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H.R. 1232, VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH 

WORKFORCE EXPANSION ACT OF 2007 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND 

COMMERCE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

JANUARY 23, 2008 

Serial No. 110–81 

( 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

energycommerce.house.gov 

COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE 

JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan, Chairman 

HENRY A. WAXMAN, California 

EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts 

RICK BOUCHER, Virginia 

EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York 

FRANK PALLONE, JR., New Jersey 

BART GORDON, Tennessee 

BOBBY L. RUSH, Illinois 

ANNA G. ESHOO, California 

BART STUPAK, Michigan 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

ALBERT R. WYNN, Maryland 

GENE GREEN, Texas 

DIANA DEGETTE, Colorado 

Vice Chairman 

LOIS CAPPS, California 

MIKE DOYLE, Pennsylvania 

JANE HARMAN, California 

TOM ALLEN, Maine 

JAN SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois 

HILDA L. SOLIS, California 

CHARLES A. GONZALEZ, Texas 

JAY INSLEE, Washington 

TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin 

MIKE ROSS, Arkansas 

DARLENE HOOLEY, Oregon 

ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York 

JIM MATHESON, Utah 

G.K. BUTTERFIELD, North Carolina 

CHARLIE MELANCON, Louisiana 

JOHN BARROW, Georgia 

BARON P. HILL, Indiana 

JOE BARTON, Texas 

Ranking Member 

RALPH M. HALL, Texas 

FRED UPTON, Michigan 

CLIFF STEARNS, Florida 

NATHAN DEAL, Georgia 

ED WHITFIELD, Kentucky 

BARBARA CUBIN, Wyoming 

JOHN SHIMKUS, Illinois 

HEATHER WILSON, New Mexico 

JOHN B. SHADEGG, Arizona 

CHARLES W. ‘‘CHIP’’ PICKERING, 

Mississippi 

VITO FOSSELLA, New York 

ROY BLUNT, Missouri 

STEVE BUYER, Indiana 

GEORGE RADANOVICH, California 

JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania 

MARY BONO, California 

GREG WALDEN, Oregon 

LEE TERRY, Nebraska 

MIKE FERGUSON, New Jersey 

MIKE ROGERS, Michigan 

SUE WILKINS MYRICK, North Carolina 

JOHN SULLIVAN, Oklahoma 

TIM MURPHY, Pennsylvania 

MICHAEL C. BURGESS, Texas 

MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee 

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

DENNIS B. FITZGIBBONS, Chief of Staff 

GREGG A. ROTHSCHILD, Chief Counsel 

SHARON E. DAVIS, Chief Clerk 

DAVID CAVICKE, Minority Staff Director 

(II)

(III) 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH

FRANK PALLONE, JR., New Jersey, Chairman 

HENRY A. WAXMAN, California 

EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York 

BART GORDON, Tennessee 

ANNA G. ESHOO, California 

GENE GREEN, Texas 

Vice Chairman 

DIANA DEGETTE, Colorado 

LOIS CAPPS, California 

TOM ALLEN, Maine 

TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

JAN SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois 

HILDA L. SOLIS, California 

MIKE ROSS, Arkansas 

DARLENE HOOLEY, Oregon 

ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York 

JIM MATHESON, Utah 

JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan (ex officio) 

NATHAN DEAL, Georgia, 

Ranking Member 

RALPH M. HALL, Texas 

BARBARA CUBIN, Wyoming 

HEATHER WILSON, New Mexico 

JOHN B. SHADEGG, Arizona 

STEVE BUYER, Indiana 

JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania 

MIKE FERGUSON, New Jersey 

MIKE ROGERS, Michigan 

SUE WILKINS MYRICK, North Carolina 

JOHN SULLIVAN, Oklahoma 

TIM MURPHY, Pennsylvania 

MICHAEL C. BURGESS, Texas 

MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee 

JOE BARTON, Texas (ex officio) 

(V) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

Hon. Frank Pallone Jr., a Representative in Congress from the State of 

New Jersey, opening statement .......................................................................... 1 

Hon. Nathan Deal, a Representative in Congress from the State of Georgia, 

opening statement ................................................................................................ 2 

Hon. Gene Green, a Representative in Congress from the State of Texas, 

prepared statement .............................................................................................. 3 

Hon. Charles W. ‘‘Chip’’Pickering, a Representative in Congress from the 

State of Mississippi, opening statement ............................................................. 4 

Hon. Tammy Baldwin, a Representative in Congress from the State of Wisconsin, opening statement ................................................................................... 5 

Hon. Lois Capps, a Representative in Congress from the State of California, 

opening statement ................................................................................................ 6 

Hon. Edolphus Towns, a Representative in Congress from the State of New 

York, prepared statement .................................................................................... 7 

Hon. Tim Murphy, a Representative in Congress from the Commonwealth 

of Pennsylvania, opening statement ................................................................... 8 

WITNESSES

Marguerite Pappaioanou, D.V.M., M.P.V.M., Ph.D., D.A.C.V.P.M., Executive 

Director, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), 

Washington, D.C. ................................................................................................. 9 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 11 

Answers to submitted questions ...................................................................... 58 

Ron DeHaven, D.V.M., M.B.A., Executive Vice President, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Schaumburg, IL ......................................... 15 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 17 

Answers to submitted questions ...................................................................... 64 

Alan Kelly, B.V.Sc., M.R.C.V.S., Ph.D., Dean Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center, Kennett Square, 

PA .......................................................................................................................... 18

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 21 

Answers to submitted questions ...................................................................... 65 

Sheila W. Allen, D.V.M., M.S., Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA ................................................................................. 33 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 34 

SUBMITTED MATERIAL

H.R. 1232 .................................................................................................................. 53 

(1) 

H.R. 1232, VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH 

WORKFORCE EXPANSION ACT OF 2007 

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2008 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH, COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE, Washington, DC. 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:08 a.m., in room 

2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Frank Pallone, 

Jr. (chairman) presiding. 

Members present: Representatives Pallone, Towns, Green, 

Capps, Baldwin, Hooley, Matheson, Deal, Pitts, Murphy, and Pickering. 

Staff present: Lauren Bloomberg, Melissa Sidman, Chad Grant, 

Bobby Clark, Katherine Martin, and Jessica McNiece. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR., A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 

Mr. PALLONE. The subcommittee hearing is called to order. 

Today we are having a hearing on H.R. 1232, the Veterinary Public 

Health Workforce Expansion Act. And I will recognize myself for 

an opening statement. I first of all want to thank my colleague and 

the chief sponsor of the bill, Ms. Baldwin, for her work on this legislation. You should know that she had been asking that we have 

this hearing for some time, and she is very aggressive in these 

matters. The United States is currently facing a significant shortage of veterinary medical officers. Our Colleges of Veterinary Medicine produce only 2,500 graduates a year and are operating at full 

capacity. An estimated 50 percent of public health service veterinarians are currently at retirement age, and the U.S. Census Bureau predicts that based on current population growth and the corresponding growth in animal populations there will be a shortage 

of 15,000 veterinarians by 2025. 

These statistics are particularly alarming when taking into account that veterinarians not only perform routine animal care but 

they are also vital providers in the public health sector. Veterinarians work in food safety and animal disease control. They work in 

the field of bio-security and homeland security, and they conduct 

crucial research on domestic and foreign animal diseases as well as 

on animal diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans. 

In fact, the American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine 

actually requires its members to have proficiency in areas of public 

health, including the fields of epidemiology and bio-statistics, food 

2 

safety, infectious and parasitic diseases, environmental health and 

toxicology, and public administration and health education. 

The steady threat of diseases such as West Nile Virus or Lyme 

Disease, which is particularly an acute problem in my home state 

of New Jersey, as well as the recent outbreaks of food borne illnesses just amplify the importance of veterinarians serving in the 

public health sector and how they are becoming more and more 

crucial to protecting our citizens from devastating diseases. In fact, 

approximately 60 percent of infectious disease organisms are transmitted by animals, and 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases 

are passed from animals to humans. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, estimates that food borne diseases such 

as salmonella and E. coli are responsible for roughly 5,000 deaths 

a year. 

Improving the safety of our nation’s food supply and reducing the 

number of food borne illnesses is a top priority for me and many 

of my colleagues on this subcommittee. We have had hearings, and 

Chairman Dingell and I have introduced legislation to bolster the 

regulatory framework at FDA improving research and increasing 

FDA’s oversight in order to prevent contamination of our nation’s 

food supply. But there is only so much we can do from a regulatory 

perspective. We need to support and increase the workforce who 

will carry out these tasks, and H.R. 1232 would compliment our efforts thus far by strengthening the veterinary workforce we rely 

upon to conduct surveillance and research into zoonotic diseases 

that threaten our food supply as well as conduct important education and outreach initiatives associated with food-animal production. 

This legislation looks to solve the impending veterinary shortage 

crisis by establishing a competitive grant program to expand capacity and services at veterinary schools. This would include increased 

teaching labs, research facilities, classrooms, and administrative 

space. This expansion will allow schools to increase enrollment and 

produce the next generation of veterinary medical officers. It has 

been 30 years since the Federal government has provided funding 

to increase the number of veterinarians in our country. Considering 

the looming shortage of these critical public health specialists, now 

is the time for us to act once more. 

And again I want to thank Ms. Baldwin for her efforts on this 

cause, and I would also like to thank our witnesses for appearing 

before us today to share their expertise. I know the subcommittee 

has so many things to deal with but I do think that this is a very 

important issue that we need to move forward on. And I now recognize my colleague from Georgia, Mr. Deal. 

[H.R. 1232 appears at the conclusion of the hearing.] 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. NATHAN DEAL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF GEORGIA 

Mr. DEAL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to start off by 

issuing a warm welcome to Dr. Sheila Allen, who is the Dean of 

the College of Medicine at the University of Georgia. We have met 

before on this very subject, and I am sure that she will share some 

of those same opinions with the committee today about the challenges that our current veterinary schools face in providing the 

3 

necessary new veterinarians for our nation. Many of us have heard 

about the variety of roles played by individuals with training in 

veterinary medicine from caring for personal pets to playing an integral role in the livestock industry by maintaining the health of 

animals used for food consumption and also inspection of the meat 

itself and the products that are produced. 

Veterinarians help insure the safety of the nation’s food supply 

and they are uniquely situated to address the growing threat of 

animal-related diseases. Unfortunately, our veterinary schools are 

not equipped to meet this growing need. Despite a high number of 

individuals interested in continuing their education at the School 

of Veterinary Medicine the schools cannot meet the demand. As a 

result, I have heard anecdotally, as I am sure some of you have, 

that it is harder to get into vet school than it is into medical school. 

This has the potential to create a dangerous public health problem 

as the demand for veterinary services continues to exceed the supply. 

I hope that today’s hearing can focus on the reasons for low number of veterinary schools and the growing shortage of veterinarians. 

I also think it is important that we insure money spent on expanding the infrastructure of our vet schools translates into more veterinarians working in the fields with a shortage or in those fields that 

meet a public health need. I want to thank all of our witnesses for 

their attendance today. We look forward to your testimony. Thank 

you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you. I should point out to all of you that 

unfortunately we have the debate and the vote on the override for 

SCHIP, the Children’s Health Initiative, going on at the same time 

as this hearing this morning so members will float in and out including myself, but we are going to do the best we can. We never 

know when these things come up when we plan our hearings. Next 

I recognize our vice chair, Mr. Green. 

Mr. GREEN. Mr. Chairman, I thank you for explaining that because we have an Oversight and Investigations hearing on nuclear 

proliferation. I might have to leave shortly. But I would like to ask 

unanimous consent to place my statement in the record so we could 

go on with the witnesses. But thank my colleague from Wisconsin. 

I am a co-sponsor of the bill. And coming from Texas, I am surprised our ranking member didn’t have somebody from Texas A&M 

here because that is our veterinary school in Texas. Since my son 

is an Aggie, not a veterinarian, but an Aggie, I would make sure 

that we do that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Green follows:] 

STATEMENT OF HON. GENE GREEN

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased we are holding this hearing today on H.R. 1232, the 

Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act. As a cosponsor of this bill, I am 

please that we are moving this bill through the committee. 

Texas A&M is the only veterinary college near my district and one of two in the 

state of Texas. 

Throughout the U.S. there are only 28 Colleges of Veterinary Medicine producing 

approximately 2,500 veterinarians each year and those schools are at full capacity. 

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, currently there are 86,000 practicing veterinarians in the U.S. However, fifty percent of those veterinarians are 

now eligible for retirement and by 2012, there will be nearly 28,000 open veterinary 

jobs. That is a turnover rate of nearly 38%. 

4 

Over the next 40 years, the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges 

estimates, in order to simply maintain their current level of service, they will need 

to open somewhere in the area of nine new colleges. But, the federal government 

has not provided general funding to increase the number of veterinarians in over 

30 years. 

In recent years, medical issues from human-wildlife have been highlighted in the 

media. Avian flu, Foot and Mouth Disease, West Nile Virus, and SARS are all diseases associated with human to wildlife contact. Additionally, the CDC estimates 

that 80% of potential bioterror agents are infectious diseases that spread from animals to humans. 

Veterinarians play a crucial role in this medical area because they are they only 

health professionals trained to link animal and human diseases, food safety, and 

bioterrorism agents. 

The Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act will help veterinary colleges by creating 

a competitive grants program to increase the number of veterinarians in the US. 

These grants will expand capacity and services at existing schools. 

We don’t want to expose ourselves to an animal disease outbreak or a bioterrorism 

attack simply because we didn’t anticipate a veterinary shortage. This piece of legislation is a chance for us to increase the number of veterinarians in the U.S. 

I strongly support this bill and I urge my colleagues to do so as well. Thank you 

Mr. Chairman, I yield back my time. 

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you. Now I recognize Mr. Pickering from 

Mississippi, who is the lead Republican on the legislation. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. CHARLES W. ‘‘CHIP’’ PICKERING, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE 

OF MISSISSIPPI 

Mr. PICKERING. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I appreciate the 

chance to come and sit on the subcommittee this morning. I want 

to thank the lead sponsor this year, Congresswoman Baldwin, and 

thank her for her partnership on this very important initiative. 

