The Division of Veterinary Medicine provides for the administration and oversight of the Laboratory Animal Medicine Preceptorship Program, Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency Program and the Division of Veterinary Medicine Training Committee.
Laboratory Animal Medicine Preceptorship Program
Veterinary students enrolled in the professional curriculum and postgraduate veterinarians participate in the program. Our training program exposes veterinary students and graduate veterinarians to all aspects of the research environment, including regulatory issues, research support, colony health surveillance, clinical medicine, and surgery. In addition, the Division of Comparative Pathology at TNPRC provides instruction in pathological findings of spontaneous and experimental disease in nonhuman primates to these students. On average, five students per year are mentored through this program.
Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency Program
The objective of the Tulane University Laboratory Animal Medicine Training Program is to provide a broad exposure to the field of laboratory animal medicine to veterinarians, to train them in the principles of biomedical research, to prepare them for board certification by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) and a career in laboratory animal medicine. Two options are available to residents, the first emphasizing nonhuman primates (NHP) and the second being more species balanced. Residents will complete didactic and hands on training as well as complete a first author publication using data derived from a hypothesis driven research project. The Tulane University Laboratory Animal Medicine Training Program is a collaborative effort between Tulane University and the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine (LSUSVM) that was established in 2002.
The program is accredited by ACLAM and is focused to provide detailed training in clinical medicine and surgery for laboratory animal species in the environment of a biomedical research program. Residents are required to design and act as the principal investigator for a small research study focused on infectious disease, clinical medicine, surgery, laboratory animal management or animal behavior. Depending on the track chosen, the successful applicant will spend up to two months per year at the LSUSVM in Baton Rouge, La, rotating through two vivaria covering a broad range of species. Weekly didactic colloquia are held at the LSUSVM for residents from the Tulane and LSUSVM training programs. Ten months per year are spent at the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC) and the Tulane University Department of Comparative Medicine (DCM) at the Tulane School of Medicine and Uptown Campus Vivaria. Additionally, training includes a weekly seminar, slide review, case presentation, instruction of veterinary students, facility management, and diagnostic pathology. Residents will participate in monthly virtual grand rounds and an annual meeting with fellow residents enrolled in similar training programs. Opportunities exist for subsequent doctoral level training at the TNPRC.
The Tulane University Laboratory Animal Medicine Training Program provides two options for residents. Option 1 of the Tulane University Laboratory Animal Medicine Training Program is a two-year program geared toward the clinical care of all research animals with an emphasis on nonhuman primates used in biomedical research. Option 2 of the Tulane University Laboratory Animal Medicine Training Program is a two-year program geared toward the clinical care of all research animals with no particular species emphasis.
Training Committee
The Training Committee of the Division of Veterinary Medicine provides training to employees of the Division. The training committee membership consists of veterinarians, management personnel, technicians, quality assurance personnel and the TNPRC Occupational Health and Safety Nurse. A series of training modules using PowerPoint presentations for topics such as occupational health and safety, use of personal protective equipment, disease control measures, animal observations, environmental enrichment, review of routine husbandry practices, and anesthesia in nonhuman primates were created and are presented at Division meetings. The training program for new staff requires a rotation for each new employee through the various components of the Division of Veterinary Medicine prior to final assignment.
For more information, contact TNPRC-VetMed@tulane.edu.
