Research Interest Groups

The mission of the One Health Research Interest Group is to create a scientific platform to advance the knowledge in the area of One Health regarding the roles of animal, human, and environmental health in maintaining mutually sustainable ecosystems for the benefit of communities worldwide. The One Health RIG supports College of Veterinary Medicine faculty, students and collaborators involved in research addressing a broad spectrum of issues related to animal, human, and environmental health and welfare. This group recognizes the importance of building strong collaborations between universities, colleges, private and public institutions, scientists, clinicians, foundations, philanthropic groups, and the general public to maximize its impact.

Broad areas of interest to members of the One Health RIG include but are not limited to:

• Biosurveillance
• Community and global health
• Effects of environmental change on animal and human health and disease
• Infectious diseases of domestic and wild animals, and issues at the human-animal interface
• Public advocacy surrounding One Health-related issues
• Species preservation and conservation
• Translational and interdisciplinary research
• Wildlife health and disease

The One Health Research Interest Group strives to generate new knowledge to enhance our understanding of the interactions between environmental, animal, and human health in the broadest sense. Members of this group use laboratory- and field-based research methods and promote local, regional, national, and international collaborations and training of future scientists. Through scholarly activity and promotion of the student involvement, the One Health RIG serves as an academic resource for the CVM, experts, governing bodies, and the general public.

For more information about the group, please contact Dr. Miguel Saggese.

The mission of the Collaborative Clinical Research Program is to discover new knowledge that will promote animal and human health and welfare in collaboration with a network of strategic partners. The Collaborative Translational and Clinical Research Program (CTCRP) recognizes the importance of building strong collaborations between scientists, clinicians, industry, government entities, special interest and philanthropic groups, and pet owners in order to achieve its research goals.

The CTCRP will strive to enhance and extend the body of evidence informing clinical understanding and decisions in veterinary medicine, public health, and other areas at the interface between animals and humans. We welcome collaborators to partner with us supporting important clinical research and improving animal health and welfare.

Research areas of interests within the group include:

• Animal-human bond
• Lifestyle medicine
• Immune system function in health and diseased
• Pathogen-host interaction / Microbiome
• Orthopedics & biomechanics
• Regenerative medicine
• Therapeutic interventions
• Access to veterinary medicine

For more information about the group, please contact Dr. Babak Faramarzi

The mission of the Evidence-Based Veterinary Medical Education Research Interest Group is to promote educational research and promulgate effective evidence-based educational practices in veterinary medical and other health professions education.

The research activities in the group will include:

• The development and validation of educational programs and assessment instruments.
• The assessment and analysis of pre-professional, professional, and post-professional student outcomes.
• The exploration and assessments of the outcomes and impacts of educational programs based on educational research and theory.
• The dissemination of scholarly products to health professionals.

To achieve these goals, the group will utilize a rigorous scientific approach to descriptive, associational, and experimental studies utilizing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research.

For more information about the group, please contact Dr. Maria Fahie.

The College of Veterinary Medicine, Office for Research is now accepting up one proposal from each of our three Research Interest Groups (RIGs). The goal of these grants is to support Research Interest Groups in fostering scholarship of their members, preferably through initiatives that will benefit most members.

Up to $10,000 may be requested for use within 12 months of award and submission of a final report detailing outcomes within 6 months after the end of the project. Use of matching funds from other sources is encouraged. Proposals must be endorsed by a RIG and only one proposal can be submitted per group. Proposals will be reviewed on an ongoing basis but must be received by the end of December each year. Award decisions are made early- to mid- January the following year.

Application Instructions can be found here

Please direct any questions to Dr. Yvonne Drechsler (ydrechsler@westernu.edu).