MPVM Program Builds Knowledge and Connections
Article originally published by Trina Wood on October 21, 2019.
When Dr. Tapakorn Chamchoy began looking into programs that would give him solid training in statistical analysis and diagnostic test evaluation, he couldn’t imagine that would involve visiting California dairy farms to obtain fecal slurry samples. But that’s where his Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine (MPVM) degree took him.
Chamchoy had received his DVM from Kasetsart University in Thailand in 2012 and was working at a national laboratory, running samples for various animal diseases. He realized there was something missing though. Despite the number of samples and data coming in, nobody was analyzing it. So, he enrolled in the MPVM program at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2016 to learn statistical analysis techniques he could take back to his home country.
His project involved looking at environmental sampling methods for detecting Johne’s disease contamination on drylot dairies. Johne’s disease is a contagious, chronic, and usually fatal infection found world-wide that primarily affects the small intestine of ruminants. It’s caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis. The disease can causesubstantial economic losses in infected dairy herds due to reduced milk production and increased cow-replacement costs.
Although Chamchoy said the dairy industry in Thailand is quite different than California’s with smaller herds, the knowledge he’s gained can still be applied.
“I would highly recommend this program to anyone working with data and wanting to learn how to best interpret their findings,” Chamchoy said.
Perhaps even more significant are the colleagues he gained along the way in his mentors, Dr. Sharif Aly, professor of epidemiology at the Veterinary Medicine teaching and Research Center in Tulare, as well as MPVM program director Dr. Janet Foley and program advisor Dr. Ashley Hill.
“One of the best things about this program was building connections that I can carry with me throughout my career, even after I go back home to apply what I’ve learned,” Chamchoy said.
Since 1967, the UC Davis MPVM program has trained more than 1,000 graduates from 87 different countries who have excelled worldwide in leadership, academic, and research positions with universities, private industry, international agencies, non-governmental organizations, and governments in 75 countries.
The goal of the 1-2 year program is to prepare veterinarians and physicians to address animal, human, and ecological problems, and to design and evaluate disease control. The MPVM degree also prepares students for further graduate work in epidemiology, ecology, international agriculture development, integrative pathobiology, or other programs.
The program is open to veterinarians and other professionals in One Health. If you are or will be enrolled in a DVM program, you are eligible for the DVM/MPVM dual degree.
Priority deadline for scholarship applications is Jan 15, 2020 and all applications must be received by June 1, 2020. For more information, please visit www.mpvm.vetmed.ucdavis.edu or contact Dr. Janet Foley, jefoley@ucdavis.edu