With only 28 veterinary schools around the country and the critical 

link between public health and animal health, and as we look at 

the threats that could come to our nation whether it is Avian flu 

or through some type of bioterrorism that this type of approach 

that will provide the grants to help expand the infrastructure, 

build the institutions, and most importantly bring the resources to 

bear to train the people and to give us the leadership that we need 

around the country whether it is in our Federal agencies and our 

military or in our institutions and in private practice all of this is 

critical infrastructure with critical personnel that does make a difference for our country, and so I proudly join Congresswomen Baldwin as we look to have this bill now in its second Congress hopefully pass in this Congress and to be signed into law so that we 

can promote the very important issues of the Veterinary Public 

Health Expansion Act. Mr. Chairman, with that I yield back, and 

I thank you and the committee for your attention to this very important matter. 

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you. The gentlewoman from Wisconsin. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. TAMMY BALDWIN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WISCONSIN 

Ms. BALDWIN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I very much appreciate the fact that you are holding this hearing today. I thank our 

witnesses, and I also appreciate the co-sponsorship of Mr. Pickering. It has been a pleasure to work with you on this bill. I also 

5 

recognize the fact that a number of our colleagues on this committee have taken note of how important this particular piece of 

legislation is and have joined in the co-sponsorship of it. As we will 

hear more during this morning’s testimony of our witnesses veterinarians are truly more than the people who care for our cats and 

dogs, and while I am quite fond of my two cats I am glad to have 

a good veterinarian, but I am also glad that there are veterinarians 

out there who focus on large public health threats. 

The interaction between human health and animal health I very 

clear. It seems like every year we have a new public health threat 

that dominates the newspaper headlines whether it is Avian flu or 

West Nile Virus, Mad Cow Disease, Monkey Pox, or antibiotic resistance. It is clear that there is a great need for integrated animal 

and human health surveillance, diagnostic laboratory systems, and 

delivery of effective health interventions among animal, human, 

and public health professions, and veterinarians are uniquely positioned to view health through the lens of public health impacted to 

understand how human and animal health interact. 

However, as we have heard, we are woefully underprepared to 

meet these public health challenges. Currently there are 86,000 

veterinarians in the United States who are trained in only 28 domestic colleges of veterinary medicine. Veterinarians make up less 

than 1 percent of the public health workforce, yet they play such 

a vital role in protecting the public health. It is estimated that we 

currently have a shortage of 1,500 veterinarians, and as we have 

heard also from previous opening statements this shortage is expected to grow. But this shortage is not for lack of interest. At the 

University of Wisconsin Madison’s Veterinary School they receive 

far more applications than there are spaces available. 

The facilities are designed to accommodate 80 students per class. 

Most recently, there were 1,144 applications for the class of 2011, 

1,144 applicants for 80 spaces. If we don’t address these capacity 

issues soon, we will find ourselves dangerously under prepared and 

ill equipped to deal with future public health threats. H.R. 1232, 

the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act, would establish a competitive grant program to expand capacity at veterinary schools so that we can develop a public health workforce that 

is prepared to work at the interface of human, animal, and environmental health. Mr. Chairman, again thank you for holding this 

hearing and thank you to our expert witnesses for joining us today. 

I yield back my remaining time. 

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you. The gentlewoman from California, Ms. 

Capps. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. LOIS CAPPS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA 

Ms. CAPPS. Thank you, Chairman Pallone. Thank you for holding 

the hearing. I appreciate that our witnesses are here with their expertise, and I don’t think there is going to be a lot of controversy 

about this procedure today. I echo the remarks that have been 

made by my colleagues. We all know, and it is actually a matter 

of public awareness, I believe, that we all will play a role in getting 

the word out that veterinary science is an essential component of 

our public health workforce. Public health veterinarians in conjuncVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:22 Oct 07, 2010 Jkt 037690 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\CWELLS1\HEARINGS\110-81 SCOM1 PsN: JIMC
6 

tion with nurses, doctors, microbiologists, and many others help to 

protect and enhance the health of our nation and the international 

community. It is really a team effort. 

I am very proud to be a co-sponsor of H.R. 1232, the Veterinary 

Public Health Workforce Expansion Act 2007, pleased that it was 

introduced by my colleague, Tammy Baldwin, and for the bipartisan support that it has. This legislation is one of many necessary 

steps we can take to shore up the exceptional public health workforce that our country needs and deserves and is underfunded and 

understaffed in almost every arena, this being one example and a 

very primary one. I am usually the person here speaking about the 

dire shortage of nurses as my colleagues know full well, but unbelievably I have to acknowledge public health veterinarians are even 

in shorter supply, and I know that is going to be the under current 

of the discussion today. 

Public health veterinarians bring critical expertise to disease prevention, bioterrorism preparedness, and food safety. I don’t believe 

the public quite understands the values here, and I just say right 

off the bat that I want to work with our committee because it 

starts in Congress. I don’t know that enough of our colleagues understand the importance of this work and that is one of the roles 

that we can play in the country, and I hope we will do that. Funding will be another aspect of it, I am sure, eventually or as we go 

along. But in this age of ever increasing global population, people 

are becoming more susceptible to zoonotic disease, I don’t think 

again most of the public understands that 75 percent of the new 

diseases that have affected humans in the past 10 years have originated from plants or from animals or animal parts. 

This is astounding, and I think once the public understands this 

they are going to be very interested in supporting the efforts that 

we share here. Public health veterinarians are specifically trained 

to understand and identify diseases in animals and tirelessly work 

to prevent the diseases spread to humans. That is a vital piece in 

global health. If you are going to start at the top of the line or some 

people would prefer to start at the bottom and work up. I just want 

to point out that in my home state of California just last year we 

had an E. coli breakout in our Spinach crop, and that was disastrous to a large part of our economy, terrified a lot of people. We 

should be eating more fresh vegetables and instead people began 

to—they wouldn’t go near the spinach part of the produce. And so 

it was a public health veterinarian that we must all thank who 

helped identify the cause of that particular disease and its manifestation and to control the spread. This is how vital this population is, this workforce. 

With bioterrorism a greater threat than ever before, we are going 

to be relying more and more on public health veterinarians who 

play a crucial role in developing our country’s bioterrorism response plan. This I think some people understand and other people 

need to be educated about. With all the benefits public health veterinarians bring to our public health workforce our society needs 

to make every opportunity, and starting with this one, to support 

their work. H.R. 1232 does that, and I am proud to support it. 

Again, I look forward to our witnesses and yield back. 

7 

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you, and thank you for all your support. I 

think the panel may or may not know that Ms. Capps plays a 

major role here in trying to draw attention to the need—the shortage of health care professionals in so many respect, which is really 

so crucial so thank you. Next, I recognize the gentleman from 

Pennsylvania, Mr. Pitts, and I told Congressman Pitts that I had 

the fortune of going to his district to look at the University of 

Pennsylvania veterinary school farm campus essentially, and it 

was so beautiful just to ride out there. But I also told him that 

there were—obviously Penn is one of the major veterinary schools 

in the country but when I was looking around at the facilities they 

needed work so that was sort of an eye opening to me to see that 

even one of the what I guess is probably one of the top notch 

schools in the country still has a lot of infrastructure needs. I recognize the gentleman. 

Mr. PITTS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am sorry I am late. But 

I look forward to hearing the witnesses today on this very important bill. I will submit my statement for the record. 

DIDN’T SUBMIT STATEMENT 

Mr. PALLONE. And next the gentleman from New York, Mr. 

Towns. 

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Chairman, I will submit my entire statement for 

the record, but let me just make 1 or 2 comments because I am 

anxious to hear from the witnesses. As people travel more and 

carry diseases stemming from animal contact, and as our food supply comes into our ports from foreign sources, we need to insure 

that we are safe and that our food is safe. Veterinarians will assist 

our nation in coping with the 21st century challenges relating to 

food safety and animal disease control, bio security and homeland 

security research on domestic and foreign animal diseases, especially those animal diseases that affect humans. 

I welcome our witnesses, and thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing. I really hope that one thing will come out that we 

will increase the amount of seats for veterinarians because it seems 

to me that that is something that we must do. And I want to salute 

Congresswoman Baldwin for her work in this area, and also Senator Wayne Allard’s efforts as well, and I look forward to working 

with them in terms of making this a reality. On that, I yield back, 

Mr. Chairman. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Towns follows:] 

STATEMENT OF HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman for holding this hearing on, ′′H.R. 1232, Verterinary 

Public Health Workforce Expansion Act of 2007′′, of which I am a co-sponsor. 

I thank Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Chip Pickering for introducing this bill in the House, and Senator Wayne Allard, a veterinarian, who 

first introduced it in the Senate. This bill would amend the public health service 

act to establish a competitive grant program to build capacity in veterinary medical 

education and expand the workforce of veterinarians engaged in public health practice and biomedical research. We must avert an estimated shortage of 15 thousand 

veterinarians over the next 20 years. For the nation’s survival, we must do this. 

As a congressman from the proud 10th Congressional District of New York, I can 

picture from history books, shantytown life in my dear Brooklyn community of the 

Eighteen Hundreds, when many raised chickens, goats, pigs and cows. In 1879, 

Lachlan McLean became the first veterinary inspector appointed in Brooklyn. He 

pushed for veterinarians to be in charge of meat inspection. The New York State 

8 

Veterinary Medical society, which represents more than 3,500 veterinarians in New 

York state, was founded in 1890. Its leaders were the pioneers of modern veterinary 

medicine and were instrumental in introducing a practice act for veterinary medicine into law in 1895, when veterinarians joined physicians as one of the first licensed professions in New York state. 

Today, as people travel more and carry diseases stemming from animal contact, 

and as our food supply comes into our ports from foreign sources, we need to ensure 

that we are safe and that our food is safe. Veterinarians will assist our nation in 

coping with the twenty-first century challenges relating to food safety and animal 

disease control; biosecurity and homeland security; research on domestic and foreign 

animal diseases, especially those animal diseases that affect humans; and more. 

Lastly, we need the resources to ensure the health of our beloved family pets. 

I welcome our witnesses and urge my colleagues support. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

### 

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you. The other gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Murphy. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. TIM MURPHY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Mr. MURPHY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for holding a hearing to recognize the needs of veterinarians. Pennsylvania’s number 1 part of our economy is agriculture and much of that 

is dealing with large animals, of course. One of my counties in my 

district, Washington County, is a state leader, for example, in 

sheep and lamb production. And I know that the issues involved 

with the veterinarians and making sure we have enough of them 

who are well trained continues to be a concern as well as others 

who work in the health care sector of veterinary medicine. Often 

times when we think of veterinarians we think of those who take 

care of our dogs and our parakeets, et cetera, but let us not forget 

they are an essential part of our economy, and they also are really 

an essential part of other issues that we have dealt with in this 

committee and that has to do with such things as food and toxic 

substances that come through that affects our animals. They are 

often times the front line of identifying what it is that is affecting 

our animals so I am pleased we are working on these issues that 

deal with training and education our veterinarians in the future. 

Often times in America we only know of veterinarians from what 

we have seen about James Harriet who has made something of a 

hero of everybody who is out there slogging through the mud in the 

barn as well as seeing our dogs and cats in their offices but let us 

not forget that they are a front line of an essential part of our economy and certainly that way in Pennsylvania. So I thank you for 

pointing out their needs for their future, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you. I think that concludes our opening 

statements by members of the subcommittee so we will now turn 

to the panel. Let me welcome all of you and introduce you. I will 

start on my left with Dr.—I was told it was Pappaioanou. Did I get 

that right? 

Dr. PAPPAIOANOU. Yes. 

Mr. PALLONE. That was easy because we have a Congressman 

Capuano. She is Executive Director of the Association of American 

Veterinary Medical Colleges based here in Washington. Next we 

have Dr. Ron DeHaven, who is Executive Vice President of the 

9 

American Veterinary Medical Association from Illinois. And then 

we have Dr. Alan Kelly, who is Dean Emeritus of the University 

of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. It has you down as 

New Bolton Center, which is where I went so thank you for taking 

me there. And then we have Dr. Sheila Allen, who is Dean of the 

College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. 

The way we work it, we have 5-minute opening statements. 

Those become part of the record. And each witness may in the discretion of the committee submit additional brief and pertinent 

statements in writing for inclusion in the record, and we may also 

ask you to do some follow-up written responses to our questions. 

So I will start now with Dr. Pappaioanou for a 5-minute opening 

statement. 

STATEMENT OF MARGUERITE PAPPAIOANOU, D.V.M., M.P.V.M., 

PH.D, D.A.C.V.P.M., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASSOCIATION OF 

AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL COLLEGES (AAVMC), 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 

Dr. PAPPAIOANOU. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, and members of 

the committee. First of all, we would like to very much thank Congresswoman Baldwin, Congressman Pickering, and Senator Allard 

for leadership on this issue and the support by many of you as expressed in your opening comments. I am Marguerite Pappaioanou, 

Executive Director of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, the organization that coordinates the national and 

international affairs of all 28 U.S. Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, 

9 Departments of Veterinary Science, 8 Departments of Comparative Medicine, and 14 other veterinary medical institutions in the 

U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia. 

Prior to joining AAVCM November 1, I was Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, and for 

211⁄2 years from 1983 through 2004, I was an epidemiologist on 

staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a veterinary officer in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health 

Service. I am pleased to provide information on the roles of veterinarians in protecting public health and food safety and the importance of the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act to 

strengthen our national security and preparedness. Strong links 

exist between human and animal health, 61 percent of over 1,400 

infectious disease organisms that cause illness in humans, 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases and 5 out of 6 CDC category 

A bioterrorism agents are transmissible from animals to people. 

In the U.S. there are an estimated 85,000 veterinarians compared to 800,000 physicians. Graduating veterinarians swear that 

they will use their scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of 

society through the promotion of public health and the advancement of medical knowledge in addition to the health and well being 

of animals. Approximately 2,800 veterinarians serve in public 

health and food safety positions across Federal, state, and local 

government and academia. Across CDC centers approximately 85 

veterinarians on staff and in leadership positions conduct investigations of infectious, food borne and environmental disease outbreaks in the United States and internationally. 

10 

They conduct surveillance for diseases, conditions spanning the 

spectrum of public health threats. They design, implement, and 

evaluate disease and injury prevention and control, and emergency 

and bioterrorism preparedness and response programs. They address public health threats emanating from the illegal importation 

of exotic animals. They conduct public health research. Veterinarians at CDC and FDA monitor and track the magnitude and trends 

of food borne infections in people, the source of infections, and antimicrobial resistance of food borne pathogens. Following the 9/11 attacks in New York City CDC veterinarians conducted human disease and injury surveillance in local hospitals. In the 2002 anthrax 

bioterrorism attacks CDC veterinarians conducted surveillance for 

new human cases of anthrax across affected cities and states. 

