety and all of its allied fields.     

Outcomes assessment in veterinary medical education

The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) agreed to perform outcomes assessment (OA) as part of the accreditation review process for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Nine OA instruments were developed and validated by a 20-member accreditation committee. The instruments were also pre-tested by a subset of the target population. The instruments were for alumni one to five years post-graduate, alumni 6-15 years post-graduate, faculty, staff, DVM students, employers of veterinarians, referring veterinarians using the Blacksburg campus, and referring veterinarians using the Leesburg campus. In addition, data were used from OA surveys previously done for the Office of Research and Graduate Studies. Data from the surveys were incorporated into each of the 11 Essentials for Accreditation required by the AVMA. The process of OA provided a comprehensive assessment of the many aspects of the operation of the college. An important follow-up to the OA process is use of data to enhance and/or re-prioritize existing programs.