E-Insight

September 2004

Dr. Perryman to Address Unmet Needs in Veterinary Medicine at CVMA Annual Convention

Veterinary medicine has no problem attracting new veterinarians to small animal practice, but other areas of the field are often left wanting. At the 2004 CVMA Convention in Steamboat Springs, Sept. 11-15, Dr. Lance Perryman, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will address this issue and discuss some of the innovative ideas veterinary leaders are proposing to help alleviate the problem.

Dr. Perryman will provide an overview of the topic during a panel discussion at the CVMA leadership conference session. The discussion, “Responding to the Need for Veterinary Services for Under-served Animal Species and Under-served Areas,” will include veterinarians, livestock producers, government employers and veterinary students. The panel discussion should be of special interest to those veterinarians practicing in rural areas.

“Unmet needs for veterinarians exist in food and fiber animal practice, shelter medicine, laboratory animal medicine, public service, biomedical research and private industry,” said Dr. Perryman. “The National Veterinary Medical Service bill, passed by Congress last year, will help address some of these areas but we need to do much more, and in more creative ways, to bring talented individuals to these under-served fields.”

The National Veterinary Medical Service Bill, signed by President Bush on Dec. 2, 2004, authorizes the Department of Agriculture to provide student loan repayments to recent veterinary graduates who agree to work in under-served areas of the country. Veterinary leaders in Colorado and across the country also are looking at additional methods of attracting students into areas of demand. This includes the newly implemented DVM/PhD program at Colorado State to enhance biomedical research, and other programs in the works, including a livestock industry and community-based proposal to sponsor students through veterinary school in exchange for a “time of service” contract.