# Veterinary Medical Student Research Training

> **NIH NIH T35** · TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE RESEARCH · 2020 · $81,864

## Abstract

Project Summary
Veterinarians are broadly trained health professionals uniquely qualified to participate in biomedical research,
having an understanding of health and disease at the organismal level with an appreciation of comparative
biology1,2.The “One Health” concept, integrating discoveries in both human and veterinary medicine, has
received increased attention with new and emerging zoonoses, as well as increasingly common chronic
conditions (e.g., cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus), and increased concerns with the effects of
environmental and dietary toxins on fetal and early stages of development. As translational research with animal
models continue to expand to approximately half of all current NIH research projects1, veterinarians, particularly
those with research training, make increasingly valuable contributions to biomedical research.3 Reports by
National Academy of Sciences National Research Council Committees concluded that there is a critical shortage
of such veterinarians4,5. The Texas A&M University summer Veterinary Student Research Training Program
(VMSRTP) is evolving and expanding during our next T35 renewal period. In addition to our previous goal to
introduce veterinary students to the biomedical research environment to entice trainees to discover research as
an exciting career option, we will now expand our program recruitment efforts to include veterinary
students who have previous research experience. Providing these experienced students with a robust
summer biomedical research experience with experienced federally funded mentors and enhanced training in
responsible conduct of research methods and scientific communication skills will likely enhance their individual
research successes, and further establish their interest and commitment to veterinary careers in biomedical
research. In this competitive renewal, the program will be led by a new Program Director, a new Program
Coordinator, a reconfigured Advisory Committee, and a more focused research mentor base with 27 experienced
mentors with strong federal extramural biomedical funding. The summer program includes: 1) biomedical
research in a mentor’s laboratory; (2) at least 12 hours formal training in responsible conduct of research; (3)
weekly lunchtime (hour-long) training sessions in scientific communication via oral and poster presentations,
abstract and manuscript preparation, as well as training in critical evaluation and presentation of primary journal
articles; (4) oral research presentations in the annual CVM research symposium; and 5) research poster
presentations at the National Veterinary Scholars Symposium. The program has exceptional institutional support
and a broad array of state-of-the-art facilities, including preclinical GLP labs, a national biodefense lab, primate
center, strong institutional collaborations, and a recently funded DHHS Biodefense vaccine center. A major
obstacle to the efforts of academic institutions to produce more resea...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10025076
- **Project number:** 2T35OD010991-16A1
- **Recipient organization:** TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** Dana Gaddy
- **Activity code:** T35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $81,864
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2004-08-02 → 2025-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10025076

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10025076, Veterinary Medical Student Research Training (2T35OD010991-16A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10025076. Licensed CC0.

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