Comprehensive Planning

Faculty members in the veterinary pathobiology department have developed a blueprint to move forward an already acclaimed parasitology program.

The process involved determining the program’s existing strengths to find areas for improvement. They found quality teaching, extensive service resources and eminent faculty to be the program’s key strong points.

Numerous teaching awards and student interest in parasitology attest to teaching excellence. The CVHS is a leading national parasitology diagnostic reference laboratory that provides a comprehensive treatment con- sultation service. The CVHS is also a leader in tick-borne disease research.

Parasitology faculty members are at all stages of career development from emerging leaders to established professors to emeriti. The faculty’s publications numbered 61 in 2005, and its funding exceeded $900,000.

Members of the faculty are also leaders in national and international parasitology, holding officer positions in their professional associations, including the president, both past and current, of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitology.

Areas for improvement in the program’s comprehensive plan include establishing an outstanding web presence to document achievements, building the graduate program and expanding the services offered from the clinical parasitology lab.

The department’s plans to enhance graduate course offerings and recruit top graduate students are already underway, and faculty are currently engaged in the process of identifying the needs of veterinary clinicians and practitioners in order to implement frameworks to best meet those needs.