The Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Public Health offers programs of study and research leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Veterinary Anatomy and M.S. degrees in Epidemiology or Veterinary Public Health. Interdisciplinary programs are also available through the Department for degrees in Genetics, Toxcology, Food Science & Technology, and Molecular and Cell Biology. These broadly-based programs encompass studies at both the cellular and molecular levels as well as the organismal level.
The academic curriculum is designed to prepare students for independent research and academic careers in their chosen areas of specialization. Students receive core instruction in either the basic anatomical disciplines or public health. The anatomical disciplines include macroscopic anatomy, histology, embryology, neuroanatomy, cellular and molecular biology, or developmental biology. Public health includes descriptive and analytical epidemiology, biostatistics, and toxicology. Epidemiology, which studies the design conduct, and evaluation of both descriptive and analytic research studies in both veterinary and human populations. Issues specific to the study of infectious and non-infectious diseases are addressed.
Students specialize in one of eight areas of emphasis of the research faculty in the department:
- Cell/Molecular Biology
- emphasizes basic cell structure, ultrastructure, histochemistry, and molecular level functions of the cell.
- Neuroscience
- emphasizes the functional anatomy of the nervous system at tissue, cellular, and molecular levels.
- Reproductive/Developmental Biology
- emphasizes the functional anatomy of reproduction and development at tissue, cellular, and molecular levels.
- Marine Animal Anatomy
- emphasizes functional gross anatomy, histology, and cellular and molecular level cell function.
- Food Safety and Technology
- develops and implements technological and regulatory practices that protect and improve aspects of human food and/or animal feed which influence health.
- Toxicology
- studies molecular and kinetic mechanisms involved in the toxic actions/ interactions of environmentally important toxins and the health effects of such chemicals in all vectors.
- Veterinary Public Health
- studies the control, diagnosis, and prevention of the diseases, with emphasis on those transmitted between humans and animals, specifically including rabies, brucellosis, Lyme disease, and trichinosis.
- Epidemiology
- studies the design, conduct, and evaluation of both descriptive and analytical research studies in both veterinary and human populations. Issues specific to the study of infectious and non-infectious diseases are addressed.
