Why Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine?
- At 108 years old, Washington State University's College of
Veterinary Medicine (WSU-CVM) has a distinguished history as one of the
nation's premier research and clinical service-oriented veterinary
colleges. Among the most successful of all state universities in
generating extramural funding,
at $2 for every $1 in state funding. In fact, we are among the most
productive veterinary schools in the US generating $12 million per year
in extramural grants, or $123,000 per faculty member - 4th best
in the nation, exceeding many nationally ranked medical
schools.
- One of the nation's top veterinary schools for student
academic achievement; WSU-CVM students have consistently
achieved a near perfect percent pass rate on the national board
examinations.
- WSU's Veterinary
Teaching Hospital is celebrating over 10 years of service to animal
owners. The $38 million facility has 22 surgery rooms, where the
school's 400 students perform between 4,000 and 6,000 surgical
procedures and treat over 15,000 patients each year, treating
everything from traditional companion animals and livestock to the
exotic [e.g., yaks, camels, etc].
- Within the WSU-CVM, there are more than 50 board certified
specialists, in such areas as cardiology, neurology, pathology,
toxicology, clinical pharmacology, clinical pathology, oncology,
radiology, laboratory animal medicine, and companion
animal-equine-bovine medicine and surgery.
- Approximately 93% of our DVM students receive
scholarship money.
- The college has numerous teaching faculty that have received dozens
of
teaching awards,
several at the national level.
- WSU is recognized as a world leader in insect-borne
infectious disease research, with experts seated on many of the
world's most important disease control agencies. WSU is developing not
only revolutionary cattle vaccines, but is also contributing vital
knowledge necessary to control deadly human pathogens that have eluded
vaccine development.
Dr.
Guy Palmer has been recently elected to the National Academy of
Science's Institute of Medicine.
He is one of only 16 veterinarians elected, the fifth from WSU.
Dr. Palmer is also spearheading our
School for Global Animal Health.
- WSU-CVM is ranked first in the nation when it comes
to other institutions' scientists recognizing and noting WSU research in
their own scientific papers.
- Our students have ready access to a full service veterinary
medical diagnostic laboratory [Washington
Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory] that is one of the founding
laboratories of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. The
laboratory processes over 16,000 accessions per year, with > 330,000
tests run per year.
- WSU's CVM offers an individually-tailored DVM-PhD program.
Participating students will work with advisors to create a program of
study that suits them and their professional interests. Students focus
on their DVM program, and then switch to their PhD, rather than bouncing
back and forth between the two, creating a more seamless approach to
learning and professional development.
- WSU is the recognized world leader in the development and
implementation of veterinary communication and leadership skills.
Additionally, WSU's hallmark programs are now taught at many other
veterinary colleges across the world. Since 2001, the WSU-CVM has built
an integrated professional orientation and curricular program that
addresses communications development, e.g., "bed-side manner;"
leadership, principle-centered thinking, emotional intelligence, and
ethics.
- WSU's CVM is among the pioneers of the
Pet Loss Hotline,
a place where people who have lost a pet can talk about their grief.
Over 500 calls and 1200 emails are handled by our students who learn
firsthand the empathy needed for grieving clients.
- The Human-Animal Bond was a concept first developed
by former WSU-CVM Dean Dr. Leo Bustad in the 1970's.
- WSU pioneered the first practical
Canine Blood Bank
in the US – 1986.
- WSU – pioneered the use of a linear accelerator and
radiation therapy for companion animals. Our college is home to
2 board certified veterinary radiation oncologists [out of 25 radiation
oncology diplomates certified by the American Board of Veterinary
Radiology].
- WSU's Veterinary Medical Imaging section features the
world's most advanced array of medical imaging devices employed in
veterinary medicine.
These include computerized tomography (CT scan) for both large
and small animals, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for both large and
small animals, digital fluoroscopy, nuclear scintigraphy for both large
and small animals, a linear accelerator for producing high energy x-ray
radiation and focused electron beams for treatment of cancer, a full
array of standard large and small animal x-ray capability on advanced
gantry systems to minimize stress to animals, and complete digital image
transmittal capability to send images instantaneously from the hospital
to the classroom and around the world. WSU is among the
recognized leaders using cutting edge human technologies for
animals.
For example, our college was among the first to use MRI
technology on horses. As such, WSU's nearly 2-decade long collection of
equine imagery is considered to be among the greatest in the world.
-
WSU's
Equine Team is among the finest in the world. Led by the
past president of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, their
ground breaking works in surgical techniques to ease lameness are
considered to be revolutionary. This group includes a world renowned
immunology team, as judged by such groups as the Equine Research Hall of
Fame. Most recently, team members developed a never before used model
for pain in horses, that accurately measures how much pain relief a
horse needs after surgery, based entirely on behavior. New techniques by
our equine reproduction team being currently developed are expected to
generate headlines in the year to come.
- When it comes to horseback riding for people with disabilities, our
College has a long history of facilitating these activities. We have
been the home of a
therapeutic horseback riding program for more than 25 years
and, to our knowledge, we are the only college of veterinary medicine in
the United States to house a North American Riding for the Handicapped
Association (NARHA) Premier Accredited Center. Our program is called
PATH — Palouse Area Therapeutic Horseback program.
- A researcher at WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine made
international headlines when he discovered that
diclofenac,
a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, was killing vultures in India and
Thailand.
- WSU ranks consistently as the leader in NIH Mentored
Clinical Scientist Development Awards; enough that at times
they have outnumbered the quantity awarded to any other veterinary
college.
- WSU's CVM houses some of the world's most accomplished and
forward thinking groups of
neuroscientists
studying the brain. The brain is the most important, yet least
understood, organ in all human or animal medicine. The very existence of
life is defined by the nervous system, which controls bodily functions,
and produces emotions, sensation, behaviors, cognition, learning and
memory.
- "This is without a doubt, one of the finest animal
facilities I've ever seen, and I've been all over the world.
What really impresses me the most is the people. You've got great people
here, with great passion."
Steve
Crocodile Hunter Irwin (WSU visit Feb. 2004).
- The AVMA
Veterinary Leadership Experience (VLE) was created by faculty at
WSU-CVM. It is still hosted and facilitated by WSU-CVM, who
invite 2 students and 1 faculty member of every veterinary school to
attend. It is now run on 3 continents by WSU!
- The CVM offers a combined DVM-distance MPH degree
through a cooperative program with UW in Seattle.
Other Information about Pullman and the Palouse
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