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Veterinarians
are uniquely qualified to address several important
current and future issues that face our nation and the
world. Their expertise is the consequence of an educational
background that is strongly based on the principles
of comparative biology and medicine as applied to a
variety of animal and human health-related problems.
Thus,
in addition to areas of ongoing activity, veterinarians
are now being asked to apply their expertise to new
and emerging fields, including environmental science,
toxicology, wildlife and conservation medicine, genetic
engineering, comparative medicine, biotechnology, cell
biology, human and animal nutrition, ethology, and international
veterinary medicine.
The
veterinary curriculum at Tufts exists with these concepts
in mind. The primary goal of the curriculum, therefore,
is to offer students a strong background in the principles
of veterinary medicine and to expose them to the spectrum
of present and future career opportunities in the profession.
The mainstream aspects of the profession—food (cattle,
sheep, swine); fiber (sheep); companion (dog, cat);
and sporting (horse) animal medicine and surgery, preventive
medicine, and public health—are areas that are
highlighted along with instruction in the emerging areas
noted above.
Cummings
School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University was
founded in 1978. Located in North Grafton, MA, it is
the only veterinary school in New England. The school's
pioneering academic programs, high quality clinical
care services and original research advancing animal,
human and environmental health, have brought Tufts University
national and world-wide acclaim.
The
585-acre campus includes three hospitals: the Henry
and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals, the Hospital
for Large Animals and the Bernice Barbour Wildlife Medicine
Building, where over 28,000 patients annually are treated
by clinicians representing a broad range of specialties.
The school boasts the country's largest training program
in veterinary emergency and critical care and has garnered
attention for leadership in oncology, cardiology, nutrition,
animal behavior, diagnostic imaging and equine sports
medicine.
Off
campus, the Cummings School operates the Tufts Ambulatory
Farm Service in Woodstock, CT, which helps sustain New
England family farming. The school's International Program
collaborates with other Tufts University programs and
local organizations in Latin America, Africa, Asia,
and the Middle East to encourage sustainable animal
agriculture, wildlife conservation, and public health.
Cummings
School of Veterinary Medicine is recognized internationally
for faculty contributions to the study of zoonotic infectious
diseases - illnesses that move from animals to people.
In 2003, the school was awarded an unparalleled $25
million NIH grant to establish a research unit for the
National Food and Waterborne Disease Integrated Research
Network. The Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine
places the Cummings School in the forefront of the emerging
study of human, animal and environmental health in ecosystems,
locally and globally.
Cummings
School of Veterinary Medicine annually enrolls more
than 300 students in its four-year program leading to
a doctor of veterinary medicine (D.V.M.) degree. The school is typically ranked at or near the very top among the 32 North American
veterinary schools in the combined GRE scores of its
entering class. For the past three years, the school
has ranked first in its graduates' success in the competitive
matching program for internships and residencies.
The
school has developed innovative graduate programs including
the world's only M.S. degree in the field of animals
and public policy, and the first D.V.M./M.P.H. program
that places veterinary and medical students in the same
classroom. The first quarter century of Cummings School
of Veterinary Medicine has seen 1500 graduates establish
successful careers in a variety of fields within the
profession, contributing with commitment and knowledge
to a humane, healthy and compassionate society.
The
New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory (NE-RBL) is
a 41,000 square foot facility dedicated to the study
of existing and emerging infectious, diseases, toxin-mediated
diseases and medical countermeasures important to biodefense.
Scientists within the NE-RBL are conducting research
to develop therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostic tools
in a safe, secure, regulatory-compliant environment.
Investigators in academia, not-for-profit organizations,
industry, and government studying biodefense and emerging
infectious diseases may request the use of biocontainment
laboratories.
A
$50 million financial commitment from Cummings Foundation
in 2002 led to the renaming of the Cummings School of
Veterinary Medicine, in honor of the Foundation's founders,
William S. and Joyce M. Cummings, in 2005.
Veterinary
School at Tufts, LLC is today one of CFI's three operating
subsidiaries. The other two are New Horizons at Choate,
LLC, and New Horizons at Madonna Hall, LLC, two of the
best low cost, not-for-profit assisted living facilities,
located in Woburn and Marlborough, MA, respectively.
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