The Yerkes National Primate Research Center (YNPRC), Emory University, proposes to provide financially attractive, highly specialized training opportunities for veterinarians in nonhuman primate (NHP) veterinary medicine, resource management, and research support. Our goal is to attract and retain some of the best and brightest veterinarians for intensive training in this important and under-subscribed discipline, thus helping to ameliorate the current national shortage of primate veterinarians in biomedical facilities. Our program will take advantage of the many learning opportunities afforded by the YNPRC/Emory environment including: technical and clinical expertise (veterinary, enrichment, colony and facility management, pathology, etc.);the Center's 3000+/seven species of NHPs that are maintained in a variety of housing and social grouping situations at two different facilities;a wide array of biomedical studies that utilize NHPs in an exceptionally strong translational research program;state of the art research and diagnostic support facilities;a close linkage with the Emory School of Medicine and strong collaborative links with other biomedical institutes in the vicinity, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), V.A. Medical Center and nearby Universities (Georgia, Georgia Tech, Morehouse). The proposed YNPRC Primate Clinical Education Program will complement an already excellent Emory/YNPRC two-year ACLAM certified lab animal residency program that has been highly successful, focusing on producing well-rounded, broadly trained laboratory animal veterinarians. The new YNPRC program is specifically designed to attract more veterinarians to the NHP clinical medicine field and to increase the number that join, and remain working in, primate facilities upon completion of their training;in particular, at one of the eight NCRR supported National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs). Our proposed new program will be structured as a three-year residency. The first year will be University funded and focus on multi-species lab animal training, based on our existing program. The final two years, for which funding is being sought, will focus on in-depth NHP clinical medicine and will be significantly more comprehensive than our existing program. This expanded NHP residency program is designed within the framework of our existing ACLAM certified program, thus our residents will be board eligible at the end of year two. After the three year period, residents should be fully prepared for their ACLAM board examinations. We propose a competitive remuneration package to adequately compensate for the extended period of study.
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