Texas A&M-Mizzou Vet Schools Seeking Ways To Stop BRD And Do It ASAP

Both Texas A&M and the University of Missouri have acclaimed veterinary colleges, and the two schools have frequently collaborated on work involving animals.  A current project could have a huge impact on the beef industry.

James Womack, the W.P. Luse Endowed and Distinguished Professor in Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, has partnered with Missouri colleague Jerry Taylor to work on a five-year grant to study bovine respiratory disease, commonly called BRD.  It is a $9.2 million project to find ways to prevent the disease and funding comes from the Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

For cattle owners, BRD is major threat – it is the leading cause of disease in beef and dairy cattle and it annually causes losses approaching $1 billion in the cattle industry.

“It’s a disease that can really be devastating for ranchers,” Womack says of the project.  “It can sometimes be fatal, but the overall lack of production from cattle that have the disease is often the biggest concern.

“It is the No.1 health problem in the cattle industry.  It affects about 10 percent of the cattle in the country, so when you consider all of the millions of cattle in the United States, it results in numbers that are staggering.”

Womack says he and Missouri’s Taylor will look at the disease from a genetic viewpoint and examine the causes of BRD, and will do DNA testing on at least 6,000 cattle.

“We’ll take DNA samples from cattle that have the disease, and also from those that don’t,” Womack explains.  “Then we’ll look at variations on over 700,000 genomes and do a comparative study.  We have known for years that individual cattle vary in their response to the pathogens that cause BRD and that much of that variation is genetic.

“We hope this project will be a model for the power of cooperation of research and educational institutions and animal industries to make basic discoveries, train professionals in the application of these discoveries, and to translate this new knowledge into economic gain along with improved animal health and welfare.”

Texas A&M and Missouri are key partners in the project, but other schools, such as Washington State, UC-Davis, New Mexico State, Colorado State and Wisconsin are also involved in the work.

“Partnering with Missouri and these schools has been excellent for all concerned,” Womack adds.  “We are proud to be associated with the Missouri team and Jerry Taylor and their outstanding work.”

Taylor holds the Wurdack Chair in Animal Genomics at the University of Missouri.

Womack adds that Texas and Missouri are also collaborating on another cattle grant, this one also from the Department of Agriculture, totaling $5 million to study feed efficiency in cattle.  The study will focus on specific bacteria that reside in the stomach of cattle and how these aid in food digestion.

###

Contact: Keith Randall, News & Information Services, at (979) 845-4644

Building the Future of Veterinary Medicine from Mississippi to Texas

Dr. Eleanor Green

When Dr. Eleanor Green arrived in Aggieland to assume the helm of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) as the first woman to serve as dean, she brought with her the knowledge of what it takes to create and grow an innovative educational experience for veterinary medical students.

In 1976, just three short years after graduating with her DVM from Auburn University, Green joined Mississippi State University as a founding faculty member of the college of veterinary medicine. Starting from the ground up, Green helped to design, build, and implement the facilities and curriculum that have become the only veterinary college in the State of Mississippi.

“When I arrived, a dean for the college had already been hired,” Green recalled. “It was truly a risk-taking venture for all of us as the college had not yet received approval or funding, so we all were taking a leap of faith to establish something we believed in.  Those of us who were there at the beginning had big dreams for this college. We assembled experts from around the country to help design a dream facility – and it was built. It was incredible. We had the opportunity to develop an innovative and student-centered environment that would foster collaborative learning. To be involved in something of this magnitude from the beginning was an experience that I have carried with me throughout my career.”

Now, in 2012, Green has been using the visionary leadership gained from her time at Mississippi State to growing and developing the CVM at Texas A&M.

