Program Goals
The mission of the Penn Vet VMD-PhD program is to train outstanding clinician-scientists who will make valuable contributions to the advancement of science and medicine through research, clinical activities, and teaching. The complex problems presented by animal and human medicine today are ideally approached by investigators with broad experience in numerous species. Biomedical research often requires studies on multiple species, each with distinct properties. Individuals with comparative medicine training, coupled with rigorous research experience, are particularly well equipped to identify unique features of various animal models for human disease, and to press forward frontiers in human and animal health. Penn Vet provides an outstanding environment for the training of future leaders. We accomplish our mission by selecting outstanding individuals for acceptance into our programs, who then acquire the education and skills needed to become successful clinician-scientists. Throughout this training period, students are provided with career counseling and advice needed to progress successfully to the next level of their training.