As documented by the National Academies, and prioritized by the National Center of Research Resources of the NIH, there is a severe shortage of graduate veterinarians with adequate training in contemporary research. In particular, there is a need for veterinarians to contribute to important public health issues through interdisciplinary research, animal modeling, biosecurity, food safety, and public policy. Veterinarians trained in hypothesis-based science, and familiar with cutting-edge technologies, are needed to fill existing vacancies in academia and industry, and to assume leadership roles in veterinary research and instruction in the 21st century. The purpose of this training grant is to provide resources needed to recruit and support the training of outstanding graduate veterinarians who will benefit from the collective research enterprise at UW- Madison. An outstanding roster includes 25 research scientists who have agreed to be Trainers in the proposed program. There are two major areas of research focus among the Trainers: 1) Infectious Diseases and Immunology;and 2) Cellular and Molecular Regulation of Physiological Processes. The list of Trainers includes faculty whose tenure home is in the School of Veterinary Medicine, the School of Medicine and Public Health, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Three trainers are members of the Primate Center. All trainers have outstanding records of extramural research funding, peer-reviewed publications, and training graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. It is assumed that most trainees will pursue the Ph.D. in the Comparative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program. All Trainers are members of the Comparative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, and other campus research training programs. Thirteen of the 25 Trainers have earned both the D.V.M. and Ph.D. degrees, and as such, provide outstanding role models for the students we will recruit to our training program. We expect that this program will provide trainees with the critical thinking, theoretical background, contemporary laboratory tools, and communication skills needed to address pressing needs in academia and industry, and assume leadership positions in veterinary research.
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