A veterinarian from EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, led 

environmental clean-up efforts right here on Capitol Hill. Approximately 85 veterinarians at NIH oversee the health and welfare 

care research for research animals providing expertise in laboratory animal medicine, surgery, toxicology, and comparative pathology to insure the highest quality research. At FDA approximately 

115 veterinarians are engaged in policy planning, oversight of new 

animal drug reviews and approvals, development of screening tests 

for drug residues in meat and milk, and research. Currently, two 

of FDA’s five centers are veterinarians. At EPA approximately 20 

veterinarians address adverse health effects of air, drinking water, 

and terrestrial pollution and environmental contamination, emergency preparedness and response needs. 

Many of the 500 veterinarians in the Army and Air Force are in 

positions protecting human health of our troops. In the Department 

of Homeland Security approximately 10 veterinarians serve in the 

Medical Affairs Office and in FEMA on issues of national emergency preparedness and response. At the state level veterinarians 

oversee infectious, chronic, and environmental disease and injury 

surveillance, prevention, control, and emergency preparedness programs. Veterinary diagnosticians and pathologists at veterinary diagnostic laboratories test for causes of disease outbreaks. At universities veterinarians conduct biomedical research and develop 

animal models for the study of human and animal diseases. 

Veterinarians offer expertise in comparative medicine having 

studied diseases of multiple species. They receive significant 

amounts of training on diseases that are transmitted from animals 

to humans. They are taught population based approaches to disease prevention and control. Their unique training brings important expertise to the U.S. public health workforce. Many more are 

needed to confront today’s multi-faceted challenges to public health 

and food safety. Thank you for this opportunity to discuss how veterinarians protect human health and the importance of the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act to strengthen our national security and preparedness. I would be pleased to respond to 

any question. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Pappaioanou follows:] 

TESTIMONY OF DR. MARGUERITE PAPPAIOANOU

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee. I am Marguerite 

Pappaioanou, Executive Director of the Association of American Veterinary Colleges, 

11 

or AAVMC, the organization that represents the future of veterinary medicine. 

AAVMC coordinates the national and international affairs of all 28 US Colleges of 

Veterinary Medicine, 9 Departments of Veterinary Science, 8 Departments of Comparative Medicine, and 14 other veterinary medical institutions in the US, Canada, 

the UK, and Australia. Prior to joining AAVMC this past November 1, 2007, I was 

Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, with 

a joint appointment in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota from 2005-2007, conducting research on the human-animal interface of avian 

influenza, and for 21 ° years spanning the period from 1983 through 2004, I was 

as an epidemiologist at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a 

Commissioned Officer of the US Public Health Service. At CDC I began as an epidemic intelligence service officer and later as staff, conducted research on malaria 

prevention and control in Africa, designed and led implementation of disease surveillance for HIV infections in the US, guided and supported the development of the 

US Guide to Community Preventive Services, and as Associate Director of Science 

and Policy in CDC’s Office of Global Health, coordinated CDC’s research and programs in Africa and Asia. I received my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from 

Michigan State University in 1972, Masters of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and 

Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of California, Davis, in 1976 and 

1982, respectively, and am a diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. 

As a veterinarian having worked directly in public health for almost my entire 

career, I am pleased to provide the Committee with information on the essential role 

that veterinarians play in protecting public health and the necessity for the HR 

1232, the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act. 

Although the public at large understands the important role that veterinarians 

play in promoting and protecting the health of our companion animals, largely 

unappreciated are the essential functions and roles that veterinarians play in protecting human health, and in promoting and protecting our national security and 

emergency preparedness and response capabilities at international, national, state, 

and local levels across both the public and private sectors. 

Strong links exist between human and animal health- including shared susceptibility across human, domestic animals, and wildlife species to hundreds of infectious 

disease agents that are spread though direct contact, contamination of food and 

water, insect vectors, or by intentional introduction such as a bioterrorist attack. Increased opportunities for transmission of infectious diseases from animals to humans are resulting from growing close contact between humans and their companion animals, human populations moving into peri-urban and rural environments 

as our human population grows in size, rapid travel and movement of people and 

their animals, changes in climate affecting insects and small mammals that can 

spread disease, globalization of our food supply, and changes in our food production 

systems. 

In 2003, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a report, ′′Microbial Threats to 

Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response′′. That report made several recommendations for preventing and controlling microbial threats to human health, including the recommendation that human and animal health work more closely together. The IOM described thirteen factors involved in the emergence of infectious 

diseases, with a majority comprising agricultural or animal health issues that inevitably affect human health. The report also recognized the growing threat from insect-borne and zoonotic diseases-those diseases transmitted from animals to humans. The IOM used the example of the SARS outbreak in 2003 to demonstrate the 

close ties between U.S. and global health, and that controlling infectious diseases 

would require global awareness and a focus on the overlap of animal and human 

health. 

Approximately 61% of over 1400 infectious disease organisms that cause illness 

in humans, and 75% of emerging infectious diseases, such as West Nile Virus, avian 

influenza, monkeypox, E Coli O157, bovine tuberculosis among others-are caused by 

organisms transmissible from animals to people. These zoonotic infectious diseases 

cause many outbreaks nationally and internationally each year, with significant adverse health outcomes. In addition, the highest-priority bioterrorism agents listed by 

CDC (CDC Category A agents) are those that pose a risk to national security because they can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person, result 

in high mortality rates, and have the potential for major public health impact. Five 

of the six CDC Category A bioterrorism agents are zoonotic. Recently, the American 

Veterinary Medical Association and American Medical Association have created a 

′′One Health′′ Task Force, which is identifying ways that human and veterinary 

health professionals can work together to effectively address threats to human, animal, and ecosystem health. The report of this Task Force is expected in the spring 

12 

of 2008. There are approximately 85,000 veterinarians in the US. When compared 

to 2 million nurses, and 800,000 physicians, we are a small but important and effective profession. At graduation veterinarians swear they will use their scientific 

knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal 

health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of livestock resources, the 

promotion of public health and the advancement of medical knowledge. 

The public is most familiar with veterinarians working as private clinical practitioners, keeping companion animals healthy. Largely unrecognized are the contributions of approximately 2,800 veterinarians working in formal public health positions 

across federal, state, and local levels of government and academia, with their primary responsibility to promote and protect public health. 

At the Federal level, veterinarians as epidemiologists, researchers, program managers, laboratory scientists, risk assessment analysts, and higher level administrative and management positions, carry out important public health missions across 

several Departments of the Executive Branch. They provide leadership, oversight, 

and manpower for human and animal health emerging infectious and environmental 

disease and injury prevention and control programs, food safety and security, bioand chemical terrorism preparedness, environmental health programs, emergency 

preparedness and response, biomedical research, laboratory animal medicine, and 

more. 

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Department of Health 

and Human Services, approximately 3 to 5 veterinarians serve as laboratory animal 

veterinarians who are critical to the conduct of high quality biomedical and public 

health research. However, there are approximately 85 veterinarians (comprising approximately 1% of the CDC workforce) who are working on staff and in leadership 

positions, as epidemiologists in CDC’s infectious disease and environmental health 

programs and centers. They lead teams or work as team members in the conduct 

of infectious and zoonotic disease, insect or vector borne disease, foodborne disease, 

and environmental disease outbreak investigations, locally in collaboration with 

state health officials, regionally, nationally and internationally. Veterinarians conduct disease surveillance for diseases and conditions that span the spectrum of public health threats, and they design, implement, and evaluate disease prevention and 

control programs. They are leaders and core team members in programs that prevent and control emerging infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS, malaria, vaccine 

preventable diseases, protect environments and ecosystems, prevent and control 

chronic diseases and injuries, prepare for, detect, and or respond to bio- and agroterrorism attacks, advance medical science through research. Since 1950, over 250 

veterinarians have graduated from CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. Veterinarians also participate in CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory Fellowship 

Program. 

During the SARS outbreak, monkey pox outbreak, and highly pathogenic H5N1 

avian influenza outbreaks in 2003, veterinarians at CDC were critical members of 

CDC’s international response teams, working as a team with physician and laboratory scientist colleagues, contributing their special training and perspective to 

achieving the mission. 

In the United States, there are an estimated 76 million cases of foodborne disease 

annually, with 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. Dr. Ron DeHaven will be 

addressing the role of over a thousand veterinarians who are looking after our food 

safety in positions with the Animal Plan Health Inspection and Food Safety Inspection Services of the US Department of Agriculture. Veterinarians at CDC lead and 

or participate in multi-state foodborne outbreak investigations. In addition, veterinarians and colleagues at CDC and FDA, in collaboration with USDA and State 

health departments however, have developed and oversee FoodNet-an active sentinel surveillance system in the U.S., which helps to identify the magnitude and 

trends of foodborne infections in people, the source of foodborne infections so effective interventions can be undertaken, and serves as a platform for the conduct of 

more detailed investigations of risk factors for foodborne diseases and effective 

interventions to prevent them. Veterinarians at CDC, FDA, and USDA, in collaboration with selected State health departments, have established another key sentinel 

surveillance system called the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System 

(NARMS) for Enteric Bacteria. Veterinarians involved with NARMS monitor and report on antimicrobial resistance of six different species of bacteria that are obtained 

from human infections, to 17 different antimicrobials, in 27 sites, covering 158 million people in the U.S-or 56% of the U.S. population. Veterinarians at USDA and 

FDA coordinate and conduct testing for antimicrobial resistance of salmonella, 

Campylobacter, and E. coli isolates from infections in a number of food and companion animals. Veterinarians involved with NARMS are providing important inforVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:22 Oct 07, 2010 Jkt 037690 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\CWELLS1\HEARINGS\110-81 SCOM1 PsN: JIMC
13 

mation to inform medical and veterinary practitioners on the status of antibiotic resistance to aid in making judicious decisions on the use of antibiotics. 

Following the 9/11 attacks in New York City, the public heard about the wonderful care that veterinarians administered to working dogs that were members of the 

rescue operation. Less publicized were the efforts of several CDC veterinarians leading the conduct of human disease and injury surveillance programs in local hospitals during the emergency. Another example of the public health roles that veterinarians play should hit a little closer to home for some members of Congress. In 

the anthrax attacks of 2001 which targeted members of Congress right here on Capitol Hill, a veterinarian from EPA led environmental cleanup efforts on Capitol Hill. 

In addition, other veterinarians at CDC led the surveillance effort for new cases 

across affected cities and states during that event. 

Moving to the National Institutes of Health, there are approximately 85 veterinarians working to ensure the highest quality research, by overseeing the health and 

welfare care for research animals, and providing expertise in laboratory animal 

medicine and surgery, toxicology, and comparative pathology. In addition, there are 

veterinarians at NIH who work as scientists and program directors in disease research programs. 

At the Food and Drug Administration, approximately 115 veterinarians in the 

Center for Veterinary Medicine and the Center for Food Safety and Nutrition work 

as epidemiologists and veterinary pathologists involved with policy, planning, budgeting, oversight of new animal drug reviews and approvals, surveillance for animal 

health /adverse drug reactions and antibiotic resistance. Veterinarians approve safe 

and effective products for animals, enforce applicable provisions of the Federal Food, 

Drug, and Cosmetic Act & other authorities, conduct animal drug review, oversee 

compliance-related actions and post-approval monitoring, oversee animal feed safety, and conduct surveillance for antibiotic resistance of food borne bacteria. Veterinarians at FDA develop screening tests for drug residues in meat and milk, and conduct research to support animal drug approvals. Dr. Steve Sundloff, a veterinarian 

at FDA recently was named Director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Nutrition. 

As of 2004, there were approximately 20 veterinarians working in public and environmental health at the Environmental Protection Agency. At EPA, veterinarians 

conduct risk assessments of and evaluate Superfund sites, Eco-toxicological pathogens and or contaminants such as metals, antimicrobials, sludge borne, water and 

food borne pathogens. They conduct policy analysis and development, lead or participate in emergency preparedness and response and environmental contamination, 

conduct research on the adverse health effects of air, drinking water and terrestrial 

pollution, and address environmental issues related to intensive or concentrated animal feeding operations. 

In the Department of Homeland Security, approximately 10 veterinarians work in 

leadership and staff positions in the Medical Affairs Office and FEMA, contributing 

toward national emergency preparedness and response goals and objectives.In the 

Department of Defense, approximately 500 veterinarians are protecting and promoting human health and welfare in the Army and Air Force, working as public 

health officers, on medical intelligence, deployment health support, decontamination 

of chemical/biological/ radiological casualties, and food safety as well as clinical veterinarians who care for working animals. At the State level, veterinarians serve as 

State Epidemiologists, State Public Health Veterinarians, State Veterinarians, and 

State Wildlife Veterinarians (and Deputies and Assistants to these positions). State 

Epidemiologists oversee disease prevention and control across acute infectious disease, chronic disease, environmental, occupational, and injury programs. State Public Health Veterinarians oversee and conduct surveillance for diseases that are 

transmitted from animals to people, such as rabies, West Nile Virus, and others, 

and prevention and control programs for zoonotic and food safety programs, and coordinate bio- and chemical bioterrorism preparedness. State Veterinarians oversee 

livestock and poultry health /disease prevention and control programs, health issues 

involving exotic and domesticated animals, animal care and welfare, and more. 

State Wildlife Veterinarians oversee wildlife health and conservation programs, 

which are gaining increasing importance with the recognition of wildlife health in 

the epidemiology and ecology of emerging zoonotic infectious diseases, which threaten human health and which appear to be increasing in occurrence. 

Increasingly, veterinarians at the state and local levels are playing critical roles 

in leading the development and implementation of plans for emergency preparedness and response. Veterinary colleges and their diagnostic laboratories, with faculty and staff (including veterinary diagnosticians and pathologists) are playing an 

important role in surveillance, laboratory testing including providing surge capacity 

for human laboratories, education and training, and research. Following Hurricane 

Katrina and in preparation for Hurricane Rita, at the request of Brazos County 

14 

Health Department and the Texas State Health Department, Faculty at the College 

of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M partnered with medical colleagues to convert 

their large animal veterinary hospital into a facility to care for several hundred 

′′special needs′′ patients from Houston and Galveston. By the evening Hurricane 

Rita arrived, the hospital was emptied of animals and sanitized, and ultimately 650 

people including patients, families and caregivers were housed in the facility. 

