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UGA's international veterinary program
leads the nation
"In the words of Yogi Berra, the future ain't what it
used to be, and that's certainly true of veterinary medicine,"
says Corrie Brown, professor of pa-thology and director of
the international program at the College.
Globalization, free trade, emerging
diseases, and agroterrorism are all effectively changing the
landscape of both human and animal health.
"Now and increasingly in the future,
veterinarians will be playing key roles in international public
health, food safety, and the environment," says Brown.
The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine is leading the profession
in this direction. "We're probably the biggest program
in the U.S.," says Brown.
About half the nation's veterinary schools
have a director of interna-tional education, but only about
a third of those actually have funded programs.
Globalization also is creating new job opportunities for veterinarians.
"Our international program is designed to give students
the training and experiences they need to function in that
job market," Brown says, "and help ensure the well-being
of animals and humans worldwide."
About 30 students are enrolled in the
College's certificate program in international veterinary
medicine. The certificate will be awarded to them, along with
their DVM, if they complete a course, are proficient in a
second language, and complete an international externship.
They also must take at least four credits in international
studies at UGA.
The College also has a strong program
in foreign animal diseases. Students have worked in about
20 countries, thanks to grants primarily from the Department
of Defense and the Department of Education.
For example:
- A sophomore student spent four weeks
in England working with USDA in the foot and mouth disease
eradication efforts.
- A junior student worked at the International
Livestock Research Insti-tute in Nairobi to create East
Coast fever control programs for pro-ducers in Kenya.
- Another junior student spent a summer
with CDC personnel trapping fruit bats in Cambodia to assay
for Ebola and rabies viruses.
- Several groups of students have been
sent to Chile, Argentina, and Brazil to gain information
about transmission and control of foot and mouth disease,
bovine babesiosis, and Newcastle disease, among oth-ers.
In a recent address to students, Brown summed
it up: "On all of your adventures, you brought some of
the world back to our halls and ex-panded our outlook to a
more global one."
For more information and photos, see the Pathology Department's
international program website: www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/IA/index.htm.
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