“Texas A&M has a tradition of excellence and developing the leaders of tomorrow,” said Green. “The commitment to the core values and the strong national and international reputation that Texas A&M had already established are what attracted me to Aggieland. When I arrived, there was a leadership team already in place that was committed to developing that same student-centered learning environment that we had started at Mississippi State. With support from the CVM faculty and staff, as well as the administration of the university and the Texas A&M System, we have been given the opportunity to pursue innovative approaches to veterinary medical education in Texas through curriculum enhancements and the built environment. We will be breaking ground in the near future on a new Veterinary Education Building and Small Animal Hospital Expansion. These facilities will enable us to integrate the very latest in teaching and learning technology into our curriculum which in turn enhances the educational experience of every student.”

Green noted that the initiatives to create new student-centered learning environments at both Mississippi State and at Texas A&M serve as opportunities to significantly impact the future of the veterinary profession.

“When you take the very best students, and educate them with the very latest technology in facilities designed to foster learning and collaboration, you begin to not just graduate practice-ready veterinarians, you also are developing leaders of character that will be well prepared to meet the changing demands of the veterinary profession,” Green said.

LSU’s New Second-ranking Administrator, Stuart Bell, Holds Three Degrees From Texas A&M

Louisiana State University’s  new executive vice chancellor and provost, Dr. Stuart Bell, holds three degrees from Texas A&M, and his wife, Susan, also is an Aggie. He earned his undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering in 1979 and master’s and Ph.D., both in mechanical engineering, in 1981 and 1986, respectively. She earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1979.

“Susan and I spent many years in College Station while we were students at Texas A&M, and the experiences we had there were wonderful.  We are looking forward to returning this weekend for the game, and it will be exciting to watch Texas A&M and LSU play for the first time as conference opponents.”

Stuart R. Bell

Dr. Bell joined LSU as its second-ranking administrator Aug. 2 after serving as dean of engineering at the University of Kansas.

LSU’s top-level Aggies don’t stop with Dr. Bell. Dr. William Jenkins, interim chancellor and interim president, taught in Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences for a decade before  being named dean of veterinary medicine at LSU in 1988 and subsequently moving into increasingly higher level positions, including the chancellorship. He returned to LSU as interim chancellor and interim president in July when Dr. Michael Martin resigned to accept the presidency of the Colorado State University System. (LSU operates under an administrative system in which the top position at the flagship university has the designation of chancellor and the head of the overall system has the title of president.)

###

Media contact: Krista Smith, Communications Coordinator, at (979) 845-4645

Texas A&M Equine Initiative Breaks Ground On New Equine Complex

With a turn of the shovel, Phase 1 construction began on the new Texas A&M Equine Complex. At a total cost of $80 million when completed, the new complex provides a home for equine science education, research and outreach.

Planning for the new center began in May 2012 when the Texas A&M Board of Regents approved negotiation of a ground lease with an anonymous donor that allowed for Phase 1 construction to begin. This cornerstone gift, combined with in-kind and other major gifts, bring support generated for Phase 1 construction to approximately $35 million. Initial construction will include an education and outreach center, facilities for the Texas A&M Equestrian Team, a cross country course in collaboration with Texas A&M Athletics, and new facilities for the Parsons Mounted Cavalry.

With a long history of teaching, research, equine medicine, and outreach excellence, Texas A&M University has been a vital contributor to the equine industry for generations. Both the Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences have been instrumental in providing the equine industry with knowledge and care that have advanced not only equine sciences, but the welfare of the horse as well.

The Texas A&M Equine Initiative was created to collaboratively utilize existing expertise within the university to build an equine program that will graduate the industry’s future leaders and generate research and veterinary medical care that will improve the industry and the care and welfare of the horse. To support its mission, the Equine Initiative has developed four major imperatives. In each of these areas, the focus will be to enhance and improve upon Texas A&M’s existing strengths. The four imperatives are curriculum enhancement, outreach & engagement expansion, facility construction, and partnership development.

About the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

From its early beginning in 1916, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences served the livestock industry in the State of Texas. Dr. Mark Francis, the first dean of the college, is credited with proving that the tick was responsible for Texas Cattle Fever – a disease that had plagued Texas cattle ranchers since the late 1700s. Since that time, the CVM has grown to one of the largest colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States, and is home to internationally known faculty. Through commitment to teaching, research, and service, CVM faculty, staff, and students are making discoveries today that impact the health of humans and animals worldwide.

