The Need for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research

Project Abstract

The number of veterinarians in the United States is inadequate to meet societal needs in biomedical research and public health. Areas of greatest need include translational medical research, veterinary pathology, laboratory-animal medicine, emerging infectious diseases, public health, academic medicine, and production-animal medicine. Veterinarians have unique skill sets that enable them to serve as leaders or members of interdisciplinary research teams involved in basic science and biomedical research with applications to animal or human health. There are too few graduate veterinarians to serve broad national needs in private practice; academia; local, state, and federal government agencies; and private industry. There are no easy solutions to the problem of increasing the number of veterinarians in biomedical research. Progress will require creativity, modification of priorities, broad-based communication, support from faculty and professional organizations, effective mentoring, education in research and alternative careers as part of the veterinary professional curriculum, and recognition of the value of research experience among professional schools’ admissions committees. New resources should be identified to improve communication and education, professional and graduate student programs in biomedical research, and support to junior faculty. These actions are necessary for the profession to sustain its viability as an integral part of biomedical research.Keywords biomedical research, veterinarian, laboratory animal, pathology, public health

Project Overview

It is well documented that the number of veterinarians in Nigeria is inadequate to meet societal needs in biomedical research and other fields important to public health.The areas of greatest need include translational medical research, veterinary pathology, laboratory-animal medicine, emerging and infectious diseases, public health, academic medicine, production animal medicine, and many of the veterinary clinical specialties. Some geographic regions are also underserved by companion animal and equine veterinary practitioners. Graduate veterinarians have a wide choice of career opportunities in private veterinary practices, large corporate practices, academia, local, state, and federal governmental agencies, and private industry. Therefore, these groups all compete for the same narrow pools of veterinary graduates and all encourage veterinary students to follow paths leading to careers in their respective areas. There are only approximately 2,500 veterinary graduates in Nigeria per year, which is why the pipeline for the workforce is so constricted.This review focuses predominantly on the current need for veterinarians in biomedical research. Two studies commissioned by the National Research Council (NRC) have provided important data for this paper. First, the Committee on Increasing Veterinary Involvement in Biomedical Research was commissioned by the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research of the NRC to determine the national need and priorities for veterinarians in biomedical research. Second, the Committee on the National Needs for Research in Veterinary Science reported on and emphasized the need for veterinary research in public health and food safety, animal health and welfare, comparative medicine, and emerging diseases (including zoonotic diseases). In addition this report identified the current resources for veterinary research and projected future workforce and infrastructure needs. More recently, the NRC has convened a committee to study the issues related to the veterinary workforce in the United States in a project entitled “Assessing the Current and Future Workforce Needs in Veterinary Medicine.” This report will be available in mid-2009. Collectively, these reports stress the important role of veterinarians in public health and biomedical research, and the real or projected shortages of veterinarians trained to perform research. THE ROLE AND CENTRALITY OF THE VETERINARIAN IN RESEARCH.