TEACH. HEAL. DISCOVER. SERVE.
TTeach. Heal. Discover. Serve.
They’re more than just words. They’re the backbone of everything we do at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.
We’ve set a standard of a quality, hands-on education, impactful research, and world-class care for companion and agricultural animals alike. Our importance to the state and region is critical – Mizzou is the only Missouri institution to award a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree. Our curriculum is integrated with MU veterinary services, including statewide animal disease diagnostic services, and extension and continuing education programs for animal owners and veterinarians.
Simply put – we’re THE college for aspiring veterinarians in Missouri. We provide our students with a comprehensive education that benefits animal owners throughout the state while students gain extensive hands-on training under the guidance of our expert faculty.
The work we do doesn’t stop with our animal patients. The research breakthroughs we make in the College of Veterinary Medicine have a impact on human health too. MU is a national leader in comparative medicine, in which researchers collaborate by sharing discoveries, innovations, and treatments for animals and humans. For more than four decades, the National Institutes of Health has continuously funded comparative medicine research at the University of Missouri. The College of Veterinary Medicine has been and continues to be an essential partner in this research.
The work we do here makes lives better for animals and humans alike. This impact stretches far beyond Columbia to touch lives across Missouri, the U.S. and the world. We want to maintain and grow that influence for decades to come.
We have the drive to better serve all corners of Missouri and beyond through excellent education, clinical care, and research. Join us.
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The University of Missouri College of Veterinary
FACILITIES
The best people do their best work when given the best environment and resources to succeed. That’s why maintaining and upgrading our facilities is crucial to our educational, research and clinical efforts.
Our Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL) is the only nationally accredited diagnostic laboratory in Missouri and one of only five in the Midwest. It handles more than 64,700 accessions a year and serves all of Missouri’s 114 counties and surrounding states by performing approximately 180,000 diagnostic tests annually. The facility supports toxicology, histopathology, serology, bacteriology, clinical pathology, molecular biology and virology diagnostic laboratories. It also allows for veterinary medical students to receive instruction in diagnostic laboratory medicine.
The Veterinary Health Center (VHC) provides a wide range of clinical services on the MU campus, in Columbia, and surrounding communities. The Veterinary Health Center at Wentzville provides diagnostic services, radiation therapy, clinical trials and dermatology services in the St. Louis area. Veterinarians throughout the region refer animal clients to us for specialized diagnostics because they know we have the people and the resources to provide rapid, accurate assessments.
The College of Veterinary Medicine has undergone exponential growth in both and animals served since the construction of our VHC, located in Clydesdale Hall. Needed expansion is under way. With it comes new spaces for the care and treatment of companion and agricultural animals, as well as new opportunities for hands-on learning and research.
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This expansion will build upon our specialty services including equine and production animal medicine, cardiology, neurology, ophthalmology, oncology and more. We have acquired high-tech equipment including a linear accelerator, an MRI machine large enough for an agriculture animal, and a PET/CT scanner of similar scale to meet expectations for elevated levels of specialty care. The VHC, combined with the newly constructed Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, will provide the space needed for the College of Veterinary Medicine to continue to fulfill its mission.
Partners who share our passion for providing animals with the highest level of care will allow us to provide more treatments and improve the lives of humans and animals alike while also advancing the research enterprise, finding solutions to real-world challenges for veterinary care and treatment.
PEOPLE AND PROGRAMS
While the hard work of construction will soon be complete, the need to support the continued development of our people and programs is critical.
Our history tells a tale of people and programs worth supporting. These examples are just a microcosm of the work we’re doing:
• The VHC cares for nearly 20,000 animals at its locations in Columbia and Wentzville and thousands more on farms. These animals receive primary care and emergency care, while others are referred by veterinarians throughout the Midwest for the college’s specialized clinical services.
• College of Veterinary Medicine faculty and graduate students are among the more than 1,000 life scientists at Bond Life Sciences Center who are working to improve human and animal health, food and the environment.
• Veterinary medicine scientists work within the MU Laboratory for Infectious Disease Research, part of our nation’s bio-defense effort.
• Veterinary Education and Training through Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (VET ECHO) is a collaboration with Show-Me ECHO and the Missouri Telehealth Network to provide sustainable, virtual continuing education with case-based learning for veterinarians and veterinary students working with livestock producers.
• Our Respiratory and Aerodigestive Disorders Specialty Clinic provides a comprehensive evaluation of dogs and cats with respiratory and swallowing disorders to allow individualized management, and is the only veterinary center in the U.S. with its unique combination of expertise and diagnostic tools.
• Collaborative efforts between MU researchers in veterinary medicine and human medicine have helped create new pharmaceuticals and medical techniques, including Quadramet, a radiopharmaceutical that relieves the pain of bone cancer.
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The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine
Partners like you will make the difference in the future of our clinical and research programs. We’re seeking perpetual funding through endowments and expendable funds to underwrite the pursuit of clinical advancements and discovery. This investment will ensure we maintain our high standards of education, research and care for generations to come.
Research into new treatments will be made possible by attracting and retaining the top minds in the field through the endowment of professorships and faculty chairs. We’re driven to discover new ways to unlock cures for diseases that affect animals and humans alike. All too often, zoonotic diseases can affect public health, and we’re working towards solutions that benefit both human and animal patients.
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The University of Missouri College of Veterinary
SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUDENT SUPPORT
Our alumni are the greatest example of the impact of a Mizzou veterinary education.
The accomplishments of our more than 4,000 living alums range from pioneering an artificial insemination technique to save the endangered African elephant, to founding the largest pet insurance company in the nation.
We’re not the only ones who value the expertise of Mizzou-Made vets. In the past two decades, four Mizzou CVM alumni have held the presidency of the American Veterinary Medical Association, which represents more than 88,000 veterinarians nationwide.
The main goal for the College of Veterinary Medicine is to train veterinary professionals. We work diligently to recruit motivated, curious, broadminded individuals with varied experiences who will succeed both academically and professionally.
The North American Veterinary Licensing Examination Council on Education requires a minimum pass rate of 80 percent on the licensing examination to maintain full accreditation. Since 2010, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine graduates have had a pass rate of 95 percent or better
Competition for top students is fierce. To continue to stand out among the crowd, we must continually evolve to meet their needs and expectations. Your support will help us build upon and add to existing scholarships, programming, mentorship, networking, professional development, externships, preceptorships and more.
Additionally, state-of-the-art facilities attract sought-after faculty members and students in what is becoming a highly competitive market for both. As one of the leading veterinary medicine programs in the country, investment in high quality diagnostic, clinical, teaching facilities is essential to the learning experience for veterinary students.
A BETTER FUTURE FOR ANIMALS AND HUMANS ALIKE
The MU College of Veterinary Medicine continues to invest in our mission and vision to prepare future leaders in the field and to to perform the research that allows the creation of breakthroughs. This includes continued focus on increasing resources that will allow us to hire, develop, and reward the best faculty and staff and maintain world-class infrastructure. All of this is in service of our ultimate goal, which remains simple, yet powerful:
Teach. Heal. Discover. Serve.
We hope you’ll join us on our journey. Let’s create that better world – together
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8 TEACH. HEAL. DISCOVER. SERVE. giving.missouri.edu May 2024