Pursuing a Combined DVM/PhD Program: A Path to Research in Veterinary Medicine

Last Updated on July 18, 2024 by Laura Turner

For pre-veterinary students with a keen interest in research, pursuing a combined DVM/PhD program can open a world of opportunities at the intersection of veterinary medicine and scientific inquiry. This pathway not only equips graduates to excel in clinical practice but also prepares them for impactful roles in research, academia, government, and private industry. Here’s a comprehensive guide to navigating and understanding the dynamics of this specialized educational journey:

1. Careers in a Research Setting

Veterinarians with a PhD can delve into various research-focused careers across diverse sectors:

• Drug Development: Designing and testing pharmaceuticals tailored both for animal and human health.
• Toxicology: Assessing the effects of chemicals, drugs, or toxins on systems.
• Pathology: Investigating diseases through tissue and laboratory analysis.
• Clinical Research: Conducting studies to improve diagnostics, treatments, and outcomes in veterinary medicine.
• Public Health: Addressing zoonotic diseases and ensuring food safety.
• Epidemiology: Studying disease patterns and transmission dynamics in both animal and human populations.
• Emerging Infectious Diseases: Researching new or re-emerging diseases that impact animal and human health.

These roles span academia, where researchers contribute to advancing veterinary science through teaching and publishing, to government agencies like the FDA or CDC, ensuring regulatory compliance and public health protection, and private industry, driving innovation in animal and human pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and agribusiness.

2. Importance of Research Experience

For aspiring veterinarians, particularly those eyeing a combined DVM/PhD program, previous research experience is essential. It not only strengthens your application but also demonstrates your understanding of scientific inquiry and its practical applications in veterinary medicine. Even if your career aspirations lean towards rural or clinical practice, research experience can prove pivotal:

• Vaccine Research: Critical for disease prevention strategies in livestock and companion animals.
• Nutritional Research: Enhancing animal health and productivity in agriculture sectors like swine, beef, and dairy.

These experiences foster skills in data analysis, experimental design, and critical thinking—essential for both clinical problem-solving and groundbreaking research endeavors.

3. Post-Graduate Options for Veterinary Students

Upon completing a DVM/PhD program, graduates have several post-graduate options to further specialize and advance their careers:

• Rotating Internship: Provides comprehensive training across different specialties within veterinary medicine.
• Residency Programs: In-depth training in specific disciplines such as surgery, internal medicine, pathology, or oncology. Most residency programs require at least one year of clinical practice prior to applying. 
• Certificate Programs: Short-term, focused training to develop expertise in specialized areas like forensics, epidemiology, or public health. Some of these certificates can be earned while in a DVM curriculum, while others require residency programs. It is important to explore each DVM program to determine what is offered and reach out to the individuals in charge for their recommendations for applying. 
• Postdoctoral Research: Ideal for those pursuing an academic or research-focused career path, allowing further exploration of scientific questions and methodologies.

These opportunities not only enhance clinical skills but also provide avenues to contribute to scientific knowledge and innovation, shaping the future of veterinary medicine.

4. Example Pathways

Not every journey to a career as a veterinarian scientist looks the same. In some cases, completing a master’s degree prior to applying to a DVM/PhD program can show dedication to a particular field of research, as well as the ability to problem-solve a project to completion. A residency program after graduating from vet school is needed for some specialties, such as anatomic or clinical pathology. Most veterinary clinical pathology residency programs require at least 1 year of clinical practice (whether it be private practice or a rotating internship) before applying. In many cases, doing a career search prior to applying to a DVM/PhD program can help visualize what certain careers may look like and what training is required. Finally, reaching out to someone in that job role can be very helpful to understand what the average day looks like for someone in that role, and what steps they took to get there.

In my case, I completed a master’s degree in animal science before acceptance to a DVM/PhD program. The focus of my thesis was the emergency depopulation of poultry in the event of a natural disaster or disease outbreak (such as highly pathogenic avian influenza). This gave me invaluable practice not only in clinical skills (blood draws, management practices), but also in data collection and analysis, problem-solving, laboratory benchwork, and scientific writing skills, as well as giving me the chance to present my research at local and national conferences. At that point, I shifted focus to translational models of human disease and spent a year as a visiting research scholar at a human medical school. I was then accepted into a DVM/PhD dual degree program with the career goal of becoming a veterinary nutritional scientist focusing on translational models of human nutrition and disease. After doing externships in the pharmaceutical industry, I decided to pursue a residency in veterinary anatomic pathology, which is a specialty (Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists), that many veterinarian PhDs in the pharmaceutical industry hold.

Conclusion

Choosing a DVM/PhD combined program is an exciting and impactful step towards becoming a veterinary research and practice leader. It equips you with the dual expertise needed to address complex challenges in animal health, advance medical science, and make meaningful contributions across various sectors. Whether your passion lies in discovering new treatments, safeguarding public health, or improving agricultural practices, this unique educational path empowers you to make a lasting impact in the field of veterinary medicine. Prepare diligently, seek meaningful research experiences, and embark on a journey where clinical expertise meets scientific discovery—an exciting and rewarding career awaits!