Research Education Program for Laboratory Animal Medicine Veterinarians

说明(申请人提供)：兽医是受过广泛培训的健康专业人员，他们唯一有资格参与生物医学研究，了解整个组织的健康和疾病1 2。随着人畜共患病原体的出现以及心血管疾病和糖尿病等日益常见的慢性老龄化疾病的出现，整合了人类和兽医发现的“同一健康”概念受到了越来越多的关注。随着动物模型转化研究继续扩大到目前所有NIH研究项目的大约一半1，实验动物医学兽医，特别是那些接受过研究培训的兽医，对生物医学研究做出了越来越有价值的贡献。3美国国家科学院国家研究理事会委员会最近的两份报告得出结论，此类兽医严重短缺4，5.德克萨斯A&M大学准备扩大我们目前的比较医学培训计划，开设实验室动物医学和动物模型研究的特殊轨道。这一特别计划的目标是使兽医精通临床医学，并通过完成研究项目来理解转化性生物医学研究的概念。参与者不仅将接受经典实验动物医学方面的教育，目标是成为ACLAM文凭，他们还将拥有研究实验室的经验。课程作业和研讨会系列将广泛接触到涉及生物医学的主题和个人，包括临床医学和动物模型研究。必要的和可选的、个人设计的轮换将涉及不同动物物种、临床和行政实验动物医学、诊断比较病理学和群体管理方面的受训人员。同时还有一个部分，重点是三年计划的最后18个月，将让受训人员参与一个研究项目，该项目将使用 实验动物作为主要组成部分。这项研究将最终产生一篇或多篇符合ACLAM资格的同行评议出版物和生物医学科学硕士学位。该计划将由临床和动物研究背景的教员组成，有17名临床医学/比较病理学导师和17名研究导师(总共28名；6名重叠)，以及示范临床医学/比较病理学专业知识和/或研究出版物和校外资助。该计划拥有卓越的机构支持和广泛的最先进设施，包括临床前GLP实验室、转基因设施、灵长类中心、强大的行业与机构合作，以及新批准的卫生部生物防御疫苗中心。学术机构努力培养更多的实验动物药物兽医的一个主要障碍是，很难提供足够的工资来源，通过所需的长期培训来支持受训者。R25提供的培训职位将有助于招聘工作，增加比较医学住院医生的数量，并有助于缓解全国的短缺。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Veterinarians are broadly trained health professionals who are uniquely qualified to participate in biomedical research, having an understanding of health and disease in the context of the whole organism1,2. The "One Health" concept, integrating discoveries in both human and veterinary medicine, has received increased attention with the emergence of zoonotic pathogens as well as increasingly common chronic aging conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. As translational research with animal models continue to expand to approximately half of all current NIH research projects1, laboratory animal medicine veterinarians, particularly those with research training, make increasingly valuable contributions to biomedical research.3 Two recent reports by National Academy of Sciences National Research Council Committees concluded that there is a critical shortage of such veterinarians4,5. Texas A&M University is prepared to expand our current comparative medicine training program for a special track in Laboratory Animal Medicine and Animal Model Research. The objectives of this special program are to prepare veterinarians to be proficient in clinical medicine and understand concepts of translational biomedical research by completing a research project. Participants will not only become educated in classical laboratory animal medicine with the goal to become an ACLAM diplomate, they will also have experience in a research laboratory. Course work and seminar series will give broad exposure to topics and individuals involved in biomedicine, both in clinical medicine and in animal model research. Required and optional, individually designed, rotations will involve the trainees in diverse animal species, clinical and administrative laboratory animal medicine, diagnostic comparative pathology, and colony management. A concurrent component, with emphasis on the last 18 months of the 3-year program, will involve trainees in a research project that will use laboratory animals as a major component. This research will culminate in one or more peer-reviewed publications suitable for ACLAM eligibility and a M.S. in Biomedical Sciences. The program will be composed of faculty in both clinical and animal research backgrounds, with 17 Clinical Medicine/Comparative Pathology Mentors and 17 Research Mentors (total 28; 6 overlap) with exemplary clinical medicine/comparative pathology expertise and/or research publications and extramural funding. The program has exceptional institutional support and a broad array of state-of-the-art facilities, including preclinical GLP labs, transgenic facilities, primate centers, strong industry- institutional collaborations, and a newly approved DHHS Biodefense vaccine center. A major obstacle to the efforts of academic institutions to produce more laboratory animal medicine veterinarians is the difficulty of providing adequate salary sources to support trainees through the extended training needed. The training positions provided by this R25 would assist recruiting efforts, increase numbers of comparative medicine residents, and help alleviate this national shortage.