Comparative Medicine - About Us

The Department of Comparative Medicine is a basic science, academic department of the College of Medicine and is staffed by veterinarians specialized in laboratory animal medicine and veterinary pathology. We provide comprehensive health care for the 10 - 15 different species of laboratory animal patients that are used by over 100 scientists/clientele within the College of Medicine and the medical center. The service program includes the animal care and husbandry; clinical veterinary medicine, clinical, gross, and microscopic veterinary pathology, surveillance of spontaneous animal diseases, post-operative and intensive care, technical assistance and consultation with investigators and students. We serve to protect the animals, the investigators, and the institution with regards to all laws and regulations that pertain to the use of research animals. We strive to increase the body of scientific knowledge concerning the range of variation of normal and abnormal structure, function, and behavior in the species of animals used primarily for teaching and research purposes. We work in a multidisciplinary fashion with all other departments in the College of Medicine.

The Master of Science degree with a major in Laboratory Animal Medicine is research-oriented and requires a minimum of 30 credit hours in the major subject, including thesis research.  Although the program follows the general pattern laid down by the graduate school, the requirements are sufficiently flexible to permit students to adapt them to their particular interests and needs.