Accompanied by WCVM associate professor Dr. Tasha Epp, third-year veterinary students Kristyna Musil and Laura McDonald attended "A Day at CDC for Veterinary Medical Students" held at CDC Headquarters on January 25. The bi-annual event introduces veterinary medical students to the fields of public health and epidemiology with the goal of encouraging them to consider public health as a career choice.
Sponsors of the seminar include the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Public Health Association (APHA). Motivated by recent issues such as H1N1 influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), these organizations want to attract more veterinary students to careers in public health where their expertise can be used to help conquer new challenges such as emerging zoonotic diseases.
Although the conference focused on presenting different career options to the students, McDonald explains that they also emphasized the idea of "one health" and incorporating public health into every aspect of health: "Even veterinarians in private practice need to have a focus on public health to keep their pets, children and family members safe."
Epp, whose research and teaching work focus on zoonotic diseases, attended the students' seminars as well as a morning session directed toward faculty from veterinary colleges across North America. The faculty session gave her insight into how the CDC functions and how collaborations could be generated for future research or for graduate student projects.
For McDonald, the seminars were an opportunity to learn about the variety of careers available in the fields of public health, food safety and epidemiology. "I've always had a strong interest in public health and was very keen to see the Centers for Disease Control and spend some time networking with like-minded individuals."
A highlight for McDonald was the group's tour of the CDC's museum which describes the history of major diseases such as polio. Surprised by the intense security surrounding the facility, which has to be watchful against bioterrorism, McDonald compared security measures to those found at an airport.
Following her graduation from WCVM in 2011, McDonald plans to spend some time as a small animal clinician before pursuing a career in public health or epidemiology. "My greatest interest is in sustainable development in impoverished countries, and so I'm interested in the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), CDC and the United Nations for potential careers."
Sponsors of the seminar include the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Public Health Association (APHA). Motivated by recent issues such as H1N1 influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), these organizations want to attract more veterinary students to careers in public health where their expertise can be used to help conquer new challenges such as emerging zoonotic diseases.
Although the conference focused on presenting different career options to the students, McDonald explains that they also emphasized the idea of "one health" and incorporating public health into every aspect of health: "Even veterinarians in private practice need to have a focus on public health to keep their pets, children and family members safe."
Epp, whose research and teaching work focus on zoonotic diseases, attended the students' seminars as well as a morning session directed toward faculty from veterinary colleges across North America. The faculty session gave her insight into how the CDC functions and how collaborations could be generated for future research or for graduate student projects.
For McDonald, the seminars were an opportunity to learn about the variety of careers available in the fields of public health, food safety and epidemiology. "I've always had a strong interest in public health and was very keen to see the Centers for Disease Control and spend some time networking with like-minded individuals."
A highlight for McDonald was the group's tour of the CDC's museum which describes the history of major diseases such as polio. Surprised by the intense security surrounding the facility, which has to be watchful against bioterrorism, McDonald compared security measures to those found at an airport.
Following her graduation from WCVM in 2011, McDonald plans to spend some time as a small animal clinician before pursuing a career in public health or epidemiology. "My greatest interest is in sustainable development in impoverished countries, and so I'm interested in the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), CDC and the United Nations for potential careers."
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