The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine rose to No. 7 in the latest ranking of veterinary colleges nationwide by U.S. News and World Report. The CVM has consistently placed in the top 10 in past rankings, and this distinction now places the CVM in the top 5 of public universities. The college’s advancement adds to a raft of accolades stemming from the exemplary teaching, research and service provided by CVM’s faculty, staff and students.
Included among those is the college’s role in advancing the world’s first honeybee vaccine. The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine is the first in the country to develop a bee medicine program, which attracted Dalan Animal Health, the creator of this revolutionary vaccine to relocate from Los Angeles, Calif. to Athens to collaborate with the CVM for the clinical trials of the vaccine.
“We are proud that our colleagues have honored the efforts of our faculty and staff with the improved ranking,” said Dr. Lisa K. Nolan, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Clearly, our team’s multiyear efforts to improve across our tripartite mission of teaching, research and clinical and diagnostic services have been noticed by our peers.”
UGA CVM is recognized as a leader among veterinary colleges for the number of faculty and number of dual DVM / PhD student enrollments. The college is also a leader in the study of animal and human disease with $59.1 million in research expenditures. Nearly $12 million funds vaccine research addressing a range of public health concerns from avian influenza to COVID.
“UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine is the topmost Veterinary College for research expenditures thanks to our One Health Precision Medicine approach that builds on our research and clinical strengths,” said Sharron Quisenberry, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Affairs. “Our leading-edge research advancements are due to the insights, expertise, and hard work of our dedicated faculty.”
In addition to the opportunities afforded students to work with world-class faculty on life-changing research projects, the CVM’s teaching hospital offers students hands-on opportunities to put their education to work.
One of the largest veterinary teaching hospitals in the country, the 300,000-square-foot facility includes a medical center that provides 24/7 emergency care and 25 services including feline kidney transplants, equine sports medicine and a diabetes clinic. The hospital cared for 10,405 canines in fiscal 2022, 2,247 felines, and 1,867 equine patients, as well as 186 parrots, 12 chameleons, and one bear, along with 500,000 honeybees.
“Great or small, our faculty, staff and students see them all – from honeybee to whale shark, we do our best every day to ensure the animals under our care and their humans live their best lives,” said Dean Nolan.