Midwestern University

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. Food Animal Veterinarians Are Critical in Maintaining the Health and Welfare of Food Animals, Ensuring a Safe and Ample Food Supply, Safeguarding Public Health, Protecting Global Food Security, and Supporting the U.s. Economy. for Native Americans, Food Animals Have an Additional Cultural and Spiritual Component. Yet, There Is a Severe Shortage of Veterinarians That Serve Reservations, With Veterinarians Who Provide Services to Food Animals Essentially Non-existent. for Example, the Navajo Nation, the Largest Land Area Held by a Native American Tribe in the United States Comprising 16 Million Acres and Approximately the Size of the State of West Virginia Has Only One Veterinarian That Serves the Entire Community and Primary Domestic Animals. Multiple Factors, Including the Low Enrollment of Native American Students in Veterinary Schools, Explain the Lack of Veterinarians on Reservations. the Lack of Exposure of Reservation Youth to Career Opportunities in the Veterinary Medicine Fieldpartly Explains the Limited Enrollment of Native American Students in the Profession. While the Shortage of Food Animal Veterinarians Is a Multifactorial Problem, There Is an Attainable Opportunity to Help Resolve This Problem by Targeting Children From Underserved Areas Such as Reservations and Exposing Them to Veterinary Practice in a Bid to Have More Students Choosing Veterinary Medicine as a Career. in Addition, a Curriculum-based Approach Will Also Help Students Who Are Already Enrolled in Veterinary School.to Help Solve the Problem of Shortage of Food Animal Practice Veterinarians in Underserved Areas, the Farm Animal Medicine Department at Midwestern University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Is Starting an Externship That Involves Training of Veterinary Students on Rural Food Animal Practice While Involving Native American Youths on Reservations. This Specialized Program Is Specifically Designed to Meet the Deficiencies Identified in Veterinary Curricula and Training as Well as to Expose the Native American Youths to Career Opportunities Veterinary Medicine. by Providing a Focus on Practice in Rural or Underserved Areas, the Program Addresses Work Environments That Frequently Lack Support and Guidance for a New Graduate. the Program Involves Midwestern University Veterinary Faculty and Students, Veterinary Students From Other Veterinary Colleges in United States, and Native American Youths in Schools. the Department Will Offer Veterinary Services Which Include Direct Patient Care as Well as Herd Health/production Medicine Services for Two Weeks, Three Times a Year on Navajo Nation. the Program Is Expected to Help Produce Confident Food Animal Veterinarians Who Will Practice for a Long Time. We Also Expect the Program to Stimulate More Native American Youth on Navajo Nation to Be Interested in Veterinary Medicine and Enroll in Veterinary Schools.