Programs Offered : Wake Forest University School of Medicine offers training in comparative medicine research, comparative pathology and laboratory animal medicine for postdoctoral DVMs, as well as training opportunities for veterinary students. Comparative medicine researchers provide the necessary "bridge" between basic science and clinical or applied medicine. Participants are trained to use basic science techniques which are then integrated into clinical medical disciplines and applied to living systems to answer disease questions. The end results will be: 1) a better understanding of pathophysiologic mechanisms, 2) the development of therapies for human diseases, and 3) improvement of public health.

Board Certification Training of veterinary pathologists is one of the primary functions of the program. The framework of the comparative pathology training program may be used to fully or partially satisfy the requirements for ACVP board certification, based on the needs and performance of the individual.

Types and Numbers of Appointments:
Residency: Two anatomic pathology residency positions are supported by institutional funds. Each resident is assigned a professional service mentor who is board-certified in veterinary pathology. Duration of residency is negotiable, generally 1 or 2 years. Pathology residency training emphasizes the diseases of a variety of laboratory and domestic animals, with unique opportunities for comparative study of human disease. Training involves daily interaction with faculty pathologists in the gross and histopathologic review of diagnostic cases; weekly conferences including gross and histologic case presentations; gross pathology reviews; AFIP slide conference; weekly morbidity/mortality case reviews with clinicians; and coursework in systemic pathology, diseases of laboratory animals, and animal models of human disease.

Postdoctoral Fellowships: Four NIH-sponsored fellowship positions are available. Training emphasizes research using animal models of human disease. The expected length of training is 3 years, with contracts renewed annually based on performance and faculty evaluations. Fellows attend a scientific conference annually and are strongly encouraged to present data. Manuscript and grant writing skills are an important component of the fellowship program. The skills learned in the training program will provide post-DVMs with: 1) a PhD degree, 2) a comprehensive research training experience, and 3) a strong position in the job market for academic and industrial opportunities.

Summer Fellowship Program: Four NIH-sponsored summer research fellowships are offered each year to first- and second-year veterinary students. These 8-12 week fellowships offer an introduction to research methods.

Externships: Unpaid externships of two weeks or longer are available for veterinary and laboratory animal science students to observe and participate in experimental and diagnostic procedures relating to comparative medicine research. Positions are open for application at any time until filled, and may take place at any time of the year.

Facilities :
The training program is located at two sites. On the main Medical School (Bowman Gray) campus, the program occupies over 38,000 square feet of state-of-the-art laboratories and ancillary areas, with a wide variety of laboratory species, a necropsy caseload of >500 cases per year, and access to shared and specialized equipment in the other departments of the Medical School. The Wake Forest University Primate Center, located on the Friedberg Campus 10 miles from the Bowman Gray Campus, is a 200-acre facility comprising over 70,000 sq. ft. of research areas and nonhuman primate housing. Approximately 1,200 nonhuman primates are housed at this multidisciplinary center. Extensive collections of experimental tissues are stored at the Friedberg Campus, as well as many years worth of computerized records containing exhaustive experimental and clinicopathologic information from both experimental and diagnostic necropsies. The two campuses are linked by a local area network for data exchange and rapid communication.

Community:
Winston-Salem is home to about 200,000 people who enjoy its moderate climate and year-round outdoor activities. The Blue Ridge Mountains are only an hour's drive away, while beaches on the Atlantic Ocean are just an afternoon's drive away. Winston-Salem and the surrounding Piedmont Triad area rank high in national surveys of desirability and career opportunities. A wide variety of cultural activities rounds out life in this historically rich region.

Stipends and Maintenance :
Postdoctoral fellows and summer fellows are supported by stipends based on the NIH rate. Salaries for residents are $35,000 per year.

Staff:

• Michael R. Adams, DVM; Diplomate, ACLAM; Hormones and Atherosclerosis
  
• Susan Appt, DVM; Women’s Health
  
• Thomas B. Clarkson, DVM; Diplomate, ACLAM; Atherosclerosis
  
• J. Mark Cline, DVM, PhD; Diplomate, ACVP; Director, Veterinary Pathology Residency Program, Reproductive System Disease and Cancer
  
• Randolph L. Geary, MD; Vascular Surgery
  
• Jay R. Kaplan, PhD; Neurobiology and Behavior
  
• Nancy D. Kock, DVM, PhD; DACVP Animal Models of Infectious Disease
• Cynthia J. Lees, DVM; Female Reproduction
  
• Carol A. Shively, PhD; Psychobiology
  
• Janice D. Wagner, DVM, PhD; Diplomate, ACLAM; Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
  
• J. Koudy Williams, DVM; Cardiovascular Physiology
  
• Charles E. Wood,  DVM, PhD; Reproductive System and Cancer
  
• Richard W. Young, DVM; Diplomate, ACLAM; Ophthalmology

Applications:
Requirements include: a letter of interest, sealed letters from 3 references, official grade transcripts from attending institutions, and for the Postdoctoral Fellowship, scores from the Graduate Record Examination for acceptance to Graduate School, and passing an institutional drug test. Postdoctoral fellows must have US citizenship and the veterinary degree must be from a US-accredited institution. Residents may have a veterinary degree from a US-accredited institution or the candidate must have passed a national equivalency exam.
Address inquiries to:

Professor Nancy Kock, DVM, PhD, DACVP
nkock@wfubmc.edu 336 713-7389

Department of Pathology, Section on Comparative Medicine
Medical Center Boulevard
Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1040

Web site: http://www1.wfubmc.edu/compmed/training/

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