National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

NATIONAL NEED AND PRIORITIES FOR VETERINARIANS IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

Committee on Increasing Veterinary Involvement in Biomedical Research

Institute for Laboratory Animal Research

Division of Earth and Life Studies

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by the American College for Laboratory Animal Medicine, the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, the American Veterinary Medical Association, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Co., Pfizer, Inc, and Contract No. N01-OD-4-2139, Task Order 87 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institutes of Health. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number 0-309-09083-0 (Book)

International Standard Book Number 0-309-52772-4 (PDF)

Additional copies of this report are available from the
National Academies Press,
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu.

Copyright 2004 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

COMMITTEE ON INCREASING VETERINARY INVOLVEMENT IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

James Fox (Chair),

Divisions of Comparative Medicine and Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

John Harkness,

Office of Research, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi

William Hill,

College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina

Alan Kelly,

School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Kathy Laber,

Department of Comparative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

Fred Quimby,

Laboratory Animal Research Center, Rockefeller University, New York, New York

Abigail Smith,

Laboratory Animal Health and Husbandry Research, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine

John Vandenbergh,

Department of Zoology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina

Staff

Jennifer Obernier, Study Director

Kathleen Beil, Administrative Assistant

Marsha Barrett, Project Assistant

Susan Vaupel, Editor

Norman Grossblatt, Senior Editor

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

INSTITUTE FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

Peter A. Ward (Chair),

Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Stephen W. Barthold,

Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California, Davis, California

Rosemary W. Elliott,

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York

Michael F. Festing,

Leicester, United Kingdom

Janet C. Gonder,

Pinehurst, North Carolina

Coenraad F.M. Hendriksen,

Central Animal Laboratories, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, Netherlands

Jay R. Kaplan,

Department of Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Hilton J. Klein,

Department of Laboratory Animal Resources, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania

William Morton,

National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Randall J. Nelson,

Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee

Emilie F. Rissman,

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Lilly-Marlene Russow,

Department of Philosophy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

William S. Stokes,

Animal and Alternative Resources, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Michael K. Stoskopf,

College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina

Thomas Wolfle,

Cambridge, Maryland

Staff

Joanne Zurlo, Director

Ralph Dell, Associate Director

Jennifer Obernier, Study Director

Marsha Barrett, Senior Project Assistant

Kathleen Beil, Administrative Assistant

Susan Vaupel, Managing Editor,

ILAR Journal

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

Preface

The Committee on Increasing Veterinary Involvement in Biomedical Research was commissioned to examine a highly relevant issue facing the biomedical research community both in academia and industry: How can more veterinarians be prepared for careers in biomedical research?

A report written by Weigler et al. in 1997 concluded that the marketplace for veterinarians with specialty training in laboratory animal medicine had reached a steady state by 1995, when the national supply of and demand for veterinarians with this expertise were closely aligned (Weigler et al., 1997). Their analysis suggested that the balance of supply and demand would not change in any substantive way in the years 1995-2005. However, their report could not predict several pivotal issues that changed the need for veterinarians trained for careers in biomedical research. One of the most compelling was the dramatic increase in the use of genetically engineered animals, particularly mice. Such use has escalated during the last 5 years, further fueled by the publication of the mouse and human genomes. It has been estimated that 60 million genetically engineered mice may be needed to study every gene in the mouse genome (Knight and Abbott, 2002). The rapid increase in rodent-based biomedical research is accompanied by the need to monitor and prevent the introduction of infectious agents into established rodent colonies and biologic products that are shipped in increasing numbers nationally and internationally.

Translational research, in which knowledge derived from molecular and cellular biology is being applied in studies involving systems and integrative biology, is burgeoning. Those applications rely heavily on the use of

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

animals, particularly rodents. Indeed, between 1990 and 2002, there was a 60% increase in the number of competitive grants that utilize animals.

All those factors in the aggregate have affected the need for veterinarians with specialty training in biomedical research, and the supply of veterinarians with this training has not kept pace with demand. Compounding the increased need for veterinary scientists’ involvement in biomedical research is the ever-increasing requirement of veterinarian oversight of compliance with state and federal regulations regarding animal-based research. This report is intended to document the need for veterinarians with specialty training and to recommend ways to alleviate the veterinary personnel shortage.

The committee acknowledges the assistance and advice offered by various people who provided their time, professional experience, and insight. On October 4, 2002, several individuals with acknowledged expertise in academic veterinary medicine or biomedical research and in training of veterinarians in biomedical research delivered formal presentations to the committee and other interested parties who attended the open session of the committee’s first scheduled meeting. The committee appreciates their thoughtful and informative presentations.

