Veterinary Research Student Training Program: Building Capacity

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Abstract: To contribute to the training of the next generation of veterinarians that will make them valuable contributors to basic, clinical and translational research, The College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University, MSU-CVM, has initiated and nurtured various experiential learning programs. The yearlong predoctoral research program has been an important component of these successful efforts. The goal of the current renewal application is to continue to capture the enthusiasm and imagination of students in the middle or later stages of their DVM training and prime their appreciation and capacity for basic research in a yearlong predoctoral training program. Allowing them to gain appreciation of basic research will increase their capacity for posing and answering critical questions to improve individual and public health, and increase their readiness to pursue careers in research. The need for veterinary scientists to solve important health problems has been recognized most recently by the NIH Physician Scientist Workforce. We propose to continue the immersive and experiential learning provided by our yearlong training program which serves as a critical step for veterinary students to pursue further studies to become biomedical researchers. We are seeking continued support for this program, now in its thirteenth year of funding. Previous trainees have participated in combined DVM-MS or DVM-PhD programs and/or continued onto further clinical training. They have presented original research data in meetings and peer-reviewed publications. We propose to continue this program for highly qualified veterinary scholars and provide them special research training in the context of the Comparative Medicine and Integrative Biology MS Program, which provides a nurturing and supportive environment. Our active engagement in summer research programs, both in our college and nationally, will enable us to continue to recruit outstanding students into this program. Special efforts will be made to recruit and nurture an inclusive pool of young scientist. The trainees will receive mentoring from faculty who are outstanding scientist dedicated to training the next generation of scientists. Training in the responsible conduct of research and gaining grantsmanship skills and networking with outstanding scientists in an interdisciplinary setting will be additional important components of the program. The training program will enhance our ability to meet the needs for biomedical researchers and improve human health.