# Presentation: 729342

## Evaluation of the Comparative Medicine Training Program 

**Tilahun Yilma, DVM, PhD**
**International Laboratory of Molecular Biology**
**University of California**
**Davis, CA 95616**
**Presentation to the NARRC on May 14, 2008**

## Workforce Needs:  NIH Grants using Animals

**Workforce Needs:  NIH Grants using Animals**

**National Needs and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research**
**National Academy of Sciences, 2004**

## Examples of Leadership by Veterinarians:

**Smith and Kilborne: insects can transmit disease; yellow fever (1893)**
**Loeffler and Frosch: first animal virus; foot and mouth disease (1898)**
**Ellerman and Bang: first leukemia caused by a virus (1908)**
**Elkund and Hadlow: prion diseases of scrapie and kuru (1973)**
**Peter Doherty, DVM and Zinkernagel:  1996 Nobel Prize regarding major histocompatability antigens’ central role in immunology**
**Veterinary leadership in retrovirology (HIV/SIV/SHIV, HTLV-I/STLV-I), *****Helicobacter sp*****., blood parasites, etc.**
**NAS Membership less than 10.**
**IOM Membership less than 10**
-  						Modified from Dr. Rosol, OSU

## NIH R01 Grants by Degree of Investigator

**National Needs and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research**
**National Academy of Sciences, 2004**

## Selected Recommendations from NAS Studies

**    ****2004**
**“****Increase the number of veterinarians serving as ****Principal Investigators****”**
**“****Increase the number of veterinarians in ****roles supporting**** biomedical research”**
**    ****2005**
**“****changes in ****recruitment and programming**** will be required ... and would involve strengthening of summer research programs, combined DVM/PhD paths...”**

## NIH NRSA Programs do NOT Cover:

**NIH NRSA support is not allowed for trainee periods when s/he are mainly preparing for residency examinations (ACLAM, ACVP, ACVIM, etc).**
**Biomedical research supported by NIH must be directed toward human health or animal models of human health.  Programs to benefit only companion animals (cat, dog) or agricultural animals (horses, cattle, sheep) are not eligible.**

## NCRR DVM-Specific Training Opportunities for Research Institutions

- National Research Service Awards (NRSAs)
- T35 – Professional student short-term summer research training (PA-05-117)
- T32 – One-year hypothesis-based, animal-oriented research training for veterinary students (PA-06-468 and PA-01-138)
- T32 – Three-year post-DVM research training for highly qualified veterinarians, usually leading to a Ph.D. degree (PA-06-468)

## Active NCRR Institutional Training Grants for Veterinarians (T32+T35)

**Active NCRR Institutional Training Grants for Veterinarians (T32+T35)**

**T35**
**Pre Doc T32**
**Post Doc T32**

**JAX**

**Tufts**

**Stanford**

**Cornell**

**UC Davis**

**CSU**

**KSU**

**Texas A&M**

**LSU**

**Tulane**

**Va **
**Tech**

**Wake**

**Wisconsin**

**Missouri**

**Hopkins**

**Penn**

**Wash State**

**OK State**

**Illinois**

**Purdue**

**Miss **
**St.**

**Ohio St.**

**MSU**

**Harvard**

**MIT**

**MN**

**Iowa St**

**Georgia**

**Michigan**

## Number of NCRR DCM Training Grant Awards 1998-2007

## Charge to the Working Group 

**1. Identify successes, challenges, and needs for the NCRR-DCM NRSA Training Program,**
**2. Assign future priorities assuming varied funding climates, and**
**3. Recommend potential new approaches and improvements. **

## Conclusions of the NARRC Working Group

**Veterinarians trained in research can play significant roles in government, academia, and industry.**
**There are considerable challenges in identifying, recruiting, training, and retaining veterinarians who can fill these roles.**
**There is a relative lack of role models for pre- or post-DVM trainees outside the traditional clinical practice.**
**The Committee determined that the three NCRR programs are generally well designed and correctly aimed.**

## General Recommendations (Part 1)

**1. Future analysis of the predoctoral T32 program, suggested in 4-5 years **(at that time, the outcome metrics from this program started in 2002 should be available).**  If the predoctoral T32 program is not effective in promoting research careers, potential alternatives should be considered **(*e.g*., providing 2-3 years of support for the research portion of a combined DVM/PhD).
**2. For all NCRR training programs, greater attention should be given to inform students about how to choose a research training program. **

## General Recommendations (Part 2)

**3. Attention should be given to coordinating information sources for training opportunities for veterinarians allowing opportunities for cross-referencing.  Suggestion – Develop an enhanced web sites to provide a central source of information.**
**4. NCRR should consider using existing NIH mechanisms to encourage providing more research information in the veterinary curricula.  This would allow professors with research interests to enhance the quality and depth of their courses by including more emphasis on basic mechanisms of disease and biomedical research.**

## Ideal Outcome of the DCM Training Program 

**The NCRR-DCM Training Program will attract and select the most promising applicants, and provide the trainees with necessary tools that enable their retention and success in NIH-funded biomedical research.**

**Conclusion**

## Next Steps for the Evaluation

**The full draft report is available as a handout.**
**NCRR is interested to hear comments.**
**The final report will be posted on NCRR's web site **_**[http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/](http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/)**__** **_