Linda Cork, Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California

Henry Baker, Scott-Ritchey Research Center, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama

Fern Tablin, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, University of California, Davis, California

Douglas McGregor, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Joseph Bielitzki, Metabolic Engineering Program, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia

We also acknowledge the financial support of the following institutions: The American College for Laboratory Animal Medicine; the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics; the American Veterinary Medical Association; GlaxoSmithKline; Merck and Co., Inc.; NIH; and Pfizer, Inc. Representatives of some of those organizations provided critical data for the committee:

Lynn Anderson, Merck and Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey

Nelson Garnett, Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland

Franziska Grieder, National Center for Research Resources, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

John Strandberg, National Center for Research Resources, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland

Mary Ann Vasbinder, GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Two other colleagues, Ben Weigler and Leslie Colby, were extremely helpful in providing survey data that they had gathered and tabulated on laboratory animal veterinary personnel needs.

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspective and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

William J. Heuston, Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

Robert O. Jacoby, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Leticia V. Medina, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Illinois

John G. Miller, AAALAC International, Rockville, Maryland

Nathaniel Powell, Jr., Army Veterinary Corps, Fort Detrick, Maryland

Glenn A. Reinhart, Pharmaceutical Products Division, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Illinois

Janice D. Wagner, Department of Comparative Medicine, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by:

Harold J. Fallon, University of Alabama, School of Medicine (emeritus), Birmingham, Alabama

William R. Brinkley, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

Appointed by the National Research Council, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

I extend my deep appreciation to the committee members, staff, and those who presented information at our initial committee meeting. Members of the committee devoted considerable time and effort in deliberating on and analyzing the data included in this report. I also want to thank the reviewers for their timely and thoughtful comments; their insightful comments enhanced the value of this report. I particularly want to acknowledge the considerable skills and tireless efforts of Jennifer Obernier in assembling and composing the committee report. Kathleen Beil provided logistical support by arranging travel and lodging throughout, which made the committee’s tasks easier. Thanks are also extended to Marsha Barrett and Stephanie Thuemmler, who provided project support and assisted in generating the graphics in the report, and to Norman Grossblatt and Susan Vaupel, who edited the manuscript. And I also thank Joanne Zurlo and Ralph Dell for providing counsel to the committee during its deliberations.

James Fox, Chair

Committee on Increasing Veterinary

Involvement in Biomedical Research

Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

TABLES AND FIGURES

FIGURE 2-1

 

Historical trends of animal use in NIH grant portfolio,

 

18

FIGURE 2-2

 

Total budget for the National Institutes of Health, by fiscal year,

 

19

TABLE 2-1

 

Active ACLAM Diplomates,

 

20

FIGURE 2-3

 

Number of position announcements for laboratory animal medicine veterinarians, 1980-2001,

 

21

TABLE 2-2

 

Active ACVP Diplomates,

 

23

FIGURE 2-4

 

Annual budgets of NIH, NCRR, and NCRR Division of Comparative Medicine,

 

25

FIGURE 2-5

 

RO1 grant awards categorized by degree of principal investigator,

 

26

TABLE 3-1

 

Clinical Residency Programs in Laboratory Animal Medicine,

 

29

FIGURE 3-1

 

Number of individuals that completed a residency in laboratory animal medicine at an ACLAM-recognized program,

 

30

FIGURE 3-2

 

Type of veterinary pathology training program by specialty,

 

34

TABLE 3-2

 

PhD Programs in Comparative Medicine, Biomedical Science, Pathology/Pathobiology, or Laboratory Animal Science at Veterinary Medical Colleges or Schools and Departments of Veterinary Science or Comparative Medicine,

 

35

TABLE 3-3

 

NRSA: Institutional Research Training Grant (T32) Awards Funded by NCRR, 1994-2002,

 

36

TABLE 3-4

 

Biologic Terrorism Agents List,

 

37

TABLE 4-1

 

NRSA: Professional Student Short-Term Research Training Grant (T35) Awards Funded by NCRR, 1995-2002,

 

46

TABLE 4-2

 

NRSA: Individual Research Training Grant (F32) Awards Funded by NCRR, 1995-2002,

 

52

FIGURE 4-1

 

Total NIH grant awards versus NIH grant awards to veterinary schools,

 

53

TABLE 4-3

 

Special Emphasis Research Career Award (K01). SERCA Awards Funded by NCRR, 1995-2002,

 

54

TABLE 4-4

 

Mean Number of Employment Advertisements per Year (± SEM), by Sector, from COMPMED List-serv in 1999-2002,

 

57

TABLE 4-5

 

Employers of active ACLAM diplomates by sector,

 

58

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R10
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R11
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R12
Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R13
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2004. National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10878.
×
Page R14
Next: Executive Summary »
National Need and Priorities for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $38.00 Buy Ebook | $30.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

The report identified various factors which contributed to creating an unfulfilled need for veterinarians in the biomedical research workforce, including an increase in the number of NIH grants utilizing animals and the burgeoning use of transgenic rodents, without a comparable change in the supply of appropriately-trained veterinarians. The committee developed strategies for recruiting more veterinarians into careers in biomedical research.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!