By Donald F. Smith, Cornell University
Posted January 18, 2013
With the appointment last week of a dean of veterinary medicine for Midwestern University, Arizona is moving forward with plans to open the 29th veterinary college in the United States in fall 2014. They have already received a State of Arizona License and are scheduled for a site team by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association starting January 20, 2013.
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| Dr. Brian Sidaway is the dean of veterinary medicine at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizon (Photo by Midwestern University) |
Midwestern University, a not for profit health sciences university in Glendale, Arizona is home to colleges of
osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, optometry, dental health and a large number of master and doctorate programs in its health science college. When I asked President and CEO Kathleen H. Goeppinger, Ph.D. last year why she would
contemplate starting a college of veterinary medicine, she gave one of the most
compelling rationales I have ever heard by a senior university administrator. “Quite simply,” she said, “animals contribute to
human health and I felt having a health sciences campus without veterinary
medicine would be incomplete.” Apart
from the important role that animals play in supporting human health and
well-being, she also pointed to the need to educate more veterinarians to serve in rural areas of Arizona.
At
the national level, many practicing veterinarians feel that the 25% growth in
the number of veterinary graduates in the last decade has created an oversupply
of new veterinarians entering clinical practice. However, Arizona is the second most populous state without a veterinary college (1) and the number of Arizona residents who
are accepted each year into U.S. veterinary colleges is among the lowest in the country. Similarly,
the number of veterinarians per capita practicing in Arizona is much less than
the national average.
When it
comes to the vast rural areas in Arizona, the need for veterinarians is
especially acute for both livestock and horses, but also for companion animals. Midwestern proposes
to accept more students from rural areas with the hope that they will fill that critical need.
Another
great unmet need for veterinarians across the entire U.S. is in public and
corporate practice. This priority is recognized by former surgeon general Rich
Carmona, MD, who lives in Tucson, AZ. Dr. Carmona is a strong supporter of the critical
role of veterinarians in public health and he shared the following with me in March last
year when the first announcement of Midwestern’s plans were made public.
"During
my tenure as United States Surgeon General [2002-06], it became very apparent
that veterinarians were essential elements not only to the nation's health, but
also to national and global preparedness activities, and as leaders of our
multidisciplinary teams.
Veterinarians were some of the most sought-after professionals by
all branches of the Federal Government. Whether from traditional veterinary
practice to research and development, zoonoses, emerging infectious and global
health, we were always in short supply of veterinarians."
Midwestern
will be just the fourth veterinary college in the U.S. to be established on a
non land-grant campus. Though it will fulfill the need to educate students in species
of agricultural interest, its urban location (2) and its educational priorities
will also reflect the reality that the overwhelming majority
of practicing veterinarians are needed in companion animal practice.
These veterinarians not only serve the health needs of the family pet, but also
promote the concept of one health for all species because of the positive impact pets have for human
health and well-being.
1) Arizona's population is 6.6 million (2012 estimate). New Jersey, the most populous state without a veterinary college, has 8.9 million people.
2) Midwestern is located in a metropolitan area of over four million people, one of only four veterinary colleges in the country located in the top 15 metropolitan areas in the U.S. Like Midwestern, each of the other three colleges is located on a campus with other health science colleges (University of Pennsylvania, Tufts University and Western University of the Health Sciences).
2) Midwestern is located in a metropolitan area of over four million people, one of only four veterinary colleges in the country located in the top 15 metropolitan areas in the U.S. Like Midwestern, each of the other three colleges is located on a campus with other health science colleges (University of Pennsylvania, Tufts University and Western University of the Health Sciences).