Essential Veterinary Education: A Global Perspective
Dr. Aguirre, in your recent articles Essential Veterinary Education in Zoological and Wildlife Medicine: A Global Perspective and Essential Veterinary Education in Conservation Medicine and Ecosystem Health: A Global Perspective you write passionately about the need for elements of conservation and zoological medicine in the core veterinary curricula.
Q. How do zoological and wildlife medicine differ from traditional veterinary education?
Veterinary school trains graduates to deal with immediate issues relating to animal health. In addition to understanding health as it relates to a diverse range of species, all veterinarians should be versed in the principles of conservation medicine, and made aware of the basic concepts in ecosystem health, environmental change, and conservation biology. For the most part, current veterinary programs do not thoroughly train graduates to deal with the health impacts of environmental change; many veterinary professionals are unable to link ecosystem, animal, and human health issues. Graduates from veterinary schools in the United States are left lacking the proper training to enter the field of zoological or wildlife medicine.
Q. Can you explain the difference between zoological medicine and conservation medicine?
Zoological medicine addresses the care of captive zoo animals as well as free ranging wildlife species using tools from veterinary medicine, wildlife conservation, and ecology. Conservation medicine is an emerging discipline that links the health of human, animal, and ecosystems with global environmental change. The principles of conservation medicine aid us in identifying the environmental determinants of health and using this understanding to develop preventive approaches to maintaining the health of all species in a sustainable manner. In short, conservation medicine is the practice of ecological health (recently referred as One Health or EcoHealth)
Q. How do zoological and conservation medicine relate to Wildlife Trust's work?
Wildlife Trust specializes in using the principles of conservation medicine to understand the link between ecological disruption, wildlife, livestock, and human health. We are an international organization of scientists dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity and the one conservation organization focused on all the relationships essential to a healthy planet and its inhabitants: wildlife, ecosystems, and humans. Zoological medicine, or the study of the health and diseases of captive and free ranging wildlife, is essential to our work. Through diagnosing diseases originally present in animals we come to understand the origins of these infections, and prevent their transmission to humans and domestic animals and vice versa.
Q. How do diseases transfer from animals to humans? Can you give us a few examples?
Animal to human disease transmission [emerging infectious disease] results from a series of environmental, socio-economic, and ecological changes that provide new pathways for pathogens to enter human populations. A great example is the SARS coronavirus resulting from the live animal wet markets in China in 2003.
Lyme disease, AIDS, Avian influenza H1N1 and H5N1, and the West Nile virus are also examples of diseases that impact humans and wildlife. Over time, humans and their domestic animals have also transmitted diseases to wildlife including rabies, bovine brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis, and now a wide range of human pathogens have been established in wild gorilla populations in Africa.
Q. Do you believe Emerging Infectious Diseases will continue to be a cause for concern? Will veterinarians trained in zoological and conservation medicine have a chance to apply these principles to the real world?
Absolutely! We are preparing students to work in a world where there is a global trade in wild animals, and numerous environmental threats such as habitat fragmentation and climate change. The occurrence of Emerging Infectious Diseases is increasing as we continue to damage ecosystems and animal populations across the globe become more integrated. Veterinary students must have experience in identifying field and laboratory tools for the management and possible treatment of diseases in captive and wild animal populations. We are attempting to train veterinarians with a global viewpoint and in transdisciplinary teams to act in the most pressing health problems facing the world today
Q. Can you explain what changes you would like to see to the education veterinarians currently receive in the United States?
All veterinarians should be made aware of basic concepts in ecosystem health, environmental change, and conservation biology. Graduate students can only benefit from being better prepared to solve the world's most pressing problems. At a minimum, basic issues of biodiversity loss, global climate change, and disease emergence should be presented to all students during the first year of veterinary training. The idea of considering health in an ecological framework is very important as it adds a different perspective to traditional viewpoints. Students must be exposed to principles of conservation biology and conservation medicine through classes and real world experience.
Q. What do you think will result from this altered veterinary curriculum?
By including conservation medicine and ecosystem health into veterinary curricula worldwide we can train young veterinarians to be an essential part of transdisciplinary teams addressing world health issues. These professionals will be equipped with important tools for assessing and monitoring ecological health, and identifying and solving the problems resulting from our damage to the environment, and the wildlife trade.
Q. Is veterinary training different in countries other than the United States? Do other countries incorporate conservation and zoological medicine as part of their core curricula?
A recent survey revealed that training received in veterinary colleges in North America is inadequate preparation for one to have a successful career as a wildlife veterinarian. Further training in zoology, conservation biology, ecology or a related field is required, in the form of an advanced degree. Veterinary training in the U.S. is highly clinical and focused on small and large animal species although some colleges are incorporating non-traditional and exotic species in their training. Veterinary students in other countries have more animal husbandry/epidemiological training. In Africa or Latin America for example, veterinarians are needed in animal production systems for herd management and the individual clinical skills are less refined. In Europe and Latin America, there are several educational opportunities in zoological and wildlife medicine; however, many more programs need to be developed. Wildlife Trust has been successful in jump-staring advanced degrees in Conservation Medicine in Brazil, Chile and Mexico.
Q. Do many veterinarian school graduates currently specialize in the fields of zoological and conservation medicine?
There is definitely a growing demand for positions in zoological and conservation medicine due to the rising occurrence of Emerging Infectious Diseases. In 2008, 23 of 50 states had wildlife veterinarians on state government staff. As more states catch on to the trend, the available positions for those properly trained in zoological and wildlife medicine will only grow.