About the Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

The Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University has achieved national and international prominence as the largest and most complex department of animal science in the nation. As part of its land grant mission, the Animal Science Department strives to meet the needs of all citizens by providing outstanding teaching, research, and extension programs. Currently, disciplines within the department include reproductive physiology, animal breeding and genetics, food science, microbiology, equine science, dairy science, animal nutrition, and meat science. The department responds to the Texas animal industry through research and education programs in equine, beef, dairy, swine, sheep, and goats.

###

Media contact: Angela G. Clendenin, Director, Communications & Public Relations, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, at (979) 862-2675 or (979) 739-5718

Campus Voices: Eleanor M. Green

Dr. Eleanor M. Green

Meet Eleanor M. Green: Dr. Eleanor M. Green, Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine, currently serves as the dean for the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM). The CVM is one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada. Green holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida-Gainesville and a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Specialty Internal Medicine, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, Certified in Equine Practice.

To better serve the citizens of Texas and the veterinary profession, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) is embarking on one of the largest building projects in university history to date. Utilizing $120 million from the Permanent University Fund (PUF), the CVM will be home to a new education building and Small Animal Hospital expansion. As you can see, these are exciting times for veterinary medicine, and we are poised to meet the growing demands of the veterinary profession in the coming years.

The expansion project supports our mission of enhancing animal, human, and environmental health.  We understand the fundamental role veterinary medicine plays in One Health, with human medicine, public health, agriculture, wildlife health, and environmental health systems.  In recognition of the interconnectedness of animal, human, and ecosystem health, veterinarians have become an even greater part of local, national and global health care teams.  Approximately 75% of newly emerging human infectious diseases are zoonotic, i.e., they are transmissible between animals and people, and over 80% of bioterrorism agents are zoonotic. Thus, an integrated approach to One Health, with veterinarians playing a key role, is essential for the greater good.

The CVM is one of 31 colleges in the United States and Canada and constantly highly regarded.  Each year, the college admits approximately 136 veterinary students a, making it one of the largest colleges of veterinary medicine in the world.  As the only veterinary college in the state of Texas, the CVM is dedicated to a mission of serving the citizens of Texas and beyond – “touching every Texan every day.”  This commitment to the state is important because Texas is ranked number one in the nation in numbers of cattle, horses, small ruminants, and deer.  Despite the animal populations in the state, Texas ranks last among the 10 most populous states in veterinarians per million food and fiber animals and ranks 45^th among all states for practicing veterinarians per 100,000 people.  Over time, the growth in numbers of veterinarians has lagged behind the population growth of people, currently at 25 million.  The CVM is committed to responding to the needs of Texas by providing an adequate supply of veterinarians.  The new construction will allow for class size expansion, as needed, new programs, and additional training opportunities designed to address the shortage of rural veterinarians.

One of the main goals of the CVM is to produce veterinarians ready to be successful in meeting the demands of the dynamic, constantly evolving veterinary profession.  The new education building will house high technology classrooms and advanced teaching labs, allowing students to learn by the most modern and effective teaching methodologies.  New teaching technology will improve student engagement, clinical learning, and hands-on veterinary experience, not only in the education building, but also in the Small Animal Hospital expansion. As a teaching facility, the Small Animal Hospital expansion will allow increased services, caseloads, and activities which enhance student learning.

Improving the facilities that make up the CVM will allow us to continue recruiting and retaining the best faculty, staff, and students.  While people make programs, the facilities in which they work expand their capabilities and horizons.  The new facilities not only will address current needs of the veterinary profession, but also will allow effective responses to changing needs of veterinary medicine.

The new facilities are critical to ensuring that the CVM remains one of the top rated veterinary medical schools in the United States.  The new construction symbolizes the commitment of the State of Texas and Texas A&M to veterinary medicine and the commitment of the CVM to be a leader in training the next generation of veterinary medical professionals – for Texas A&M and the state of Texas.