The Comparative Medicine and Pathology training program was initiated in the fall of 2003 and provides state- of-the-art research training to veterinarians. Five years of continuing support are requested in the present application, including support for six trainees in each year of the program. It is anticipated that the majority of these individuals will have completed a residency in medicine, surgery, or pathology prior to entering the training program. Selection criteria will include: 1) strong interest in research and a desire for a career in academic veterinary medicine; 2) academic credentials and performance during clinical training/residency; and 3) desirable personal characteristics, including integrity, perseverance, and oral and written communications skills. The training program is located in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota and is directed by Drs. Cathy Carlson, David Brown, and Molly McCue. Thirty-three faculty mentors, all members of the Comparative and Molecular Biosciences (CMB) and/or Veterinary Medicine (Vet Med) graduate programs, will participate in the training program. These individuals represent a diverse group of disciplines, including pharmacology, cell biology, infectious disease, neurobiology, physiology, genetics, molecular biology, and orthopedics. Trainees without a PhD degree will pursue a PhD in the CMB or Vet Med graduate program, well- organized, multidisciplinary graduate programs created to focus graduate education efforts by faculty interested in comparative biomedical sciences and the molecular mechanisms responsible for human and animal health and disease. The goals of our programs are to provide students with the broad-based knowledge, quality communication skills, and advanced research training essential for a career as independent investigators.
This program is highly relevant to public health, as it addresses the ongoing serious shortage of veterinarians with the research expertise necessary to pursue a career as independent investigators in biomedical research. These individuals are critical to the effective translation of biomedical research discoveries made in animal models to new methods of diagnosis and treatment of disease in humans.
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