The UC Davis NIH T35 STAR program focuses on short-term (10 weeks) research training of DVM students. The program emphasizes 5 fundamental research objectives: (1) how to gain knowledge and understanding of one's field of science; (2) how to formulate a scientifically sound and testable hypothesis; (3) how to identify specific objectives, conduct controlled methodical experiments, and develop technical expertise; (4) how to analyze results, derive conclusions, propose additional experiments, and anticipate new directions; and (5) how to convey research findings succinctly and convincingly to others. UC Davis has a rich environment for veterinary (DVM) students to participate in a structured program that introduces basic biomedical, bioengineering, pre-clinical, and transdisciplinary One Health research experiences early in their professional education. The greatest strengths of our short-term training program include the outstanding quality and motivation of our DVM students, the strong highly collaborative multidisciplinary nature of our research programs, and student access to translational research projects that use cutting-edge approaches. This five- year competitive renewal application requests support for a total of 15 DVM students per year for each of five years (a total of 75 students).
The UC Davis T35 STAR program is a primary means of providing a balanced first experience to research that is intended to build broadly applicable skills in critical thinking and problem-solving. Such experience is proving invaluable to meeting the shortage of veterinarians with advanced training that, if not met, could diminish food safety and animal health standards, human and veterinary drug development, infectious disease control, and wildlife and ecosystem management. The proposed training program is consistent with recommendations to give federal agencies more control over the number of trainees, the quality of their training, and the appropriateness of training to meet pressing societal needs.
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