VDPAM is made up of the following 4 departments:
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
- Veterinary Extension
- Veterinary Field Services
- Food Supply Veterinary Medicine
VDPAM Vision
The vision of VDPAM is to support the continual improvement of food animal agriculture and food supply veterinary medicine to benefit Iowa and the world.
Mission Statement
It is the mission of the department to serve animal agriculture by:
- Continually improving the curriculum and methods of teaching in the preeminent Food Supply Veterinary Medical Program.
- Providing timely, accurate, high-quality and comprehensive clinical and diagnostic services.
- Being globally recognized leaders in implementation of disease control practices, diagnostic services, enhanced food safety processes, and animal welfare programs.
- Continually improving food and fiber animal production by whole system analysis, through acknowledgment of the interactions of disease, diet, environment, animal behavior, animal welfare, and humans.
- Leading evidence-based research initiatives in food animal diseases, animal behavior, animal welfare, food safety, risk assessment and modeling and transferring knowledge obtained between academia, practitioners, producers, and the public.
- Fostering a sustainable, proactive environment for service, teaching, outreach, and research.
- Establishing interdisciplinary teams to support One Health Medicine and address the complex animal health, public health, animal welfare, and production efficiency challenges.
Our department is made up of highly trained specialists who span a wide range of veterinary disciplines and species interests. We have faculty of all ranks with expertise in diagnostics, medicine, surgery, pathology, microbiology, epidemiology, public health, and production medicine. Most have earned certification from specialty boards. Dozens of additional scientists and laboratory technicians support the research and service components of our department.
VDPAM Organizational Chart & Brochure
Teaching
Our teaching in the professional program emphasizes basic and applied clinical skills for all students. In addition, we offer advanced training in large animal medicine and specialized training for those interested in production medicine. These advanced programs are taught with the premise that the veterinarian can bring a broad-based systems approach to all phases of livestock production in a systemic and effective way.
Research
Our faculty conduct research on diseases of economic importance to swine, beef, dairy, and sheep producers, consumers of animal products, and on environmentally important issues. Access to field cases enhances identification of significant problems and places an emphasis on our abilities to solve those problems.
Examples of projects include circovirus, hepatitis E and PRRSV in swine, anti-microbial resistance associated with human and animal populations, salmonella, toxoplasmosis, BRDC, BVD, Streptococcus suis, community-based swine and beef production, poultry disease control and more.
Professional Practice
Each year more than 100,000 cases are submitted to our Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. It is the primary diagnostic institution for Iowa. Nationally, it is one of the largest and ranks in the top echelon for quality of services. We place a high priority on using technological advances to deliver rapid and consistently accurate results to the practitioners and producers who rely on our diagnostic services.
Our professional practice mission is also carried out through the food animal section of the Veterinary Medical Center. Our clinical specialists handle a variety of cases, primarily bovine, as an important referral service for livestock producers throughout the state. Many faculty members travel throughout the state in response to investigatory calls or to provide on-site consultation to deal with production issues affecting swine, beef, dairy or poultry operations.
Governance Document
Click here to view the pdf file.