Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Established 1916[1]
Dean Eleanor M. Green, DVM
Undergraduates 1739[2]
Postgraduates 669[2]
Location United States College Station, TX, USA
Affiliations Texas A&M University
Website vetmed.tamu.edu/
All enrollment figures are as of 12th class day data of the fall 2009 semester

The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is a college of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Founded in 1916, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada. It is consistently ranked as one of the top 5 vet schools in the country, according to U.S. News.[3] The college offers an undergraduate program in Biomedical Sciences, a professional Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, and numerous graduate programs relating to veterinary medicine and epidemiology.[4]

History

The first record of an attempt to teach veterinary science at the Agricultural & Mechanical College (as Texas A&M University was called at the time) was made in the third session of the college in 1878-79 when the college surgeon, D. Port Smythe, M.D., was also listed on the faculty as professor of anatomy, physiology and hygiene. No course is described, however, and no further record is available to indicate that such a course was actually given.

The catalog of the fourth session also mentions proposed lectures in veterinary science, concerned mainly with domestic animals, but again no formal record exists of any actual courses given at the time.

In April 1888, the college received a state appropriation of twenty-five hundred dollars for equipping and operating a Department of Veterinary Science, and on June 6, 1888, Dr. Mark Francis received his formal appointment to the faculty. This marked the real beginning of professional veterinary medicine in Texas; Francis was the first trained veterinarian at the college and would become one of the most distinguished men in United States veterinary medicine.

Chronological history

Education

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

The highlighting degree of the college is the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM). The DVM program is a four-year degree consisting of three years of classroom and laboratory instruction and a fourth year of clinical experience. Each year the college admits 132 students through a highly competitive application process.[5] The professional curriculum allows students to track in small, mixed, or large animal medicine with opportunities for experience in exotics and research.

DVM/MBA

The college offers a joint program with the Mays Business School. Students earn a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree, in addition to their DVM.[6] Students complete all four years of the DVM program with an additional year earning their MBA. The MBA program is typically completed between the 2nd and 3rd years of the DVM program.

Ph.D. Degrees

Master's of Science Degrees

Texas College of Veterinary Medicine Research Tower.
Texas A&M Veterinary Research Tower.

B.S. in Biomedical Sciences

A bachelors in biomedical sciences is available for undergraduate students.[7] The program focuses on basic sciences, as well as, advance classes in veterinary medicine, microbiology, and genetics. The curriculum is designed to provide students with the basic prerequisites and background for careers in medicine, veterinary medicine, and biomedical careers.

Research

Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine conducts research in genetics, physiology and pharmacology, animal husbandry, virology, bacteriology, and a number of other disciplines. Also, clinical research is performed by clinicians in the college veterinary hospitals.

The College's research into animal cloning is one of the more publicized ventures. Texas A&M scientists created the first cloned domestic animal, a cat named "CC (cat)", on December 22, 2001.[8] Texas A&M was also the first academic institution to clone each of six different species: cattle, a goat, pigs, a cat, a deer and a horse.[9]

Departments

Veterinary Integrative Biosciences

The Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences (VIBS) carries out teaching, research, and service across a wide spectrum of biosciences. Biomedical science represents a vital component to the foundation of medical knowledge and includes investigation at molecular, cellular, organismal, and populational levels.

Veterinary Pathobiology

The Department of Veterinary Pathobiology ("VTPB") at Texas A&M University is one of the largest and most active in the country. The Department offers programs of graduate instruction and research leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Genetics, Microbiology, and Pathology, and the Master of Science degree in Parasitology. These degree programs provide the opportunity for coursework of suitable breadth and depth within the major and supporting fields in conjunction with research experience in an area of interest.

Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology

The Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology has multiple missions in the areas of teaching, research, and service with an emphasis on both veterinary and human physiology and pharmacology. Teaching responsibilities within the department fall into three general categories: 1) undergraduate instruction leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science, 2) graduate instruction leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Biomedical Science and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Toxicology and 3) professional instruction leading to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

The primary research focus areas within the department include toxicology, cardiovascular sciences, reproductive sciences and pharmacology . The department has a well-funded, well-published, and internationally renowned faculty including: 28 full-time faculty, 17 visiting and adjunct faculty, and 113 technical and administrative support staff. Departmental extramural grant support is 8 million dollars per year and the department's research and teaching facilities encompass over 100,000 square feet within the college. The Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology is the only department of its kind in the state of Texas and interacts extensively with the Colleges of Agriculture, Science, Engineering, Education, the Texas A&M Health Science Center, and the School of Rural Public Health. Long-standing collaborative interactions also exist with Texas AgriLife Research and the Texas Engineering Experiment Station.

Biomedical Sciences Program

A distinctive undergraduate program in Biomedical Science is offered at Texas A&M University. Biomedical Science is the broad field of applied biology related to health and disease.

Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital

The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital was established in 1915 when the Texas Legislature approved the creation of a public school of veterinary medicine and provided funds for building of a veterinary teaching hospital.

Today, the VMTH generates approximately $7.5 million annually, or 75% of the facility's operating budget, from clinical services offered to client animals brought in for diagnosis and treatment. Among notable patients of the hospital has been Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee (a/k/a Stump), the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show winner (Stump was referred to VMTH in January 2006 with multiple bacterial infections and spent 13 days there).[10]

The Hospital also benefits from state appropriations to the CVM for faculty salaries, utilities, grounds maintenance, building maintenance and other infrastructure maintenance costs.

In recent years, the Hospital has served animals referred from approximately 2,500 veterinarians in 164 of Texas's 254 counties and 31 of the 50 United States.

References

  1. ↑ About the College, History, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine
  2. 1 2 Student Enrollment Profile, Fall 2009
  3. ↑ U.S. News Rankings
  4. ↑ Programs, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine
  5. ↑ Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine
  6. ↑ DVM/MBA Degree Program, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine
  7. ↑ Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine
  8. ↑ BBC News. Retrieved 05/10/2010
  9. ↑ Lozano, Juan A. (2009-06-27). "Texas A&M Cloning project raises questions still". Bryan-College Station Eagle. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  10. ↑ [Barnett, Lindsay, "Westminster winner Stump the Sussex spaniel has connections in the dog-show world", Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2009]

Coordinates: 30°36′47″N 96°21′10″W / 30.6130°N 96.3527°W / 30.6130; -96.3527

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