Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

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. [http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php] The college offers undergraduate majors in Biomedical Sciences, and graduate programs in the following areas:
*Epidemiology
*Veterinary Anatomy
*Veterinary Public Health
*Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
*Veterinary Microbiology
*Veterinary Parasitology
*Veterinary Pathology
*Veterinary Physiology

History

The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is an institution that represents more than 87 years of growth from a small school of veterinary medicine in 1916 to its present role as a major veterinary educational, medical and research center. Through years of maturation and expansion, an institution emerged that has proudly produced approximately 10 percent of the nation's practicing veterinarians and continues to lead the nation in innovative approaches to veterinary medical education.

The first attempt to teach veterinary science at the Agricultural & Mechanical College (as Texas A&M University was called) 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. It is assumed that the proposed lectures would concern our domestic animals, for this thought is clearly expressed in the catalog of the fourth session. In April 1888, the college received a state appropriation of twenty-five hundred dollars for equipping and operating its 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 was destined to become one of the most distinguished men in United States veterinary medicine.

Chronological history

*1888 - Texas Agricultural Extension Station established as a division of Texas A. and M. College under the provisions of the Hatch Act.
*1902 - Erection of the Chemistry and Veterinary Building.
*1903 - First Veterinary Association in Texas organized at Fort Worth. Dr. Mark Francis was elected president.
*1908 - Veterinary Hospital constructed.
*1916 - School of Veterinary Medicine established. Dr. Mark Francis was appointed the first Dean.
*1920 - First grads (4) to receive DVM degrees from Texas A&M.
*1929 - Texas A&M Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association organized.
*1937 - Dr. R.P. Marsteller appointed Dean.
*1941 - Enrollment limited to 100 new students each year.
*1947 - Dr. R.C. Dunn appointed Dean.
*1949 - Veterinary Library Opened.
*1953 - Dr. W.W. Armistead appointed Dean.
*1953 - Erection of Veterinary Medical Hospital.
*1955 - Erection of Veterinary Sciences Building.
*1957 - Dr. Alvin A. Price appointed Dean.
*1963 - The designation College of Veterinary Medicine replaces former designation of School of Veterinary Medicine.
*1963 - First woman admitted to the professional program.
*1966 - First woman receives DVM degree from Texas A&M.
*1967 - The Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory is established.
*1973 - Dr. George C. Shelton appointed Dean.
*1990 - Dr. John Shadduck appointed Dean.
*1993 - The Veterinary Research Building and new Large Animal Clinic are erected.
*1997 - Dr. Robert F. Playter, Jr. appointed as Interim Dean.
*1998 - Dr. H. Richard Adams appointed Dean.

Departments

Veterinary Integrative Biosciences

The faculty of the [http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/vibs/index.shtml Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences] believes that, in an era of rapid scientific advances, education holds the highest priority and that education must be viewed as a life-long process. We further believe that education of students is a shared task involving interdepartmental and intercollegiate faculty efforts, broad disciplinary interactions, and the efforts of the students themselves.

As a primary member of the educational team in Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University, the departmental faculty serves both directly in the instruction and guidance of students and indirectly in creating new knowledge. Through both functions, we assist and support the efforts of the veterinary medical teams and other members of the university. In discharging its responsibilities as a team member, the department has an obligation to achieve excellence in teaching, research, academic service, client/patient care, and continuing education. In so doing, we individually and collectively foster the national reputation of our College, our University, and the State of Texas.

Veterinary Pathobiology

The [http://vtpb-www.cvm.tamu.edu 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 [http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/vtpp 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, and 3) professional instruction leading to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

The primary research focus areas within the department include toxicology, reproductive physiology, pharmacology, and cardiovascular physiology. 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 4 million dollars per year and the department's research and teaching facilities encompass over 85,000 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, Medicine, and the School of Rural Public Health. Long-standing collaborative interactions also exist with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Texas Engineering Experiment Station.

Large Animal Clinical Sciences

The [http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/vlcs/ Department of Large Animal Clinical Services] is headed by William Moyer, DVM.

mall Animal Clinical Sciences

The [http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/vscs Department of Veterinary Small Animal Clinical Sciences] has three major missions: education, patient care, and scholarship. Each of these activities is intended to improve the quality of life for companion animals and their owners. Faculty and staff in the department participate in all four years of the professional curriculum, although most interactions with students occur in the third and fourth years. The department offers a one-year internship program for the newly graduated veterinarians, and three-year residency programs in several clinical disciplines for veterinarians seeking advanced training and board certification. Faculty and staff contribute frequently to continuing education programs offered by the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Scholarly programs of the faculty are centered mainly on the study of the spontaneously occurring diseases of the patients presented to the Small Animal Clinic. Investigative programs are active in anesthesiology, animal behavior, cardiology, clinical nutrition, dermatology, feline internal medicine, gastroenterology, general surgery, G.I. Lab, internal medicine, neurology/ neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, and orthopedic and soft tissue surgery.

Approximately, 11,500 animals are presented to the Small Animal Clinic for advanced diagnostic procedures and state-of-the-art treatment methods. Faculty, staff, and fourth-year students participate as a team in the care of these patients. Many of these patients are referred from veterinarians throughout Texas and the region, so that they may receive the benefits of the unique expertise and diagnostic and therapeutic technology offered by the Small Animal Clinic.

Biomedical Science

A distinctive undergraduate program in [http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/bims Biomedical Science] is offered at Texas A&M University. Biomedical Science is the broad field of applied biology related to health and disease.

The first objective in the Biomedical Science curriculum is a strong four year college education. The primary purpose is to prepare people at the college level for productive futures in a changing world. It is to help them gain versatility with which to face the years ahead.

The second objective is to assist students, in a structured way, in orienting and training themselves in areas of selected vocational interest. The purpose is to provide fundamental knowledge on which to build skills needed for successful vocational achievements. This objective seeks to make the graduate employable and trainable.

Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital

The [http://vmth.tamu.edu/aboutVmth.shtml Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH)] of Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine 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.

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.

External links

* [http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/index.shtml Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Home Page]
* [http://www.tamu.edu/ Texas A&M University Home Page]
* [http://www.tamu.edu/map/gifs/campus1.pdf Texas A&M University Map]