Master of Public Health
Concentration of Study in Veterinary Public Health
Public health is one of the foundation responsibilities of veterinary medicine and the scope of veterinary medicine is global in its potential impact and contribution, as is public health. Animal, human and environmental health and wellness issues converge in the profession which has created a need for veterinarians with a level of knowledge and skills beyond those gained during their professional education. Needs and opportunities for veterinarians are expanding rapidly in organizations ranging from public agencies dealing with animal and human health, to agencies and corporations charged with food safety and security from the farm to the consumer level. The demand is increasing for veterinarians with additional education in food safety, food and animal production, zoonotic diseases, biosecurity, research methods and public policy. The veterinary degree alone is not enough to prepare veterinarians to meet these challenges and opportunities. A Master of Public Health (MPH) degree would be an excellent and necessary addition to the DVM degree for those individuals wanting to make a career in public health.
Veterinarians are the only health professionals trained in multispecies comparative medicine and the profession links agriculture, medicine and even health issues at the household level through companion animals. Historically, the profession’s greatest contributions to society have been in food production and its safety and the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases. These roles continue and have assumed even more importance in the context of potentially deliberate acts of bio- or agroterrorism. American livestock, other domesticated animals, and free-ranging wildlife have been identified as targets by terrorists. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have warned veterinary colleges that veterinarians will likely be the front line in detecting terrorist-engineered epidemics. Veterinary students and graduate veterinarians must now learn to spot medieval terrors like bubonic plague, whether the symptoms erupt in livestock or companion animals.
The Food Safety Inspection Service of USDA is the single largest employer of veterinarians in the U.S. and possibly the world and this one agency estimates it will need 500 new veterinarians in the next five years. About half of the veterinarians in the Commissioned Corps of the US Public Health Service are currently eligible for retirement. The US Army Veterinary Corps needs 45 new veterinarians each year to meet their public health mission goals. Other opportunities for service exist at the state, municipal and university level. The MPH degree is necessary for many of these career opportunities.
In addition to the required foundation courses for completion of the MPH degree, students specializing in Veterinary Public Health take three required courses (7 hours) and electives (12 hours) chosen in consultation with their advisor and designed to meet the student’s career goals. Students complete their learning experiences with an internship, which is an opportunity to use skills as a public health veterinarian. Internships have been arranged at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Tennessee Department of Health, the East Tennessee Regional Health Office, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services. Alternatively, students can apply to take part in an approved master’s essay option focusing on a public health problem or opportunity.
VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH Concentration Courses:
MPH Core Courses (MPH Core Courses must be completed by all concentrations)
Vet. Med. 837 Food Hygiene and Zoonoses (2) Host-agent relationships, public health aspects of veterinary medicine and role of veterinarians in ecology and food hygiene. (or CEM 610) Spring
CEM 501 Special Topics: Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal Club (2) Specialized experience in comparative and experimental medicine. Prereq: Consent of instructor. May be repeated. Maximum 6 hrs. Fall, Spring
Public Hlth 550 Principles and Practices of Community Health Education (3) Theoretical foundations for community health education; opportunities for skill development in variety of educational processes; and introduction to community health analysis. Fall
Related Electives (12)
Professional Skills Development:
- Internship (3, 3) Internship (veterinary public health) in either approved organizational or research setting under supervision of designated preceptor. Prereq: MPH major, one semester advance notice and consent of major advisor. 589 credit available only for approved extended placements. S/NC only. Fall, Spring, Summer
Non-degree students must obtain permission from the director fo the MPH Program to register fo public health courses. |
NOTE: Actual schedule may change. The listed courses reflect the usual semester offered.
The MPH with a VPH concentration involves collaboration in public health professional preparation between the College of Veterinary Medicine and the MPH program in the College of Health, Education, and Human Sciences. The Veterinary Public Health concentration is available only to veterinary students in the UT College of Veterinary Medicine and graduate veterinarians. More information about the MPH – VPH concentration can be found at http://www.vet.utk.edu/vph/.
By the time of graduation, the veterinary public health student is expected to have developed the following competencies:
- Assess health risks to individuals and communities.
- Communicate health risks to individuals and communities.
- Design, implement and critically evaluate epidemiologic studies.
- Apply techniques of surveillance, recognition, prevention, control and management of infectious diseases, with special attention to zoonotic and emerging diseases, food borne illnesses and potential bio- or agroterrorism agents.
- Reduce injuries and other environmental and occupational human health hazards related to animal.
- Maintain the safety and wholesomeness of foods of animal origin.
- Identify community and governmental resources appropriate for addressing health needs.
- Identify need for public policy development based on scientific data.
- Develop draft of policies needed to safeguard the community.
Contact the Department of Nutrition
1215 W. Cumberland Ave.
229 Jessie Harris Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-1920
Brenda Hart
bhart57@utk.edu
Phone: (865) 974-5445
Fax: (865) 974-3491