UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

The University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine is the largest veterinary school in the United States and is currently ranked #1 amongst veterinary schools in the USA by US News & World report. Established in 1948, the school is the primary health resource for California's various animal populations. It is located in the southwest corner of the main campus of the University of California, Davis. The current Dean of Veterinary Medicine is Michael Lairmore.

The School focuses on students of the professional Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, the Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine program, graduate clinical residency programs, and graduate academic MS and PhD programs. The School of Veterinary Medicine provides educational, research, clinical service, and public service programs to advance the health and care of animals, the health of the environment, and public health

The School addresses the health of all animals, including livestock, poultry, companion animals, captive and free-ranging wildlife, exotic animals, birds, aquatic mammals and fish, and animals used in biological and medical research. The School's expertise also encompasses related human health concerns, such as public health and the concept of One Health.

The School runs 28 research and clinical programs, including clinical referral services; diagnostic testing services; continuing education; extension; and community outreach.

Departments

The School consists of six different academic departments:

The School switched to a new DVM curriculum starting with the class of 2015. This curriculum has been in development for 5 years. In the new curriculum, 75% of the material is didactic curriculum core material and 25% is elective material. In the first year, students gain a solid understanding of the normal structure, function and homeostasis of animals. Year two is focused on pathophysiology and mechanisms of disease of animals. The third year is aimed at teaching the manifestations of animal diseases including history, diagnosis, therapeutic and prevention strategies. The fourth year is clinical work, which is broken up into nine different tracks from which a student may choose. The tracks are Equine Track, Equine/Small Animal Track, Food Animal Track, Food/Small Animal Track, Large Animal Track, Mixed Animal Track, Small Animal Track, Zoological Track and Individual Track.[1]

Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital

The William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) at the University of California, Davis — a unit of the School of Veterinary Medicine — is open to the public. Faculty and resident clinicians along with supervised students treat more than 47,800 animals a year, ranging from cats and dogs to horses, cows, and exotic species. The current hospital opened in 1970 and has had two major additions, the latest completed in 2004. The VMTH provides training opportunities and clinical experiences for DVM students and post graduate veterinarian residents. These residents are trained under the faculty's tutelage to be board-certified specialists in one of 34 specialty areas.

Notable Programs

The School of Veterinary Medicine was on the forefront of research into the 2007 pet food recalls.. Other areas of research include chronic progressive lymphedema in horses and H1N1 influenza.

Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding with the California Department of Fish and Game, the school's Wildlife Health Center administers the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) on behalf of the government of California. OWCN directly operates facilities for the cleaning and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife at Cordelia and San Pedro, and in emergencies can also draw upon the resources of 23 participating organizations.

Notable Discoveries

Notable discoveries by faculty of the School include feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV),[2] taurine deficiency as the cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in domestic cats,[3] and the first genetic cause of a heart disease in domestic cats (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)).[4]

References

  1. ↑ "UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine." UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Web. 02 May 2012. <http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/.>.
  2. ↑ Isolation of a T-lymphotropic virus from domestic cats with an immunodeficiency-like syndrome. Pedersen NC, Ho EW, Brown ML, Yamamoto JK. Science. 1987 Feb 13;235(4790):790-3.
  3. ↑ Myocardial failure in cats associated with low plasma taurine: a reversible cardiomyopathy. Pion PD, Kittleson MD, Rogers QR, Morris JG. Science. 1987 Aug 14;237(4816):764-8.
  4. ↑ A cardiac myosin binding protein C mutation in the Maine Coon cat with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Meurs KM, Sanchez X, David RM, Bowles NE, Towbin JA, Reiser PJ, Kittleson JA, Munro MJ, Dryburgh K, Macdonald KA, Kittleson MD. Hum Mol Genet. 2005 Dec 1;14(23):3587-93.

External links

Coordinates: 38°32′19″N 121°45′42″W / 38.538703°N 121.761713°W