Research in the College of Veterinary Medicine

Our research programs generate new knowledge, both basic and applied, relating to the health of domestic animals and wildlife, insuring a safe food supply, and finding a cure for certain human diseases. The American Veterinary Medical Association's accreditation standards for veterinary colleges states: "Research enhances the educational program of the professional student by fostering a dynamic, stimulating environment based on the promotion, acquisition, evaluation, and dissemination of new knowledge. High quality, substantial research activities within the educational environment help ensure students, faculty, and graduates develop, maintain and improve knowledge, skills, and attitudes that embrace the evolving nature of veterinary medical science and practice." In addition to faculty, DVM students, graduate students, and clinical residents are all involved in research.

Research and graduate training programs in the College of Veterianry Medicine are supported by modern laboratory facilities, including numerous individual laboratories devoted to basic and clinical research, central research facilities designated for multidisciplinary use, specialized core service laboratory facilities, and modern animal housing facilities. The College has recently expanded its facilities with a new 40,000 square foot equine hospital, three new equine barns, and a new 120,000 square foot Veterinary Academic Building. A new $56 million small animal hospital is currently under construction.

Biocontainment Facilities

The College operates a BSL-3 suite containing a 300 square foot and a 600 square foot laboratory, each of which is fully equipped for research on infectious agents. Additional BSL-3 laboratories will be available to CVM researchers upon completion of the new Emerging Pathogens Building on campus. A high containment livestock facility is located in nearby Alachua, Florida. This highly sophisticated, large animal facility is designed for studies on the prevention and control of infectious diseases of veterinary significance. With its high level of bio-safety (ABSL-2+; ABSL-3 upgrades pending), this structure has more than 25,000 square feet of space, including laboratories and large animal pens (8 in high containment, 10 in air conditioned space and 30 in insect-proff ambient air space). A second ABSL-3 facility capable of housing mid sized animals, such as cats or rabbets, is located two blocks from the veterinary campus. BSL-3 housing for traditional laboratory animals is available in the main Health Sciences Center complex one half mile form the v eterinary campus

Core Service Laboratories

The Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research has established core laboratories in protein chemistry, biological computing, DNA sequencing, DNA synthesis, electron microscopy, flow cytometry, a hybridoma laboratory, a biological NMR core, and a transgenic animal core facility.

Research Animal Facilities

The University's centralized Animal Care Services provides housing and care for most research animals. The College operates its own equine research facility, and additional facilities for research devoted to horses are provided on campus and in Ocala at the Horse Research Center as part of a unified equine program at the University of Florida. Access to cattle for research are available through the dairy and Beef Research Units operated by the UF Department of Animal Sciences and through cooperating privately-owned dairies and ranches.