At universities as well as in health agencies, veterinarians dedicated to the conduct of public health and biomedical research are needed to develop new public 

health interventions, to research the factors that influence the ability of viruses and 

bacteria to both animals and people, to study our immune systems which can make 

us more susceptible to diseases, to develop vaccines, to develop animal models of 

human diseases to study disease processes better and to identify new treatments for 

humans and animals. 

In the roles and contributions I have described, veterinarians either lead or work 

as part of multidisciplinary teams. In their training, veterinarians receive the same 

basic science preparation as physicians and other allied health professions; however, 

they study anatomy, physiology, and diseases of multiple species, making them comparative medicine specialists. 

Veterinarians are keen observers as their patients cannot offer information on 

symptoms they are feeling. Veterinarians receive extensive training in diseases of 

animals caused by parasites, bacteria and viruses and that are transmissible to people. Veterinarians are trained to consider the environment in which disease processes are taking place, and to expect the unexpected. In food animal medicine, they 

are taught population-based approaches to disease prevention, control, and health 

promotion, and in food systems that bring our food to the tables from our farms. 

In general, Veterinarians are taught to see the world as an ecosystem, in contrast 

to the education of the allied health professions which tends to target individuals 

alone. The training and perspective of veterinarians are unique and add value to 

the public health team. When veterinarians are not present to address a public 

health outcome, that lost perspective can present added challenges in arriving at effective public health solutions. And with an increasing human population, increasingly mobile human and animal populations, global climate change, globalization of 

our food supply, changing human behaviors with regard to animals that that increase human exposure to zoonotic pathogens, and changing microbes, the need for 

and benefit of veterinary knowledge, perspective, and expertise to contribute toward 

solving an increasing number of global health challenges, will only increase into the 

future. Many more public health veterinarians than the 2,800 currently serving 

(with many due to retire in the near future), are needed to take on the growing 

number of challenges to human, animal, and ecosystem health. 

The Institute of Medicine has defined public health as ′′what we, as a society, do 

collectively to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy′′. Veterinarians 

are an essential component of the US public health workforce. However, the profession and numbers of veterinarians working in public health are extremely small 

compared to the other health professions. Many more veterinarians are needed to 

keep up with the increasing human population accompanied by increasing numbers 

of companion and food animals, as well as to ensure sufficient numbers of veterinarians working in the public health areas I have described. With yearly graduating 

classes similar in size to those of 35 years ago, the profession cannot meet societal 

needs and fulfill its obligations to promote and protect public health. 

Our nation’s Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, located in 26 of our 50 States, are 

working with their universities and states to graduate the greatest number of new 

veterinarians possible with the facilities and infrastructure that exist, but many 

more veterinarians are needed to ensure our national food safety, preparedness, and 

security, to prevent, detect and control outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, 

and to fulfill our responsibilities for national preparedness and response. Our national security and preparedness are at stake. Federal support, as described in the 

Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act (HR 1232) is essential to complement public and private support provided at state and local levels to meet the 

national need. 

Thank you for this opportunity to discuss the important roles that veterinarians 

play in protecting our public’s health, in assuring our national security, our national 

veterinary public health workforce shortage, and efforts needed to address the national need. I would be pleased to respond to any questions. 

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you. Dr. DeHaven. 

15 

STATEMENT OF W. RON DEHAVEN, D.V.M., M.B.A., EXECUTIVE 

VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (AVMA), SCHAUMBURG, IL 

Dr. DEHAVEN. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, 

thank you for giving the American Veterinary Medical Association 

the opportunity to speak in support of the Veterinary Public Health 

Workforce Expansion Act. I am Dr. Ron DeHaven, the executive 

vice president of the AVMA. Previously, I served for nearly 3 decades with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service most recently as its administrator. In 

that capacity, I was responsible for protection of U.S. agriculture 

and natural resources from pest and disease. The AVMA represents some 76,000 veterinarians who are involved in every aspect 

of our veterinarian medical profession. Our members insure the 

well being of our companion animals. The protect human health 

through the control of zoonotic disease. 

They conduct research into animal and human health and they 

help preserve endangered species. Many of our AVMA members are 

also working to insure the health of our nation’s livestock, and in 

doing so ultimately enjoy the safety of our food supply. These veterinarians have their work cut out for them. According to the CDC 

food borne diseases such as salmonella and E. coli are responsible 

for an estimated 76 million human illnesses, over 300,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths each year just in the United States. 

Food safety and the risk of illness from eating contaminated food 

remain on the collective conscience of our nation’s public, and we 

just saw on January 12 the recall of nearly 200,000 pounds of 

ground beef over concern about E. coli contamination. 

As our nation continues to rely on protein-based diets the number of food animals that will be needed to meet that demand will 

grown proportionate with our population. The U.S. Census Bureau 

projects that the United States population will reach 335 million by 

the year 2020 and in fact 413 million or 419 million by the year 

2050. This population growth will put increased demands on our 

food supply system as well as on those who are responsible for its 

safety and quality. Veterinarians have and will continue to play a 

critical role in that regard. Animals and humans are inextricably 

linked when it comes to disease. Veterinarians have been working 

on diseases of public health significance such as tuberculosis and 

brucellosis for over 100 years. 

SARS, monkeypox, West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza, bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE 

are just a few of the more recent examples of animal diseases that 

have had tremendous implications for public health. Veterinarians 

have played a pivotal role in the diagnosis, treatment, control, and 

surveillance for each one of those diseases. This connection between 

animals and humans is truly an issue of one health, that is, as goes 

the health of our nation’s animals so goes the health of our nation’s 

people. As guardians of our nation’s food supply veterinarians will 

be the first medical professionals to diagnose and contain diseases 

in animals that may spread to humans. Unfortunately, the number 

of veterinarians available to serve society in these critically important roles does not meet that demand. 

16 

A recent study conducted at Kansas State University projects 

this shortage to worsen by 4 to 5 percent each year into the foreseeable future. Reports indicate that 50 percent of the U.S. Public 

Health Service veterinary medical officers are now eligible to retire. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is already underserved 

by veterinarians is projecting huge deficits in the future in that 

same regard. A survey of the AVMA membership shows that the 

mean age of food supply veterinarians is approximately 50 years of 

age and so many of them are nearing retirement. At the heart of 

the issue is the fact that our country’s veterinary medical colleges 

lack the capacity to produce more food supply and public health 

veterinarians. Our nation’s 28 accredited veterinary colleges are 

currently at or above capacity graduating approximately 2,500 veterinarians each year. 

According to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

veterinary medicine ranked 9th among the 30 fastest growing occupations for the years 2006 to 2016. It is estimated that jobs for veterinarians will increase by 35 percent in the next several years, 

and it is our collective responsibility to insure that there are veterinarians to fill those positions. Fiscal concerns are also playing an 

important role in this shortage. Only 26 states currently cover the 

lion’s share of the cost of producing veterinarians who protect the 

entire nation’s food supply and public health. There has also been 

a dearth of Federal funding for veterinary colleges. According to a 

2005 report by the National Research Council the last major Federal funding program to support construction of facilities for colleges of veterinary medicine ended more than 40 years ago. 

Out country’s ability to protect its food supply and its capacity 

for zoonotic and food animal disease research is insufficient and 

these realities could have devastating long-term consequences. 

Food animal production adds approximately $124 billion annually 

to the U.S. economy. A single highly infectious disease that is not 

rapidly diagnosed could destroy much of our nation’s livestock resulting in shortages, not just dietary protein, but also result in 

huge economic losses. In addition, the CDC estimates that 80 percent of the bio-terror agents are infectious diseases that spread 

from animals to humans. Failure to quickly diagnose these diseases 

in animals before they are spread to humans could have huge consequences and catastrophic loss of human life. 

There are ways of addressing this problem, and we need look no 

further than the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion 

Act. This act would create a competitive grants program designed 

to produce more veterinarians working in public health practice 

and enhance our capacity for research on diseases that threaten 

both public health and food safety. Mr. Chairman, the AVMA fully 

supports the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act. 

We thank you for holding this hearing and thank you for providing 

the AVMA the opportunity to address the subcommittee. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. DeHaven follows:] 

TESTIMONY OF W. RON DEHAVEN

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for giving the American Veterinary Medical Association the opportunity to speak in support of the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act. 

17 

I am Dr. Ron DeHaven, executive vice president of the AVMA. Prior to joining 

the AVMA, I served nearly three decades with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, most recently as APHIS administrator. In that capacity, I was responsible for the protection of U.S. agriculture 

and natural resources from exotic pests and diseases, administering the Animal 

Welfare Act, and carrying out wildlife damage management activities. 

The American Veterinary Medical Association represents more than 76,000 American veterinarians engaged in every aspect of veterinary medical science. Among 

other things, we ensure the well-being of our nation’s companion animals, we protect human health through the control of zoonotic disease, we conduct research into 

animal and human health, and we help preserve endangered species. Many of us 

are working to ensure the health of our nation’s livestock, and ultimately our food 

supply. 

As you can see, veterinarians do much more than take care of our beloved family 

pets. They also play a vital role in preserving our country’s public health by protecting humans from diseases spread by animals and assuring the safety of our food, 

from poultry to pork and beef. 

These veterinarians have their work cut out for them. According to the Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention, foodborne diseases, such as Salmonella and E. 

coli, are responsible for an estimated 76 million human illnesses, 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths each year in the United States. Food safety and the 

risk of illness from eating contaminated food items remain on the nation’s collective 

conscience, as we just saw January 12 with the recall of nearly 200,000 pounds of 

ground beef because of concerns of E. coli contamination. 

As our nation continues to rely on protein-based diets, the number of food animals 

needed to meet that need will rise proportionately with population growth. The U.S. 

Census Bureau projects that the United States population will grow to more than 

335 million by 2020 and to more than 419 million by 2050. This population growth 

will put increased demands on our food supply system and those who are responsible for its safety and quality. Veterinarians will play a critical role in that regard. 

Animals and humans are inextricably linked when it comes to disease. Veterinarians have been working on diseases of pubic health significance, such as tuberculosis and brucellosis, for more than 100 years. Severe acute respiratory syndrome 

(SARS), monkeypox, West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, avian influenza and bovine 

spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) are more recent examples of zoonotic diseases 

that have had significant public health implications. Veterinarians have played a 

pivotal role in the identification, diagnosis, treatment, control and surveillance of 

each one of these diseases.This connection between animals and humans is truly an 

issue of ′′one health.′′ That is, as goes the health of our nation’s animals, so goes 

the health of its people. 

The veterinarians working in food safety and public health can be found in both 

the public and private sectors. At the Centers for Disease Control, veterinarians 

work in areas such as bioterrorism, environmental health, viral and bacterial diseases, and food safety. At the Food and Drug Administration, veterinarians working 

in the Center for Veterinary Medicine help regulate the manufacture and distribution of food additives and drugs that are given to animals, including those animals 

from which human foods are derived. At the United States Department of Agriculture, veterinarians work in food safety and animal health. In the private sector, 

food supply veterinarians are involved in keeping food animals healthy and their environments free of contaminants. 

Simply put, all of these veterinarians serve as guardians of our nation’s food supply, and they will be the first medical professionals to diagnose and contain diseases 

in animals that may spread to humans. 

Unfortunately, the number of veterinarians available to serve society in these key 

roles does not meet demand. A recent study conducted at Kansas State University 

projects this shortage to worsen by 4 percent to 5 percent annually for the next several years. This shortage is being felt across the board. Reports indicate that 50 percent of U.S. Public Health Service veterinary medical officers are now eligible for 

retirement. The USDA, which is already underserved, is predicting a shortfall of 

several hundred veterinarians. A survey of the AVMA membership shows that the 

mean age of food supply veterinarians is around 50 and nearing retirement, placing 

an even greater burden on the profession and our society. 

Added to the mix is the fact that the country’s veterinary colleges lack the capacity to produce more food supply and public health veterinarians. Our nation’s 28 accredited veterinary colleges are currently at or above capacity, graduating about 

2,600 veterinarians each year. According to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics, veterinary medicine ranked 9th in the list of the 30 fastest-growing occupations for 2006 through 2016. It is estimated that jobs for veterinarians will inVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:22 Oct 07, 2010 Jkt 037690 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\CWELLS1\HEARINGS\110-81 SCOM1 PsN: JIMC
18 

crease by 35 percent in the next several years. And it is our joint responsibility to 

fill them. 

While some of that growth will be met with the addition of new graduates into 

the workforce, there are national concerns that many jobs in food supply and public 

health will go unfilled. There are about 8,850 U.S. veterinarians working in the food 

animal field. Around the turn of the 20th Century, virtually every veterinarian was 

a food animal veterinarian. Today, only about 17 percent of veterinarians work in 

food supply and more than 70 percent of veterinarians work with companion animals. This trend is likely to continue as veterinary school graduates enter the workforce. 

Apart from the workforce issues I have highlighted, fiscal concerns also are playing a role in this shortage. Only 27 states currently share the cost of producing the 

veterinarians who protect the entire nation’s food supply and public health. There 

has also been a dearth of federal funding for veterinary colleges. According to a 2005 

report by the National Research Council of The National Academies, titled, ′′Critical 

Needs for Research in Veterinary Medicine,′′ the last major federal program to support construction of facilities for colleges of veterinary medicine ended more than 

40 years ago. 

Our country’s ability to protect its food supply, and its capacity for zoonotic and 

food animal disease research is insufficient, and these realities could have devastating consequences. Food animal production generates about $124 billion annually to the U.S. economy. A single, highly infectious disease that is not rapidly diagnosed could destroy 

much of our livestock, resulting in shortages of dietary proteins and significant economic losses. In addition, the CDC estimates that 80 percent of potential bioterror 

agents are infectious diseases that spread from animals to humans. Failure to diagnose these diseases in animals before their spread to humans could result in a catastrophic loss of human life. 

Additionally, as food animal operations become more centralized, there is even 

greater risk of a single disease spreading throughout an entire herd that could easily number in the tens of thousands, prompting an outbreak of enormous proportion 

that would require veterinarians’ talent, experience and expertise to contain and 

eliminate. 

