Introduction to Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Research: Concepts and Values

Catalog description

This course is intended to provide first-year students an opportunity to experience the depth of veterinary/biomedical research required to advance the practice of veterinary medicine, and advance the field of medicine in general. The students will examine the challenges of conducting 1) foundational and translation research (genetic/genomic and mechanistic research), 2) foundational and applications to clinical research 3) population and observational research (epidemiology, prospective clinical trials, retrospective studies), 4) pharmacologic research (the impact of pharmacology on the biomedical sciences). The students will examine relevant connections, consider conceptual relationships, and critically evaluate integrative issues germane to both the practice of and the innovative progress of veterinary medicine. Faculty members in the Departments of A&P, DM/P, and CS, will present topical overviews, based on their professional experiences. This will be designed to connect and integrate fundamental principles and relationships between research and clinical application. These presentations provide examples of the fundamental requirements for clinical therapies and also provide examples of how innovative science leads to new therapies for long standing clinical disease. Additionally, students will learn the tools required to search relevant topic to their career paths within the medical literature. Finally, drawing on the multidisciplinary literature presented by faculty, students will explore the challenges in conducting genetic/genomic research, using genomic information, implementing research results to clinical practice, as well as addressing the social, legal, and professional policies that are emerging from new research. Students will be expected to do reading and to complete online worksheets and present their findings/opinions in class. Class time will be devoted to presentations and to discussion of readings and related current events.