Veterinary program mentors potential researchers

Instead of committing to traditional cat and dog medicine, veterinary students can “try on” the role of researcher when they enroll in a new 12-month research mentorship program, one of seven the National Institutes of Health sponsors.

“This is a chance for veterinary students to gain a better understanding of the career options available to them,” says Dale Bjorling, chair of the school’s department of surgical sciences and coordinator of the mentoring program. “Part of our goal is also to increase the numbers of veterinarians who pursue research.”

Wisconsin’s preeminence in biological research and education makes it an ideal site for such a program, Bjorling says. Students will have access to faculty in the School of Veterinary Medicine, and in collaborative departments and programs throughout the campus, in areas such as infectious disease, neurosciences, ophthalmology, orthopedics, stem cell research, transplantation and mouse models of disease.