There are ways of addressing this problem, however, and we need look no further 

the promise behind the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act. This Act 

would create a competitive grants program designed to produce more veterinarians 

working in public health practice and enhance our capacity for research on diseases 

that threaten public health and food safety. 

Mr. Chairman, the AVMA fully supports the Veterinary Public Health Workforce 

Expansion Act. 

The shortage of veterinarians working in food supply and public health positions 

poses a threat to our country’s security. Though the federal budget is strained, national investment in our veterinary colleges and our capacity in zoonotic and food 

animal disease research is necessary. The potential costs of failing to make this investment far exceed the cost of the investment itself. 

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you. Dean Kelly. 

STATEMENT OF ALAN KELLY, B.V.SC., M.R.C.V.S., PH.D., DEAN 

EMERITUS, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, SCHOOL OF 

VETERINARY MEDICINE, NEW BOLTON CENTER, KENNETT 

SQUARE, PA 

Mr. KELLY. Chairman Pallone and members of the Health Subcommittee, thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify before you today. I would like to take the opportunity of thanking 

Congressman Baldwin and Congressman Pickering for the support 

of the bill. My name is Dr. Alan Kelly. For 12 years I was dean 

of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and I have been on the faculty at Penn for 45 years. Let me 

start by saying that the veterinary profession provides an extraordinary and important link between agriculture and human medicine. Our testimony presents the case for increasing enrollment in 

the nation’s 28 veterinary schools and is largely driven by public 

19 

concern over the safety of the food supply and the security from 

diseases that are communicable from animals to humans such as 

avian influenza and SARS. 

In my written testimony, I describe the background of the Workforce Expansion Act, starting with the Veterinary Medical Education Act of 1966 that recognized the need to upgrade aging facilities to increase enrollment in the nation’s veterinary schools. As a 

result, enrollment increased by approximately 1,000 students per 

year between 1963 and 1983. Since that time enrollment in U.S. 

veterinary schools has remained more or less flat at about 2,400 

students per year. As a result, veterinary schools are very difficult 

to get into. For example, at Penn this year we received 1,500 applicants for 112 places, and now 1,200 American students are obtaining veterinary education overseas and this number is growing. 

This number represents more than 10 percent of the total enrollment in veterinary schools in this country. Veterinary public health 

and safety begins on the farm. For the past 30 years American livestock and poultry production has undergone dramatic changes with 

consolidation and integration of the poultry and swine industries 

into large production units that use less veterinary services per 

animal than in more traditional farming. The dairy industry is undergoing the same trend. Small dairy farms are going out of business and the number of herds of over 1,000 milking cows is increasing rapidly. With the increased size of herds the amount of veterinary services is declining, and it is increasingly difficult for farm 

animal veterinarians to survive in the rural setting. 

As a consequence of this shift, large areas of the United States 

are now without veterinary coverage. The decrease threatens to undermine the nation’s capacity to protect animal and human health 

and to respond to potential emergencies should they arise. As my 

colleagues have described veterinarians employed in multiple ways 

in the Federal and state governments to insure the safety of the 

food supply from farm to fork as well as the safety of imported 

foods and live animals. Veterinary schools are not able to meet 

present needs, and let me give you some examples. The average 

age of USDA Food Safety Inspection Service veterinarians is 54 

and approximately 500 USDA veterinarians are expected to leave 

in the next 5 years. 

Even with replacement of retirees the veterinary services division of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service project a 

shortfall of 298 veterinary offices by 2011. The Center of Disease 

Control and Prevention estimates the needs of 200 specially trained 

veterinarians in the next decade. The U.S. Public Health Service 

has more than 50 unfilled positions and 50 percent of the present 

U.S. Public Health Service veterinarians are now eligible for retirement. To maintain its current defective strength the U.S. Army 

Veterinary Corps which has responsibility for the safety of food 

supplies to the military requires an additional 45 new veterinarians each year. There is an acute shortage of lab animal veterinarians which threatens research activity not only in the pharmaceutical industry but also in health-related research in the nation’s 

universe of these research institutions. 

Veterinary pathologists are critically important to the U.S. drug 

and chemical industries and to diagnostic labs. In the U.S.A. today 

20 

there are 1,300 board-certified veterinary pathologists. Currently 

there are 90 open positions and in the next decade this number is 

projected to increase to 300 to 500 and fill positions because of increased demand. To meet these needs projections are that the U.S. 

veterinary schools must graduate over 420 more veterinary students per year. In addition, because of the sophistication of clinical 

and research training now required slots for 219 more graduate 

students are needed. The schools need additional faculty and funding for capital improvements to be able to fulfill these needs. 

Draining and basic research must also be expanded especially in 

immunology and infectious disease research and food safety. 

Infectious diseases research is of special importance for veterinary schools since most of the new and emerging infectious diseases that have appeared in the last 15 years and affect humans 

have come from reservoirs of infection in wildlife. As people intrude 

further and further into wildlife areas and as unregulated live animal markets and the sale of bush-meat continues, more and more 

of these diseases will emerge to threaten the global community. It 

is here that a partnership must be forged between human and veterinary public health as one health to control the spread of these 

infections and to sustain the safety of Americans and their food 

supply. Thank you for your attention. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Kelly follows:] 

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Mr. PALLONE. Thank you, Dean Kelly. Dr. Allen. 

STATEMENT OF SHEILA W. ALLEN, D.V.M., M.S., DEAN, COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, 

ATHENS, GA 

Dr. ALLEN. Good morning, Chairman Pallone, Congressman 

Deal, and members of the subcommittee. It has been my privilege 

to be involved in educating future veterinarians at the University 

of Georgia for 27 years. My testimony will focus on what veterinary 

colleges are doing to address the manpower shortage and why our 

Federal government should assume some of the responsibility for 

addressing this critical shortage. The demand for enrollment in 

U.S. colleges remains high and the interest among students in public service and food animal medicine is strong. Young people pay 

attention to the news and they recognize the threat to human 

health that is posed by the prevalence of animal pathogens and 

would like to help meet this challenge. We are admitting students 

with interest in public health, nurturing that interest while they 

are in school and providing incentives such as scholarships and 

loan forgiveness programs. 

As a result of these and other incentives veterinary graduates 

are entering careers in which the shortage exists. At the University 

of Georgia, more students entered public health, food animal practice, and biomedical research careers in last year’s graduating class 

than ever before. Although we are pleased with this progress the 

harsh reality is that it will not come close to filling the need. We 

must increase enrollment in our veterinary colleges. Feasibility 

studies conclude that it is cost prohibitive to establish new colleges 

of veterinary medicine. As a result, many of the states that do not 

have a veterinary college partner with an existing college in another state to provide a veterinary education for their citizens. Examples include Nebraska’s partnership with Iowa State University, 

and the relationship between South Carolina, West Virginia, and 

Delaware with the University of Georgia. 

Each college’s annual cost of educating a veterinary student 

ranges between $55,000 and $65,000 per year per student. With 

the average yearly tuition paid by the in state student being 15,000 

and the out of state student 29,000 the balance must be paid by 

the state supporting these institutions at an average state appropriation of over $20 million per year. The average annual cost assumed by each student to attend veterinary school including tuition, books, and living expenses is $37,000 for in-state residents 

and $53,000 for out-of-state residents. It is no wonder that the average educational indebtedness after completing the 4-year program is over $100,000. We cannot rely exclusively on tuition increases to pay the escalating costs of operating a veterinary college 

much less expanding them. 

To do so would exacerbate the student’s debt burden and further 

diminish the number of graduates who can afford to enter underserved careers in public service, biomedical research, and rural 

practice. State governments continue to pay the recurring expenses 

involved in running a veterinary college, all of which are escalating 

rapidly. What we need help with is construction to expand our colleges. We need larger classrooms, larger instructional laboratories, 

34 

and expansion of all the support areas that increased enrollment 

requires. Most U.S. colleges have major capital expansion projects 

proposed to their state legislatures. Even if all were fully funded, 

we cannot increase our enrollments sufficiently to meet the needs 

of the future. Our Federal government has recognized its responsibility to protect the health of the nation by establishing the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, diagnostic laboratories 

that are dedicated to the disease surveillance of animal populations. 

The proposed National Bio and Agroterrorism Defense Facility or 

NBAF is another example of our Federal government assuming the 

responsibility of protecting our nation’s animal resources. Unless 

we work together to expand the capacity for training more veterinarians there simply won’t be enough qualified veterinary professionals to work in these federally funded facilities. What we are 

proposing is a competitive grants program that will administer 

awards to institutions that are devoted to graduating more veterinarians who will enter fields of veterinary medicine that are of 

vital importance to the health of our nation. The institution’s 

awarded funds will be expected to document that the enrollment 

increase resulted in more graduates entering fields of public health 

importance. We expect to be held accountable for demonstrating 

this desired outcome. 

I hope we have explained the vital role that veterinarians play 

in keeping the interface between people and animals a healthy one. 

Whether that interface is the milk we drink, the eggs and meat 

that we eat or the wildlife in our forests veterinarians play an important role in insuring that animal disease are monitored for, detected earlier, and hopefully prevented so they don’t threaten the 

well being of people. We believe that increasing the number of veterinarians devoted to this work is vitally important and that the 

U.S. government should contribute towards this national priority. 

I thank you for your time and attention, and I also thank Congresswoman Baldwin, Congressman Pickering, and Senator Allard 

for their leadership in this effort. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Allen follows:] 

TESTIMONY OF SHEILA W. ALLEN

Good morning Congressman Pallone, Ranking Member Deal, and members of the 

subcommittee. I am Dr. Sheila Allen, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine of 

the University of Georgia. It has been my privilege to be involved in training future 

veterinarians at the University of Georgia for 27 years. I thank you and the subcommittee for the opportunity to speak to you today about the Veterinary Public 

Health Workforce Expansion Act. This legislation is vital not only to the future of 

the veterinary profession, but to the health of our nation. My colleagues Drs. 

DeHaven and Pappaioanou have outlined the many critical roles that veterinarians 

play in protecting people from diseases transmissible from animals to man, whether 

that transmission occurs by direct contact (such as highly pathogenic avian influenza), from ingestion of contaminated food or water (such as E. coli 0157 or salmonella), or through insect borne means (such as West Nile virus). They and Dr. 

Kelly also have described the workforce shortage that already exists in the federal 

agencies devoted to this important work. My testimony will focus on why the federal 

government should assume some of the responsibility for expanding the capacity of 

US Colleges of Veterinary Medicine to help address this critical shortage. 

There are currently 28 Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in the United States, supported by 26 states. The states that do not have a College of Veterinary Medicine 

have contracts with existing colleges to provide a veterinary education for their citiVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:22 Oct 07, 2010 Jkt 037690 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\CWELLS1\HEARINGS\110-81 SCOM1 PsN: JIMC
35 

zens. Many of these states have conducted feasibility studies to determine what it 

would take to establish a College of Veterinary Medicine, and all have concluded 

that it is cost prohibitive. It is much more cost effective to expand existing colleges 

to meet the demand for enrollment and the market for veterinary graduates than 

to build new schools. Many of the states that do not have a College of Veterinary 

Medicine, yet have a high demand for enrollment among its citizens, have chosen 

to partner with an existing College in another state to provide funds to allow those 

Colleges to expand. Examples of such partnerships include Nebraska’s partnership 

with Iowa State University, and the relationship between South Carolina and the 

University of Georgia. 

The demand for enrollment in Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in the US remains 

high. The interest among our students in entering careers in public health, biomedical research, and food animal medicine is strong. Young people pay attention 

to the news and recognize the threat to human health that is posed by the prevalence of animal pathogens, and would like to be part of the veterinary workforce 

that will meet this challenge. Colleges of Veterinary Medicine are trying to address 

the shortage by admitting students with these interests, nurturing that interest 

while in veterinary school, and providing incentives such as scholarships and loan 

forgiveness programs. Students who pursue a masters of public health or doctoral 

research degree programs are awarded stipends to minimize the added cost of obtaining such training. As a result of these and other incentives, veterinary graduates are entering these careers in which a shortage exists. At the University of 

Georgia, more students entered public health, food animal practice, and biomedical 

research careers from last year’s graduating class than ever before. Although we are 

pleased with this progress, the harsh reality is that it will not come close to filling 

the need. In order to preserve the health of our nation and its animal resources, 

we must have an overall expansion of enrollment in our veterinary colleges. 

Some of the most severe shortages in veterinary workforce are in those fields devoted to protecting public health: food safety and food animal practice, public health 

officials, and biomedical research. The federal government has recognized its responsibility to protect the health of the nation by establishing the National Animal 

Health Laboratory Network, which is a network of diagnostic laboratories dedicated 

to the disease surveillance of animal populations. The proposed National Bio and 

Agroterrorism Defense Facility (NBAF) is another example of our federal government assuming the responsibility of protecting our nation’s animal resources. Ladies 

and gentlemen, unless we work together to expand the capacity for training more 

veterinarians, there won’t be enough qualified veterinary professionals to work in 

these federally funded facilities. 

The states that have Colleges of Veterinary Medicine have invested heavily to 

educate veterinarians who will serve society, and will continue to do so. The average 

annual operating budget for a veterinary college is $56 million. Colleges of Veterinary Medicine estimate the annual cost of educating a veterinary student to be 

$55,000 to $65,000 per year per student. With the average yearly tuition paid by 

the in-state student being $15,000, and the out of state tuition average being 

$29,000, the balance is paid by the states supporting these institutions, at an average state appropriation of $20 million per year. 

The average annual cost assumed by each student to attend veterinary school, including tuition, books, and living expenses is $37,000 for in-state residents, and 

$53,000 for out of state residents. It is no wonder that the average educational indebtedness after completing the four-year program is over $100,000. We cannot rely 

exclusively on tuition increases to pay the escalating costs of operating a veterinary 

college, much less expanding them. To do so would exacerbate the students’ debt 

burden, further diminishing the number of graduates who can afford to enter underserved careers in public service, biomedical research, and rural practice for which 

the financial compensation is less than in suburban private practice and specialized 

veterinary medicine. 

State governments will continue to assume the ongoing costs of paying faculty and 

staff, facility maintenance and utilities, and all the other recurring expenses involved in running a veterinary college, all of which are escalating rapidly. We also 

will continue to award scholarships and administer loan forgiveness programs for 

students who pursue careers of great need in our profession. We will continue to 

place emphasis on admitting students who demonstrate a desire to pursue underserved career paths. What we need help with is capital construction to expand our 

colleges. We need larger classrooms, larger instructional laboratories, and an expansion of all the student support areas an increased enrollment requires (locker rooms, 

computer labs etc.). Most US Colleges have major capital expansion projects proposed to their state legislatures. Even if all were fully funded, we cannot expand 

our enrollments sufficiently to meet the needs of the future. 

