VCM 647

Credit: 1.5 TO 3 hours.

Intended for students desiring experiential learning focused on public health and the role of the veterinarian in protecting human health at the individual and population levels. It includes didactic instruction in basic and applied public health, lecture/discussion sessions, exercises, field trips, and field investigations. Topics will include recognition and diagnosis of zoonotic and foreign animal diseases in pets and livestock, public health issues in wildlife management, farm to processing plant issues in microbial safety and residue avoidance, conduct of outbreak investigations, and public health policy issues with respect to agriculture, zoonotic disease, and occupational health and safety. Topics may include food and water borne illness investigation, respiratory and diarrheal disease surveillance, survey of health care access for migrant farm workers, public health workforce needs surveys, chronic disease clusters and microbiological surveys at processing plants.

Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated to a maximum of 3 hours. Students have the option to take either a two-week or four-week selective. Prerequisite: Fourth year standing in the DMV professional curriculum or consent of instructor.