Mission Statement
Penn Vet produces visionary leaders through preeminence in innovative education, research and health care. The mission of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine is three-fold:
(1) Education
- Training veterinarians for primary-care practice and preparing them for advanced study;
- Training veterinarians at post-doctoral levels for advanced clinical practice and research;
- Communicating advances to graduate veterinarians through continuing education; and
- Educating the public and the government about links between animal and public health.
(2) Research
- Obtaining new knowledge necessary to improve animal and public health through research at all levels, from fundamental biomedical investigation through study of preventing, diagnosing and treating disease; and
- Creating innovative healing and teaching methods and discovering new clinical interventions and diagnostic methods, thereby translating fundamental discoveries into health benefits for all species.
(3) Service
- Providing direct service to society to support the first two parts of the mission— improving the health of agricultural- and laboratory-animal populations and animal patients through service in the teaching hospitals, diagnostic laboratories and field services.
Penn Vet is a premier institution in training veterinarians to lead in academic and public-policy arenas. We have an eminent history, producing graduates who increase the impact of the veterinary profession by acquiring new knowledge that enables us to provide exceptional animal health care, by participating in advancing human health care and by partnering with other health professionals to shape public health practice and policy in the context of the animal–human ecosystem. Our teaching hospitals are internationally recognized centers of excellence for pioneering clinical service and training and for providing off-site services including field service, shelter medicine and field investigation units throughout the Commonwealth, advancing all three components of our mission.