36 

House Resolution 1232 seeks federal assistance to expand the infrastructure in 

existing Colleges of Veterinary Medicine so that more students can be trained to 

enter careers that are vital to our nation’s health: animal and human. What we are 

proposing is a competitive grants program. The grants will be awarded to institutions that are devoted to graduating veterinarians who will enter fields of veterinary 

medicine that are of vital importance to the health of our animal resources, our environment, and ultimately our citizens. The institutions awarded funds will be expected to document that the enrollment expansion resulted in more graduates entering fields of public health importance. We expect to be held accountable for demonstrating this desired outcome. 

I hope we have explained the vital role that veterinarians play in keeping the 

interface between people and animals a healthy one. Whether that interface is the 

milk we drink, the eggs and meat we eat, or the birds in our backyard bird feeder, 

veterinarians play an important role in ensuring that animal diseases are monitored 

for, detected, and hopefully prevented so they don’t threaten the well-being of people. We believe that increasing the number of veterinarians devoted to this work 

is vitally important, and that the US government should contribute toward this national priority. 

Thank you for your time and attention. I’ll be happy to respond to any questions 

you may have. 

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you, Dr. Allen, and thank all of you. We 

will have questions for the panel now, and I will start out with myself and I am going to start out with Dean Kelly. When you took 

me for the tour of the New Bolton Center it was painfully obvious 

that there were many infrastructure needs there. I had no idea 

how many buildings, you know, how much in terms of resources it 

takes to just maintain the farm campus or whatever it is, and of 

course I am looking at U Penn, which I assume is probably, I could 

be wrong, but I assume is probably one of the wealthiest of the veterinary schools, and yet there were so many needs. But of course 

the opposite side of that is we have all kinds of needs here, you 

know, whether it is doctors, veterinarians, nurses, whatever, so I 

wanted to ask a couple of—a few questions that sort of maybe are 

in the negative, if you will. 

You talked about how there is an increasing number of overseas 

schools and veterinarians being educated there. One could sort of 

assume that so what, OK, let them be educated overseas. It doesn’t 

cost us much. Let the states continue to pay the cost or maybe we 

can get wealthy benefactors to contribute, and then there is the 

other issue about why do veterinarians have to perform these public health functions. Maybe they can be performed by people that 

aren’t educated to that degree. Why do we need the Federal government to step in and why do we need to have more veterinarians 

for these public health purposes. 

So I am asking that in the negative. If you want to respond to 

all that because these are some of the questions that come up. 

Mr. KELLY. So far as the students going overseas, one of the 

characteristics of veterinary education is that it is by states and it 

revolves around the type of agriculture there is in a state so the 

type—Pennsylvania, for example, we have a large dairy industry so 

a lot of our large animal education is focused on the dairy industry. 

In Texas it is the beef industry. If you go overseas, you are looking 

at a totally different type of agriculture and actually a totally different type of education that they will get which is not necessarily 

relevant to this country, and they certainly are not going to get the 

type of education in public health that we would recommend. 

37 

Now so far as why veterinarians are concerned, let me give you 

one example, and it focuses on Britain in relation to the Foot and 

Mouth disease outbreak that occurred there a few years ago where 

epidemiologists who were not veterinarians designed the plan for 

eradicating the disease. Because they didn’t understand the disease 

and the type of transmission that that particular strain of Foot and 

Mouth disease, it is probable that at least 5 million animals that 

did not need to be destroyed were destroyed, and that is where you 

get the figure of $10 million. As a veterinarian, you have to understand the interplay between disease and the animal population and 

how it should be best handled, how you would best limit the spread 

of a disease. 

These are the reasons why knowledge of animal health, animal 

physiology actually, probably the most important thing is understanding animal physiology. That is the training that a veterinarian has and other people don’t have. It is critically important 

and that is understanding the issues that we are confronted with. 

Mr. PALLONE. I know Dr. Allen mentioned the state support but 

what about those other 2 aspects? In other words, why not just let 

the states continue to support this, why does the Federal government have to be involved? And what about just getting the big private benefactors. You know, there are all these people out there 

that love animals. They can just give us millions of dollars. I don’t 

really believe this is happening but I want a response. 

Mr. KELLY. Well, so far as private benefactors are concerned, 

they are interested, and you saw New Bolton Center and we have 

a large equine clinic, a lot of that is supported by private benefactors who are interested in the horse. They have money and they 

want to provide the best quality care for horses. They are not interested in public health, and you will not be successful in raising 

funds from the private sector for public health. It just won’t happen, I can tell you. So far as the states are concerned Pennsylvania, Congressman Pitts has been very generous to us when he 

was in the state legislature in supporting us to the extent that they 

are able. We are a private institution. We don’t get capital funds 

from the state. 

And I think in large measure the states have done as much as 

they possibly can but these are very large numbers and the state 

budgets are not able to go further. 

Mr. PALLONE. And I assume from what Dr. Allen said that creating new veterinary schools would even be more expensive than 

using this money for infrastructure needs to create more public 

health purposes at the existing ones, I am a little prejudiced because being from New Jersey, I have always thought it would be 

great for Rutgers to have a veterinary school, and I would still like 

to see that some day but I just wanted your response. I assume it 

is just a lot more expensive to build new schools as opposed to create slots at existing ones. 

Dr. ALLEN. That is correct. A feasibility study was done by the 

State of Connecticut for the very reason that you suggested. They 

wanted to have a veterinary school there and they quickly realized 

that the capital construction costs and the annual operating budget 

were not something that the state was prepared to embark upon, 

and so they are looking for other schools to expand their enrollVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:22 Oct 07, 2010 Jkt 037690 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\CWELLS1\HEARINGS\110-81 SCOM1 PsN: JIMC
38 

ment and accept their students. The State of South Carolina is 

doing the same thing. They are growing rapidly and have asked the 

University of Georgia to expand the enrollment of South Carolina 

citizens in our college because they recognize that it is cost prohibitive for them to develop their own veterinary college. 

Mr. PALLONE. OK. Thank you. Mr. Deal. 

Mr. DEAL. Thank you. This bill that we are considering is an 

amendment to the Public Health Safety Act and that has part to 

do with jurisdiction of this committee and part the focus of what 

the legislation directs the capital money that would be authorized 

to be used for, namely, aimed at public health service roles by veterinarians. One of the concerns that people have expressed is how 

does a college of veterinary medicine segment capital funds for the 

purpose of giving emphasis to the public health arena. And, Dr. 

Allen, I would ask you that question because you mentioned that 

your number of graduates last year at the University of Georgia 

vet school that were going into this area that this bill is designed 

to emphasize increased. How would you convince somebody in a 

competitive grant environment that you were doing that and what 

percent of those graduates last year went into this area? 

Dr. ALLEN. Well, a number of things have been done at the University of Georgia and other veterinary schools to increase the 

number of students or graduates who are entering these fields. For 

example, we started a food animal veterinarian incentive program, 

and what this does is identifies student in high school who have 

a demonstrated interest in food animal food safety questions and 

give them early admission to veterinary college as they are 

mentored through their undergraduate career. That is one example. The number of colleges that have developed combined DVM, 

MPH or Master’s of Public Health degree programs has gone from 

6 to 16 in recent years because the colleges recognize that it is important to encourage students to enter these careers. 

At Georgia we provide scholarships for those students to diminish the financial burden for them to enter these careers so—— 

Mr. DEAL. Does it give preference to this area of the public 

health sector or is it across the board? 

Dr. ALLEN. Yes, sir, it does. And what has resulted is we have 

more students going in these areas, and I think those institutions 

that are awarded this competitive grants program must be held accountable to show that the overall increase in the expansion of 

their facility will result in more students going in these careers. 

Mr. DEAL. What percentage of your last year’s graduates went in 

this area? 

Dr. ALLEN. We had over 10 percent last year go in public health, 

lab animal, these types careers, but we had more students go into 

large animal and mixed animal practice than ever before. So we 

are very encouraged by that. 

Mr. DEAL. Pardon the intended pun but there is concern that we 

don’t want this to all go to the dogs. 

Dr. ALLEN. Understood. 

Mr. DEAL. The University of Georgia not included in that. That 

literally is one of the concerns obviously is to focus the training of 

veterinarians in the areas that we are concerned with, and in that 

regard, Dr. DeHaven, as you are aware there is a companion, if you 

39 

would, provision in the Farm Bill, as I understand, that is in conference now that comes from a little different jurisdictional point 

of view. What is your opinion as to whether we need this with this 

emphasis from public health as a companion to or as an augmentation to what may come out of the Farm Bill? Would you comment 

on that, please? 

Dr. DEHAVEN. Yes, Congressman Deal, thank you for the question. I think it is one that needs to be clarified. While we are not 

responsible for it both the AVMA and the AVMC, the Association 

of Veterinary Medical Colleges, support the Farm Bill language, 

and we think that is because the Agriculture Committees recognize 

that indeed there is a shortage of food animal practitioners, those 

veterinarians in the field that provide the hands-on care to our production food animals. So while there is certainly a connection or an 

apparent overlap you can’t separate food animal practice from food 

safety and public health. They are inextricably linked as we have 

already talked about. It would be most likely those food animal 

practitioners in the field that would be the first to see and diagnose 

a new or emerging disease or foreign animal disease in our nation’s 

livestock, so the two are very closely linked. 

We want to make sure that the language in the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act and the Farm Bill language 

would compliment each other as opposed to any conflict or duplication of effort so while we recognize again this inextricable linkage 

between production farm animal practice and public health veterinary medicine, we would be anxious to work with the committee 

to insure that there is not unnecessary duplication or conflict between the 2 pieces of legislation. 

Mr. DEAL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will yield back. 

Ms. BALDWIN [presiding]. I will now recognize myself for questioning. Dr. Poppaioanou, we know now with the global economy 

there is a lot more movement of people traveling across the globe 

and public health threats don’t adhere to national borders. I am 

wondering how the U.S. Public Health Veterinary Workforce compares to that of other nations and how we play a role in identifying 

and monitoring zoonotic diseases abroad. Does our veterinary 

shortage affect our capacity to assist other nations in conducting 

surveillance? 

Dr. PAPPAIOANOU. Thank you very much for that question, Congresswoman Baldwin. I think the Centers for Disease Control and 

other agencies in the Public Health Service and the Department of 

Health and Human Services are a model really for other countries. 

Several other countries in Europe have actually formed like CDC 

agencies because of the very special role that CDC and its sister 

agencies play in the United States. And veterinarians, and they see 

the role that veterinarians play actually working side by side with 

physicians, with nurses, with statisticians as part of the public 

health team in conducting food borne and outbreak investigations, 

other zoonotic disease outbreaks, the surveillance that you have 

mentioned actually working in disease prevention and control, the 

CDC veterinarians actually have been a part of our nation’s international response teams on the SARS, monkeypox, and Avian highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza outbreaks working as part of 

the WHO multi-national teams that were sent out to the field. 

40 

Our veterinarians also have worked, for example, they led surveillance efforts at the Olympics in Greece. I don’t know for certain 

but I wouldn’t be surprised that they are right there working and 

planning, helping the Chinese, so they really do play a role. Other 

nations have looked to what occurs in the United States, the training that we get. Veterinarian participation in the EIS program at 

CDC, right now I think it is close to 250 veterinarians have graduated from that program, and so we really are showing the way of 

one health, if you will, of really linking human and animal health. 

Ms. BALDWIN. Continuing on this vein, I know that in Congress 

we are aware that we ought to act in preventative ways but often 

times we don’t act until the crisis is upon us so I am going to give 

you all a chance to maybe scare us a little bit into thinking about 

how important it is to take early steps. But focusing in on the pandemic flu, Avian flu, this subcommittee and in fact the full Energy 

and Commerce Committee has been told by experts who have appeared before us before that it is a matter not if but when we will 

see some sort of pandemic occur. And animal surveillance clearly 

will be critical to early identification of a more dangerous strain of 

H5N1. The earlier identified the strain the better our chances of 

containing an outbreak and beginning production of a pandemic 

vaccine, and we know that veterinarians are integral to these surveillance efforts. 

If you could just talk to our subcommittee a little bit more about 

the role of public health veterinarians, the role that they will play 

in the diagnosis of Avian flu, and if a highly pathogenic Avian influenza were introduced into the U.S. how would veterinarians 

work with other public health officials to help control the disease, 

minimize loss of life, and economic loss in this country? 

Dr. PAPPAIOANOU. I will begin, I guess. There are a number of 

ways that public health veterinarians can make a huge impact in 

this area. The true prevention of a pandemic influenza comes with 

the prevention and control of Avian influenza in poultry. That is 

truly where the prevention of a pandemic is period. And recently 

just as an example about a year and a half ago I was in Vietnam 

actually working on a joint Avian influenza project that the University of Minnesota was embarking upon with Vietnam, and they 

asked if University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine 

could work with their veterinary school to develop curricula and 

training on Avian influenza because the veterinarians in Vietnam 

actually received very little training on poultry disease and health, 

and so this was a way, and many countries in Asia actually are 

looking to partner with U.S. institutions to develop this type of 

training which would build their capacity to detect the disease 

early and to control it at that level. 

Should the unfortunate, I mean the tragedy of a pandemic influenza occur it is veterinarians really in the U.S. Public Health Service at the various agencies working with their medical colleagues 

and its counterparts in the colleges working on disease surveillance, of providing education and training, that can provide search 

capacity for laboratories that exist, and very much engage in biomedical research that actually would lead to the development of a 

vaccine or the understanding of how immunity works or how it 

even crosses species. Texas A&M actually post Hurricane Katrina 

41 

converted their large animal clinic into facilities to house people 

who had lost their homes, and so it was tremendous to see how 

they could then—that partnership could really kick in on emergency preparedness and response. I will stop there. 

