Tuesday, March 25, 2025
3/25/2025
Project Summary The purpose of the training program outlined in this renewal application is to provide short-term intensive research experiences to professional veterinary medical students. The short-term goal is to stimulate an interest in the pursuit of hypothesis-based research that examines mechanisms, treatment, and prevention of disease. The long-term goal is to increase the number of veterinary students who embrace research as part of their career, with a focus that ranges from basic science/discovery to translational and epidemiological studies. These individuals fill a unique niche in the biomedical community, combining a comparative medical education with investigatory skills which are essential to advancing human and animal health. The program is based upon a research-intensive summer experience that is part of a larger Summer Research Program. First- and second-year veterinary students select mentors from graduate faculty with primary appointments in Ohio State’s Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, Medicine, Public Health, and Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Projects are developed in collaboration between student and mentor, assuring that the project reflects student interests and ideas. Development of the proposal and preliminary training activities occur prior to summer, and presentation and publication of research results are emphasized in the period following summer. The latter includes an end-of- summer research symposium, where students make oral presentations of research results, and poster/platform presentations at the CVM Research Day the following spring. The most meritorious projects are selected by an Executive Steering Committee based upon proposals submitted to and ranked by the CVM Council for Research. This approach maximizes quality of students and projects, with an average of 25 applications for 10 T35 positions. The faculty mentor: student ratio is 3.3:1, providing many training options that ensures a fit with student interests. Summer seminars emphasize science communication, commercialization and intellectual property, and career development. We have implemented a journal club that will now be led by a T35 co-director to reinforce concepts in scientific rigor and reproducibility. Topics reflect the breadth of summer projects and individual sessions will include moderation of student presentations by a faculty subject matter expert. Program success is reflected in significant increases in the number of former T35 trainees in research-oriented careers relative to national employment data for veterinarians, representing a greater than two-fold increase in academic, government and industry employment. This reflects leading indicators that include graduate program enrollment (36%) and publications emanating from research projects over the life of the program; 40% of T35-supported students publish, and 31% of the publications are 1st authored by the student. To build upon this trajectory, the program will now establish a formal relationship with the Career Areas of Emphasis component of the 3rd and 4th year veterinary medical curriculum, developing a certificate program in Comparative Biomedical Research, emphasizing research career experiences and opportunities under the guidance of an external advisory committee.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).