Doctors of Veterinary Medicine (DVMs) are uniquely qualified to conduct biomedical research in the field of comparative medicine using animal models. Unfortunately, the majority of DVMs do not pursue research- related careers, partly due to the lack of research training opportunities. Consequently, there is a critical shortage of veterinarians with research backgrounds conducting biomedical research across the nation. This proposed ?Animal Model Research for Veterinarians? (AMRV) program will train veterinarians to become world- class researchers and pursue a research-related career after training. By taking advantage of the research strengths of faculty mentors at Virginia Tech, the AMRV program will train veterinarians in areas including animal models of immunology and inflammation, infectious diseases, and neuroscience. We will recruit from all 30 accredited veterinary medical schools in the nation, particularly from Tuskegee University with the objective of recruiting underrepresented minorities. A total of six DVMs will be recruited into the Virginia Tech?s Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences (BMVS) PhD program over the entire 5-year funding period of the program. We will recruit one new trainee each year in years 1 and 3-5, and two new trainees in year 2. Mentors will be selected based on their commitment to student training, their cutting-edge research programs, and their ability to secure NIH and other major federal funding. In addition to the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM), opportunities for trainees to work at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI) at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine will increase opportunities for studying animal models of human diseases and conduct translational medicine research. Our trainees will also be exposed to cutting-edge interdisciplinary collaborations of our faculty with researchers at other colleges (Engineering, Sciences, and Agricultural and Life Sciences). A unique feature of this program will be a visit to NIH, USDA, FDA, and other federal agencies in the Washington, DC area so that AMRV trainees can understand the breadth of research-related career opportunities available to them. Also, each week in the summer, in our complementary training program (T35), we bring in DVM/PhD scientists from the federal government, medical schools, biotech and biopharma, which will give additional opportunities for our T32 trainees to network with these scientists. The training plan includes courses in research ethics, methodology, grant writing, and communications in science as well as opportunities to present research at local and national conferences. All aspects of the training are focused on preparing trainees to become independent biomedical researchers mostly in academia, but in industry and federal government as well. Thus, this T32 AMRV program will enable VMCVM to continue to help train the next generation of veterinary biomedical leaders in academia, federal government, and industry.
Veterinarians are uniquely qualified to conduct biomedical research using animal models, but relatively few go into this field of work due to a lack of research training opportunities. This proposal aims to rectify this situation by enrolling veterinarians in a Ph.D. program that equips them with the fundamentals of conducting hypothesis- driven, cutting-edge biomedical research using state-of-the-art technologies and encourages their pursuit of careers in research in academia, industry and /or government.
