LARGE ANIMAL CLINICAL SCIENCES (VLCS

VLCS has continued its focus on improving the health and well-being of horses, cattle, and other agricultural species as well as supporting the agricultural and equine industries, advancing the veterinary medical profession, and preparing our students to work in these industries, especially in rural Texas. VLCS is accomplishing this by providing an educational experience that prepares students to be effective veterinarians after graduation and having a research focus that is intent on solving problems important to the industries they serve.

Dr. Angela Bordin

Fourth-year veterinary students and patient

Highlights from FY21 include: Education and Clinical Care

VLCS participates in delivering a pre-clinical experience that is focused on preparing students to take full advantage of their clinical year. This curriculum provides ample opportunity for students to develop critical-thinking, animal handling, and technical skills that are important to preparing them to take advantage of their capstone clinical year.

The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital provides the platform for senior students to further develop their skills and prepare for entry into the profession by providing state of the art hospital facilities in which students are mentored by faculty who are national and international leaders in their respective fields as they provide leading edge care to patients admitted to our hospital. Early career veterinarians are also afforded the opportunity to develop their careers as specialists by studying under our industry-leading faculty members. Specialty training is available in the following disciplines. • Equine and Food Animal focused Internships • Internal Medicine Residency Training (Equine or Food Animal focus) • Large Animal Surgery Residency • Theriogenology Residency • Equine focused Practitioner Boards Residency Fourth-year veterinary medical students, interns, and residents participate in delivering veterinary medical care on the following services.

Equine

• Equine Orthopedic Surgery • Our Orthopedic surgeons are considered national and international leaders in fracture repair and management of musculoskeletal conditions. • Equine Soft Tissue Surgery • Our Equine Soft-Tissue surgeons provided cutting-edge surgical solutions for a wide range of conditions including upper respiratory and gastrointestinal medical problems. • Equine Internal Medicine • Our Equine Internists provide cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for a wide range of non-surgical conditions. • Equine Sports Medicine and Imaging • This service and its faculty are focused on delivering excellence in care for the equine athlete. • Faculty bring together a broad range of expertise and state-of-the-art imaging modalities to focus on allowing equine athletes to excel in their respective fields. • Equine Theriogenology • The Equine Theriogenology Service is maintaining its status as a leader in equine reproduction with a focus on stallion reproductive issues. • This will be enhanced by additional activities focused on mare reproductive issues.

• Equine Community Practice and Field Services • These services provide training spanning the realm from primary care to advanced care in equine dentistry and treatment of peri-ocular tumors.

Food Animal

• Food Animal Medicine, Surgery, Theriogenology, and Ambulatory Services • These services utilize a very robust caseload to provide training in and clinical care of patients from all of the food and fiber species. These services span the realm from primary to tertiary care and prepare our students to serve the agricultural industries upon graduation. • A production medicine focus is being developed with an emphasis on cattle and small ruminant production. • VERO clinical rotations in Feedlot, Dairy, and Cow-Calf • These rotations add to the production medicine focus and provide students the opportunity to understand and work in the full spectrum of food animal industries. • These rotations along with the other food animal services afford our students a true “Farm to Plate” experience.

Mixed Animal

• Our TDCJ service provides students a true mixed animal experience as they provide care for cattle, swine, horses, poultry, and dogs belonging to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. • This service also provides a very complete immersion in production medicine concepts and one of the few true mixed animal experiences in the country. Dr. Glennon Mays

Education and Clinical Service Awards

• Dr. Andra Voges - Association of Former Students University Level Education Award • Dr. Jennifer Schleining - Provost Academic Professional Track Faculty Teaching Excellence Award • Dr. Dan Posey - SWVS 2021 Visionary Award • Dr. Dan Posey - TVMA Distinguished Career Award • Dr. Keith Chaffin - TVMA Equine Practitioner of the Year • Dr. Cleet Griffin - Department of Defense Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve • Dr. Glennon Mays - John H. Milliff Teaching Award • Dr. Dee Griffin - AABP Amstutz-Williams Award

Research and Graduate Studies

The VLCS has developed an approach to research that is designed to provide the shortest distance between problems experienced by industry and solutions that are developed in the laboratory. These laboratories are also heavily invested in developing the research leaders of tomorrow through their graduate student training programs. • Equine Infectious Disease Laboratory • The Equine Infectious Disease Laboratory continues to advance diagnostic and therapeutic modalities necessary for the management of important infectious diseases impacting the horse. • Equine Inflammatory Disease Laboratory • The Equine Inflammatory Disease Laboratory is focused on developing new knowledge in the important diseases of equine obesity, asthma, and the linkages between these two diseases. • VERO Food Animal Infectious Disease Laboratory • This laboratory is focused on bovine respiratory disease, which is one of the most important diseases impacting the food animal industries, other infectious diseases impacting food production, and issues associated with the use of antimicrobials in production animals.

Research and Graduate Studies Awards

• Noah Cohen - 2021 University Distinguished Professor Awards