Dr. DEHAVEN. Congresswoman Baldwin, if I could add to that 

bringing a decidedly agricultural perspective to the table since that 

is my background, I think that H5N1 highly pathogenic Avian influenza is probably the current poster child for this whole issue of 

the convergence of animal health, public health, and as you pointed 

out environmental health as well. There is really a 3-prong approach with regard to H5N1 from an animal disease perspective, 

and this still very much is an animal disease and the better we can 

control it in animals the less likely it is to mutate into that all 

feared pandemic virus. But the 3 prongs would be exclusion, let us 

keep it out. The second is early detection. If it arrives, let us find 

it very quickly, and then if we do find it rapid response to contain 

and eradicate it. 

There is ongoing surveillance in wild bird carried out by veterinarians involved in wild bird surveillance, in fact, the largest wildlife surveillance program of its kind anywhere in the world. There 

was ongoing surveillance by veterinarians involved in food animal 

practice in the industry who test virtually every flock of birds before they go to slaughter in the United States. In terms of laboratory capacity, Dr. Allen mentioned the National Animal Laboratory 

Network that we have so we have a network of laboratories that 

are all trained to do this diagnostic work, and then we have had 

in place and have certainly improved the overall planning for a response mechanism so while the efforts that I am talking about are 

certainly directed towards the disease in animals again if it finds 

its way here we would want to eliminate it in animals, and in 

doing so we protect the health of our public. 

Ms. BALDWIN. Next I would recognize Mr. Murphy from Pennsylvania for questions. 

Mr. MURPHY. Thank you, Madam Chairman, and thank you for 

introducing this bill. This is an important issue. I wish we had 

more veterinary schools in Pennsylvania, but we do have a great 

one there. I want to ask about a couple things about this and extend what we were just discussing with Avian influenza for the 

panel, and you have expanded some things that vets can do with 

regard to disease surveillance, education, training and research, 

serge capacity, et cetera. Do you see now that in the public health 

sector and in CDC for anybody on the panel that this is something 

that currently we need more veterinarians working on these issues 

now because of the potential what is occurring or are we invested 

enough, anybody? Yes, Doctor. 

Dr. PAPPAIOANOU. Very briefly, the short answer is yes, and you 

could probably clone each veterinarian working in public health 10 

to 20 times over. 

Mr. MURPHY. We are not into cloning people. 

Dr. PAPPAIOANOU. Well, to multiply them 10 to 20 times over to 

really have sufficient numbers to actually really engage with our 

human health counterparts on solving these problems. Because we 

are such a small profession right now, and so few veterinarians are 

actually working in public health, each public health veterinarian 

42 

is actually a rare commodity, and therefore right now there has to 

be very strategic thinking really in terms of where they work because there are insufficient numbers to be there as part of the public health team across these areas. 

Mr. MURPHY. Do other members agree with the same thing? Let 

me ask this. I think, Dr. Allen, you had mentioned about the tuition costs in particular that someone may graduate with over 

$100,000 in debt, similar to medical school as well. On this bill, I 

think it authorizes about $300 million if I am not mistaken in capital costs, which is good and helps with a lot of the necessary facilities. Does it do enough to take care of tuition costs? 

Dr. ALLEN. This bill will not address the tuition costs. There is 

a separate law, the National Veterinary Medical Services Act, that 

does help with a loan forgiveness program for graduates who go in 

underserved areas of veterinary medicine. What this bill will do is 

allow us to expand the capacity of our veterinary colleges so that 

we can admit more students. There may be some marginal return 

kind of economies of scale, if you will, that will help with the cost 

of per student but I don’t expect that this bill will impact the tuition rates in our existing schools. 

Mr. MURPHY. Do we have a number of what this bill will do to 

actually expand the number of veterinarian students across the 

country? Does anybody know? 

Mr. KELLY. The intent is that it would increase the enrollment 

by 423 students per year. That would be the objective of this bill. 

Mr. MURPHY. And do we know in terms of numbers what the 

need is nationwide? 

Mr. KELLY. It is very difficult to come up with exactly the need. 

There is a study by the National Academy that was trying to look 

at that but we are not far enough along to give you numbers on 

that. We will happily give them to you when we have them. 

Mr. MURPHY. Thank you. And with regard to some loan forgiveness programs is that an area we need to be expanding to? We 

talked a great deal about the public health sector. It is extremely 

important, the E. coli, the Avian influenza, a whole host of things. 

Do we have enough there in terms of the breadth and depth of our 

loan forgiveness programs now to take care of that, Dr. DeHaven? 

Dr. DEHAVEN. Congressman Murphy, thank you for bringing 

that up. We think the two bills in fact are very inextricably linked. 

The National Veterinary Medical Services Act has in fact been 

passed but it is authorized legislation and so far has only been 

funded at a level of about $1 million. We would anticipate to really 

have an impact and get veterinarians involved in food animal or 

public health practice to the areas where they are needed most 

that we would like to see funding in the level of $50 million to really have an impact. So this bill, the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act, if you will, would increase the number of students going in the pipeline where the National Veterinary Medical 

Services Act, which authorizing legislation is already in place, with 

adequate funding would help us get those students, those graduates, to the locations where they are most needed, the underserved areas. 

Mr. MURPHY. When you say underserved areas, are you talking 

about geographically underserved areas or are you talking about 

43 

things, for example, people work for CDC or work for the military 

as employees of those branches of government that can have loan 

forgiveness while they put their time in. For example, every year 

they work they get a certain amount of loan forgiveness, is that 

what you would foresee? 

Dr. DEHAVEN. Actually both in that there are underserved areas 

within government and in private practice in terms of disciplines, 

if you will, but the bill is primarily intended to put graduates in 

geographical locations where there is the greatest need recognizing 

that foreign animal disease of human health implications could be 

introduced anywhere in the country if we don’t have an adequate 

number of veterinarians in those locations then it is going to be a 

longer period of time before that disease is diagnosed. 

Mr. MURPHY. If I could squeeze in one more brief question, I just 

want to know what this also does for undergraduate training as 

well. There is a graduate level of doctors of veterinary medicine. Do 

you see this bill, the Baldwin-Pickering bill, of expanding also undergraduate level training? 

Dr. ALLEN. This bill is primarily intended to increase the capacity for the professional DVM program. Now there are a lot of students who are pre-vet, if you will, at the undergraduate level, who 

are disappointed by not being able to get into veterinary college so 

indirectly it will impact those students who are in animal and 

dairy science programs or what have you throughout the United 

States so indirectly it will increase the number of students who are 

able to attain admission to veterinary school. 

Mr. MURPHY. Thank you very much, and thank you, Madam 

Chairman. I would love to be a co-sponsor of the bill. 

Ms. BALDWIN. Excellent. We will add you. Next I would recognize 

Ms. Capps from California. 

Ms. CAPPS. Thank you, and I want to thank you again for the 

bill and for this hearing for our subcommittee because I have 

learned so much and I realize I already felt like I knew some 

things about health care and I didn’t know a lot about this. And 

I am extrapolating that to my colleagues and then to the rest of 

us that you are really providing a valuable service here for us 

today. This is going to—there are a limited number of questions we 

can ask and so some of this might seem repetitive but I think a 

good case can be made to the public about Avian flu and that 

threat because people kind of understand what it is. And I know 

that, Dr. Kelly, we have been working on ways to prepare for an 

outbreak of Avian flu, and I want to look at what you have done 

in Pennsylvania, that Penn has been working with your state’s Department of Agriculture to implement a statewide Avian flu surveillance program. Other states, Minnesota, I think has, but some 

states have really lagged in this area. And this partnership is 

something I am interested in. This probably falls outside the range 

of what the bill is. We are talking about a broader thing, but I 

want to understand more about how our veterinary schools are constrained in their ability to conduct surveillance, testing and training for infectious diseases. Is it because of limited funds strictly or 

are there some other things? I want to see if 1232 would help the 

public health community in ways that maybe I don’t understand 

yet. 

44 

Mr. KELLY. Well, we certainly need to do more research on Avian 

influenza and ways in which we can limit the spread in animal facilities what we do is GIS lapping of the poultry facilities in Pennsylvania. That has come about because we have had repeated outbreaks of Avian influenza in Pennsylvania and other states have 

lagged simply because they haven’t had the experience. There is 

much more we can do in terms of understanding the populations 

of poultry in the state and how we would control a disease should 

it arise, and that needs to be expanded across the country. 

Ms. CAPPS. I guess what I am getting at is I come from California. If you got all this research that you are compiling there and 

the first case or a bunch of cases happen in another state how good 

are we—and other people can jump into this too. I just think it is 

an interesting place. Right where we are today, do we have that 

structure in place and what do we do. 

Dr. ALLEN. Thank you for that question. At the University of 

Georgia we have a unit called the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, and the purpose of this unit which has 4 faculty, 2 of whom are veterinarians, is to conduct disease surveillance of wildlife through a 15-state region. There are similar units 

elsewhere in the country so to answer your question there are individuals who are funded for this purpose but each state typically 

does not have their own simply because, A, there is not funding for 

it and, B, there aren’t really enough veterinarians in this area 

right now to provide the manpower. 

Ms. CAPPS. So this bill will help, maybe indirectly, but maybe we 

can educate ourselves well enough that we will say, now we need 

to do this because there is more that needs to be done. I guess I 

have been so focused on shortages of nurses, I just see so many corollaries. Our public health workforce is really short—and the fact 

that you are in Georgia and CDC is there, is there a role there too? 

Dr. ALLEN. Absolutely. The CDC has a program that allows our 

veterinary students to come to their facility for training, and it also 

helps with their recruiting effort to get more veterinarians in the 

public health arena. 

Mr. CAPPS. Somebody else might want to jump in. I am not going 

to go to my other question. I find this very fascinating, and this 

piece of it we haven’t talked about yet, I don’t think. 

Dr. DEHAVEN. Congresswoman Capps, thank you for the opportunity to add to that and again coming from an agricultural background there has been a—again I think Avian influenza is the perfect poster child of how we can work together cooperatively to develop programs that integrate public health and animal health. Dr. 

Kelly or Dr. Allen mentioned the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, which is a consortium of over 50 laboratories at the 

state diagnostic university diagnostic level that now have the capacity to do diagnostic testing on a number of diseases including 

highly pathogenic Avian influenza. 

Ms. CAPPS. Let me interject. Is the Federal government a partner 

with you in that? 

Dr. DEHAVEN. Indeed. It is a partnership between Federal government who oversees and administers the network and then it is 

the state laboratories that actually do the testing and much of that 

testing is done at the request of the affected industry so we at this 

45 

point have virtually 100 percent surveillance on every commercial 

flock of birds. There are many states that have live bird markets 

where birds are brought from multiple locations for resale and you 

couldn’t design a better way to spread disease but we have surveillance at those live bird markets as well. And so that partnership, 

I think, is working very well between the industry, the state diagnostic laboratories, and the state departments of agriculture who 

have response plans in places as well as these surveillance programs in place, so there is I think a very good cooperative effort 

there. 

One of the limiting factors though is the veterinarians that we 

have to participate in all of those activities, and ultimately it has 

to be those that work—either veterinarians or those that are working directly under the supervision of a veterinarian who have the 

oversight and make sure that we have all of our bases covered. 

Ms. CAPPS. I certainly can understand that from a public health 

nurse point of view because in the shortcuts that we want to take 

in cutting funds we try to think that a non-professional or a different kind of professional person can understand that, and just as 

you mentioned earlier if you don’t have that basic veterinary 

science which some other countries and other places might, we got 

to keep the quality really high as you are saying, and we need 

more veterinarians at the table of the interdisciplinary groups that 

are doing that. Thank you. I think I have gone over but this is very 

interesting. 

Ms. BALDWIN. Next I recognize Mr. Pitts for questions. 

Mr. PITTS. Thank you, Madam Chairman. And it is a particular 

delight to welcome Dean Kelly and the panel here and to have 

heard your testimony. I had the privilege of working with the dean 

at New Bolton Center, which is in my district, for many years 

when I was in the state legislature. It is the, as I don’t know if you 

said, the only vet school in Pennsylvania, and one of the premier 

veterinarian institutions in the United States. And with agriculture 

being so important in Pennsylvania, it plays a very key role in 

keeping ag number one. I know a few years ago you were at the 

forefront of catching the Avian flu epidemic in the ag poultry population. 

Dean Kelly, you mention in your testimony the new methods of 

livestock and poultry and wildlife methods that must be developed 

that require research and translation into the field. Could you just 

elaborate, does the university receive faculty grants to do research 

from Federal agencies? What types of grants are awarded on these 

issues? 

Mr. KELLY. We receive funds from the National Institute of 

Health. This would entirely be for diseases of animals that have 

relevance to human health. We receive funds much less from the 

USDA for various aspects of production agriculture. When we are 

talking about surveillance and new methods we don’t have those 

resources. We need to find these resources because this has to be 

the future in surveillance of the livestock and poultry populations 

across the country. I think this is critically needed. There was one 

state grant that was given about 3 years ago but it is fairly limited 

funding, as you know, in those agencies. So we need funds because 

46 

we have to really invent a new system for surveillance of livestock 

and poultry across the country. 

Mr. PITTS. And there is a need for more faculty to be hired. 

Mr. KELLY. Yes. 

Mr. PITTS. H.R. 1232 is designed to fund, I think, construction 

and capital costs, not training for advance research or faculty. Do 

you believe that that is a shortcoming in the bill or how would 

you—— 

Mr. KELLY. In more advanced training typically a graduate student will work in the laboratory of a faculty so if you increase the 

laboratory space you increase the capacity to do advance training. 

There are funds in there for I think it is 290 post-doctoral students 

because we need much more specialization and much more sophisticated training in so many areas that are relevant to veterinary 

medicine. 

Mr. PITTS. Dr. Allen, you wanted to add something. 

Dr. ALLEN. Yes. I appreciate being able to respond to that question. We regard it as the state’s responsibility and the colleges’ responsibility for faculty positions. The University of Georgia recently 

allocated three new faculty positions for infectious disease research 

specifically. So this bill does not—has nothing to do with faculty 

positions. The states that are awarded these grants will be for infrastructure expansion. When we expand our enrollment, we recognize we are going to have to increase the number of faculty and 

staff to keep our faculty to student ratio appropriate to have a good 

quality education but we recognize that as the state’s responsibility. 

Mr. PITTS. And you heard the dean mention the $7 billion endowment. I know people are mumbling and questioning about the 

sources of funding. I know when we were in the state legislature 

we helped with capital costs at New Bolton, but would you expand 

a little bit about what is done with endowment money and how 

various pots and phases of funds are used to expand facilities and 

operations? 

