Veterinary Medicine impacts many aspects of human life: the food we eat and
the clothes we wear; our physical, emotional, and economic well being; and the
quality of our environment. Thus, there is an enormous diversity of job opportunities
in veterinary medicine and biomedical science. In addition to the many veterinarians
in private clinical practice, veterinary scientists serve in government, industry,
and academia in a plethora of roles including research, diagnostics, food safety,
and teaching.
Since its beginning in 1948, the College of Veterinary Medicine has had and
continues to have a major commitment to the education and development of well-trained
veterinary clinicians through its professional teaching program leading to the
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M) degree. However, during the 1990s, the
College expanded its commitment to graduate education and research. The College
has stepped up its efforts to educate and train the next generation of veterinary
and biomedical researchers and create new basic and applied scientific knowledge.
Dean Joseph W. Alexander firmly believes that teaching and research are inseparable
in a modern college of veterinary medicine. A complete scholar not only teaches
a modern, up-to-date course through library research and preparation but also
conducts and directs active laboratory or clinical research. Research complements
good teaching by stimulating the intellect and maintaining the inquisitive nature
of the scholar. Research is an essential component of scholarship in the College
of Veterinary Medicine.
Research in the College is varied and diverse both in its nature and in the
systems studied. College faculty members have diverse academic training and
experience. Many faculty hold a Ph.D. degree instead of or in addition to a
D.V.M degree. Similarly, students involved in College research programs may
be in the professional D.V.M program or may be enrolled in the College’s
Veterinary Biomedical Sciences graduate program that leads to the M.S. or Ph.D.
degrees. Research programs themselves range from molecular to clinical and address
problems as varied as animal health and human biomedical research. In addition,
through a training grant from the National Institutes of Health, selected veterinary
students can have an intensive summer research experience involving research
training and original research.
Program Highlights
Researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine explore many medical problems.
The largest annual economic loss to Oklahoma cattle producers results from a
disease complex collectively labeled “bovine respiratory disease.”
This disease complex is the focus of a major research program in the College,
and funding for the project comes from a variety of sources including federal,
state, and private research funds. Current molecular techniques are being used
to analyze the genetics and structural properties of several viruses and bacteria
to elucidate pathogenic processes involved in the development of respiratory
disease. Knowledge gained from these studies is then applied toward development
of new methods of disease control, such as vaccines and therapy. Many of these
applied research studies are being conducted through collaborations between
veterinary and animal scientists at the Willard Sparks Beef Cattle Research
Center and between College faculty and scientists at the Noble Foundation, Ardmore,
Oklahoma.
The College of Veterinary Medicine has long been a leader in the field of hemoparasite
and tick-borne disease research. Scientists at this College developed the original
vaccine for bovine anaplasmosis in the 1960s. Research in the College continues
to break new ground in anaplasmosis. Recently, College scientists have made
major breakthroughs that should lead to a second-generation anaplasmosis vaccine
with improved efficacy and fewer or no side effects. Other research programs
focus on parasites causing human and canine ehrlichiosis, canine hepatozoonosis
and babesiosis, feline cytauxzoonosis, and other parasitic organisms of veterinary
significance.
Researchers in the College also conduct testing and evaluation of new vaccines
and therapies for bovine and equine diseases. Other investigators are involved
in the development of newer, more sensitive diagnostic tests for viral, bacterial,
and parasitic diseases of cats, horses, monkeys, seals, and humans. The composition
and biological activity of venoms from a variety of poisonous snakes and spiders
are also being investigated as well as the development of more effective anti-venoms.
College researchers are also examining various physiological processes such
as regulation of gene expression during establishment of pregnancy, male fertility,
causes of exercise-induced asthma, and identification of environmental factors
contributing to the development of ascites in poultry. Pharmacologists are studying
the action and pharmacokinetics of various drugs used to treat veterinary infectious
animal diseases. Those studies are ongoing at the whole animal, cellular, and
molecular level.
With the recent addition of Dr. Carey Pope, Sitlington Endowed Chair in Toxicology,
the College is enhancing its program in basic and applied toxicology. Studies
include environmental damage from pesticides, affects of age on toxicoses, and
in-depth studies of neurotoxicology combined with neurobiology.
One of the newest areas of research is the development of sensors for detection
of pathogenic bacteria that could be used in bio-terrorism. Through an industrial
partnership and with federal funding, College scientists hope to make great
strides in this timely research.
Clinical research activities are varied in nature as well. In association with
the OSU Center for Laser and Photonics Research, College researchers lead studies
that explore the use of lasers in medicine. The potential of new lasers and
novel techniques are tested, and new surgical procedures utilizing laser technology
are being developed. Some applications of laser surgery are of immediate and
direct benefit to animal patients in the College teaching hospital, and others
are developed as preliminaries to human application. Studies have expanded into
using lasers and photodynamic compounds to treat cancer.
Veterinary medicine serves as the medical arm of agriculture and is the foundation
of health for man’s animal companions. The field contributes directly to
the improvement of human medicine and surgery and is a sentinel of environmental
protection. Looking to the future, the College is committed to the expansion
of existing research programs and the development of new programs so that it
can continue to contribute maximally to a healthier life for Oklahomans and
all Americans, man or animal.