Mr. KELLY. Endowments typically don’t provide funds for facilities. Endowments typically would be for an endowed professorship 

in a particular area that is of interest to the donor. So the endowment is overwhelming focused on faculty particularly in specific 

areas. In clinical veterinary medicine we get endowments in companion animal veterinary medicine and in equine veterinary medicine. Basic sciences there is no endowed professorships, and in public health I don’t think we have a single one. So it is very focused. 

It doesn’t cover the whole of the needs of the veterinary school. It 

is important sources of funding no doubt but it is not going to take 

care of public health needs, I can assure you. 

Mr. PITTS. Would those who give have the opportunity to require 

that you spend it in certain ways? For instance, I know with large 

animals out at New Bolton and the horse industry, the racing industry, you are required to spend money in certain ways without 

a doubt, is that correct? 

Mr. KELLY. That is exactly correct, Congressman. Yes. 

Mr. PITTS. Dr. Allen. 

Dr. ALLEN. Endowments that are receive the typical spending 

limit will be 5 percent of that endowment so even if someone were 

47 

to give you a million dollar gift it is only going you $50,000 amount 

of money annually that you can spend. And they are typically, as 

Dr. Kelly indicated, for the research efforts and for recruitment 

purposes to get new faculty on board. Annual operating budget for 

a veterinary college averages around $56 million. Very little of that 

is endowment income or private gifts. Most of it is state appropriation, service income from hospital activities, research activities, and 

a very small amount of it is private giving. 

Mr. PITTS. And really there is none given for public health purposes? 

Dr. ALLEN. Very rarely is any of the money given for public 

health purposes. We did have one endowment last year that was 

donated for infectious disease professorship to help us recruit more 

faculty members to do this important work, but again it is pretty 

rare for it to be in a public health arena. 

Mr. PITTS. Well, my time is up, but thank you for your testimony. Dean Kelly, it is great to see you, and thank you for your 

leadership for many years. 

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you. The gentleman from New York, Mr. 

Towns. 

Mr. TOWNS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Let me begin 

by thanking you for your testimony. I thought it was very, very informative. Let me begin by asking you, and I am in strong support 

of H.R. 1232, the Health Workforce Expansion Act, but is it really 

enough? Let us go right down the line starting with you, Dr. Allen. 

Just go right down the line. 

Dr. ALLEN. Do you mean is the legislation itself enough or is the 

amount of money enough? 

Mr. TOWNS. Both. 

Dr. ALLEN. If it were fully funded as the bill is written. We did 

do feasibility studies of what it would take to expand our veterinary colleges to address the shortage as it was estimated at that 

time, and we do feel that the amount in the bill will help the existing colleges expand sufficiently for the future. And as far as the bill 

itself, we would welcome the staff of the subcommittee to help us 

with the language if it is felt it were needed to more clearly describe what the intended purpose is, but if the desired outcome— 

if the bill is funded, I think the desired outcome will be met. 

Mr. TOWNS. Thank you. Dr. Kelly. 

Mr. KELLY. I think, and Dr. Allen used I think the very important phrase, and that is if the bill is fully funded. If it is not, we 

are going to continue to be short. We are looking at over a 15, 20- 

year period. If you look over a much longer period there is not 

going to be enough. It is crucial that we get the funds to at least 

address the demand and the need. For example, I used the figure 

that there were 1,200 Americans getting veterinary education overseas. That is 400 students per year. We can accommodate that 

number with this current bill. So, as I say, if it is fully funded it 

will take care of the need. 

Mr. TOWNS. Dr. DeHaven. 

Dr. DEHAVEN. Thank you. I would agree with my colleagues that 

if it is written and fully funded it would provide enough capacity. 

Recognize that today the majority of graduates out of our 28 veterinary colleges are going into companion animal practice, and that 

48 

is critically important. The human animal bond is stronger than 

ever before and indeed we add to our public health through our association with pet animals so it is not that we are talking about 

a huge number of new graduates that need to go into this public 

health arena with the provisions in the bill. If in fact that increased capacity were devoted to the public health arena, we feel 

that it would meet the need. 

Mr. TOWNS. Thank you. 

Dr. PAPPAIOANOU. I would agree with my colleagues although I 

would add that there really is an urgency about this, and not only 

absolutely to begin to meet the needs in public health but also from 

a construction point of view that with construction costs, and I am 

sure many of you may have this experience, but every day or week 

or month you delay when you talk back with contractors your cost 

just went up. So I think the more quickly this bill could be passed 

and implemented and funded then adequate study has gone into 

the figures that have gone into it, but if there is a lot of delay construction costs do go up, and I think that would impact on the 

numbers. 

Mr. TOWNS. Right. I think you, Dr. Kelly, mentioned about the 

amount of students that are being trained in foreign countries. 

How many of them return, would you know? How many of them 

would return after training? 

Mr. KELLY. I would think these are American students. The vast 

majority will come back to this country, I would fully expect. There 

students who have not been able to get into a veterinary school in 

this country and desperately want to become veterinarians but 

there will be deficiencies in their education and that is a significant 

problem. Just to add, if I may, we are concerned about public 

health, students going into public health. There is a remarkable 

change in our students in their interest in public health which 

frankly wasn’t there 5 or 6 years ago. To give you an example, I 

think this weekend there is CDC Day down in Atlanta. There are 

300 veterinary students going down to CDC Day to learn more 

about CDC and public health, and it is an example of the change 

of interest amongst our students. 

Mr. TOWNS. Thank you. Thank you very much. Yes, Dr. Allen. 

Dr. ALLEN. One thing I wanted to point out is that although 

there are a lot of students, American students, who don’t gain entrance to a U.S. veterinary college who end up going overseas, first 

of all, they are not trained in the public health arenas that we are 

talking about. And, secondly, the cost for their education to them, 

they end up with an educational debt that is staggering, $200,000 

to $300,000 per student. The likelihood that they are going to go 

into a public health career with that kind of educational debt is 

very low. So although there are students that are able to get an 

education in veterinary medicine it is not an education that will 

fulfill the need we are talking about today. 

Mr. TOWNS. Let me ask, is there a preference given to state students in terms of grants, is there a preference? 

Dr. ALLEN. There is a preference given to students from that 

state for admission to veterinary college, yes, but in terms of scholarships for veterinary college it depends on the source of the funds. 

Typically a scholarship is from a private donor, and we have many 

49 

private donors who will believe it or not stipulate what county the 

student should be from. So indirectly, yes, there is a preference for 

in-state students because of the source of our scholarship funds 

tends to be from our alumni from our state. 

Mr. TOWNS. Go ahead, Dr. Kelly. 

Mr. KELLY. Most schools have an in-state and an out-of-state tuition. For example, there is a $10,000 difference in the cost of your 

education if it is in-state or out-of-state. The taxpayers of Pennsylvania bear the brunt of the cost of our school and our education, 

and it seems to me only reasonable that there would be a price differential as far as the students from out of state are concerned. 

Mr. TOWNS. I was actually talking about in terms of a preference 

in terms of admissions. 

Mr. KELLY. We would admit—at Penn we will admit 60 percent 

of the students are Pennsylvania residents, 40 percent come from 

out of state. That varies with the different colleges though. 

Mr. TOWNS. Let me ask, this is just for help. 

Mr. PALLONE. Just let me remind the gentleman he is 2 minutes 

over, but we will take one more. 

Mr. TOWNS. I yield. I am sorry. Thank you very much. Let me 

thank all of you for your testimony. Thank you so much. Thank 

you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. PALLONE. I am sorry. I recognize the gentlewoman from Oregon, Ms. Hooley. 

Ms. HOOLEY. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am proud to represent a 

veterinary school in my state, Oregon State, and I am a co-sponsor 

of this bill and proud to do that. Oregon State includes public 

health as part of its core curriculum, and it is in the process of developing a collaboration between the school of public health and the 

school of pharmacy trying to strengthen public health. I have a 

question. Dr. Allen, you mentioned that 16 out of the 28 veterinarian medicine schools now have dual degrees, and what is the capacity of those 16 programs and what educational paths do most 

public health veterinarians pursue? Do they do it—how do we build 

our capacity? Is it in those dual programs or traditional veterinary 

college? 

Dr. ALLEN. As far as the capacity of the DVM, MPH programs, 

which I think is what you were referring to, at University of Georgia we have scholarships for two students per year. However, we 

don’t have any limitation in the number of students who can enroll. 

We only have a limitation in the number of scholarships. So consequently we typically will have of course the two students who get 

scholarships but also additional students who will enter the dual 

degree program. I am afraid I can’t speak for the other colleges of 

veterinary medicine as far as what their capacity is for the number 

of students who will graduate per year. So right now at Georgia 

though, we are only doing say three students per year/ 

Ms. HOOLEY. Yes. 

Dr. PAPPAIOANOU. I can provide some information on the other 

schools. The University of Minnesota, for example, has close to 40 

or 50 students who are enrolled in the dual degree DVM, MPH program there. That program actually accepts students from several 

of the other schools in the Midwest, Michigan State for one, Ohio, 

Indiana, et cetera, that come in and actually participate in that 

50 

program, and all of them report absolutely, you know, the interest 

of the students really going off the chart, so the student interest 

is there. In addition to the 16 schools with the dual degree programs there are at least 6 others who have public health programs, 

and again they are seeing a growing number of students. Where 

these students go when the leave are many of the opportunities 

that I alluded to in my testimony and across the Federal government, the state government, local governments working in academia, even international organizations so there is a tremendous 

opportunity out there for these graduates. 

Ms. HOOLEY. Does anyone else want to comment? So you think 

the dual program, dual degree program, probably produces more of 

our public health veterinarians? 

Dr. PAPPAIOANOU. Absolutely. 

Ms. HOOLEY. OK. 

Mr. KELLY. We will form a dual degree at Penn. We just haven’t 

gotten far enough along in doing it. 

Ms. HOOLEY. When I talked to Oregon State, their veterinarian 

medical association, they indicate there is a lot of reasons why 

there is a decreasing supply of food animal practitioners, and one 

of the main reasons is a lack of earning a decent living in that 

area. They serve in rural communities. I look at one of my counties 

in my district, for example, is Tillamook County. They have lots 

and lots of dairy farms. Having a food animal practitioner is really 

important in those areas. How do we get more veterinarians into 

the rural communities? Do we have an answer? Does this bill help 

that? 

Dr. DEHAVEN. If I could. 

Ms. HOOLEY. Go ahead. 

Dr. DEHAVEN. Thank you. I think we all want to answer that 

one, Congresswoman. 

Ms. HOOLEY. Good. I would like to hear from all of you. 

Dr. DEHAVEN. I think there is a couple different ways. Really the 

recruitment needs to start with the pre-veterinary students or even 

before that to generate an interest in this food animal public health 

arena, and we are, as Dr. Kelly mentioned, already seeing that increase in some of these disciplines that heretofore there hadn’t 

been a lot of interest. This bill will increase or this bill if passed 

would increase the number of students in the pipeline for these potential kinds of jobs. It is the National Veterinary Medical Services 

Act that is really intended to give veterinarians who have already 

graduated through a loan repayment program into these underserved areas. It is particularly important in the food animal arena, 

and again making this linkage between food animals and public 

health, in that it is those individuals that are most likely to be the 

first to identify a disease in animals that have public health implications, and so this is critically important. 

There will actually be a hearing on the National Veterinary Medical Services Act talking about the need for funding for that program but also the need for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to 

do the regulations, promulgate the regulations that will implement 

this program and identify such things as what are under represented areas and how do we identify them. 

Ms. HOOLEY. Do you think this bill will help? 

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Dr. DEHAVEN. It certainly would help in terms of getting more 

students in the pipeline that would be interested in going to those 

areas in that kind of work. 

Ms. HOOLEY. Dr. Allen, maybe your idea of having these scholarships from a county might not be such a bad idea. Go ahead. Anybody else that wants to answer that question. 

Mr. KELLY. One of the issues, this is a problem of rural America 

in general, and to support a veterinarian in an area needs a certain 

value of animals in a geographic area, and what you have to do 

is—increasingly you will find veterinarians still in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania, which is a very heavy dairy industry. What you 

have to do is expand that geographic area, and I think we have to 

use digital technologies on the farms so you have every day surveillance, electronic communication to a veterinarian who is in a central office working with somebody who is trained as a technician 

to provide the every day surveillance on the farms. I think that is 

the direction that I believe we must progress in. 

Ms. HOOLEY. Dr. Allen. 

Dr. ALLEN. You asked a question of how we can address this lack 

of veterinarians in rural America, and I think it is two main 

things. One is financial through scholarships and loan forgiveness 

programs. Nothing helps address a shortage like money and so 

what we have done at Georgia is a loan forgiveness program that 

has been suggested and proposed to our state legislature, but we 

have also had the food animal veterinary incentive program whereby we are identifying students who come from rural Georgia, in 

high school we identify them, and put them into this program that 

nurtures their interest and helps them through the undergraduate 

years because we know if a student comes from an area they are 

much more likely to go back to that area. And so we have started 

this program to try to address that need in rural Georgia, and I 

know there are other programs elsewhere in the country in other 

states that have done the same thing. 

Mr. PALLONE. We are almost at three now although it is very interesting. 

Ms. HOOLEY. This whole thing is totally fascinating. 

Mr. PALLONE. I agree. I agree. I am sorry to cut you off but we 

are going to have a vote pretty soon on the SCHIP override so we 

have to conclude. I think that concludes all our questions by the 

members. I do want to thank you all though. This has really been 

enlightening to us. I mean some members obviously represent 

areas, rural areas, and have more knowledge than others, but it 

has been very helpful I think to us in terms of knowing the significance of this legislation. And I would also encourage members if 

they are from more urban or suburban areas like myself to get out 

to some of these colleges like I did at Dean Kelly’s initiative because otherwise you don’t really know what it is all about. So 

thank you very much. 

Let me mention that members can still submit written questions 

for the record so within the 10 days they have to submit those so 

you may get additional questions from us to answer in writing, and 

the clerk would notify your offices if that happens and the procedures and all that. But again thank you all, and thank you, ConVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:22 Oct 07, 2010 Jkt 037690 PO 00000 Frm 00057 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\CWELLS1\HEARINGS\110-81 SCOM1 PsN: JIMC
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gresswoman Baldwin, and without objection this meeting of the 

subcommittee is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 11:50 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

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