Goals
The Gastrointestinal Laboratory at Texas A&M University is a
unique Laboratory. We provide unique testing services for
practicing veterinarians. When a veterinarian in practice is
presented with a dog or cat with a complex gastrointestinal disease
they can send a sample to the GI Lab for testing and often we will
be able to help them make a diagnosis and choose the appropriate
therapy.
"A major priority of the College of Veterinary Medicine is to
establish and maintain internationally-renowned centers of
excellence that will lead veterinary medicine into the future. Such
centers that provide both research and clinical services will yield
outstanding benefits to our clients and their animals. I believe
that the GI Lab here at Texas A&M University exemplifies such a
center of excellence, and I hope that you will join me in
supporting this program so that its work can continue to explore
and expand the frontiers of veterinary gastroenterology."
H. Richard Adams, Former Carl B. King Dean of
Veterinary Medicine, with Reveille VI and VII, College Station,
TX
Currently, we evaluate more than 1000 samples each week. But we
are also involved in research. Over the last 10 years we have
developed several new tests for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal
diseases in dogs and cats. Some of these are now considered the
gold-standard for diagnosis all over the world. We are involved in
approximately 50 different research projects at the moment and
collaborate with many investigators at different universities and
clinics all around the world.
However, there are two long-term problems we face - in short,
people and money. While our full-time team is made up of 18 people,
there is only one faculty member at the moment with eight graduate
students. This ratio is not ideal. Of course we could decrease the
number of graduate students, but this would diminish the number of
projects we can be involved in. Since we would prefer not to do
that, we have decided to try to add additional faculty members. As
I am sure you are aware, faculty positions are hard to create and
in an environment where state contributions to veterinary colleges
are steadily decreasing, a state-funded faculty line for the GI Lab
is not realistic. Also, funding such a new faculty position solely
from grant income is unrealistic. Thus, we have decided to embark
on a major capital campaign and I am very proud to be able to
introduce our campaign to you.
"As a clinician, educator, and editor I have seen the field of
small animal gastroenterology dramatically advance over the last 20
years and the GI Lab at Texas A&M University has taken a major
role in this development. I hope that you will join me in
supporting the growth of this fabulous institution to ensure many
more such developments."
Stephen J. Ettinger, Los Angeles,
CA
Overall, we have five goals for this
campaign:
- To establish the first Institute of
Companion Animal Gastroenterology worldwide
- To establish the first Chair in Companion
Animal Gastroenterology worldwide
- To create the first academic training
program in Companion Animal Gastroenterology
- To establish a fund for collaborative
projects in Companion Animal Gastroenterology
- To establish a capital equipment
fund
Institute of Companion Animal
Gastroenterology. Many of the veterinary schools around the
country have established institutes in areas of special expertise.
For example, here at Texas A&M, we were able to establish the
DeBakey Institute of Cardiovascular Research. At first glance, it
may appear that such an institute is only a name. But it is much
more than that. An institute guarantees important resources, such
as laboratory space and a stream of funding. To our knowledge,
there is not a single institute world-wide that is dedicated to
companion animal gastrointestinal health and I strongly believe
that we have been able to create the right environment here at
Texas A&M University to develop such an Institute of Companion
Animal Gastroenterology.
Chair in Companion Animal
Gastroenterology. Most veterinary schools have been striving
to create chairs in specific areas. I am sure that you are familiar
with chairs in Veterinary Oncology, Clinical Nutrition, or Internal
Medicine. Again, I am unaware of any such chair in Companion Animal
Gastroenterology. A chair is very important because it is
associated with an endowment that provides a continuous stream of
funding. This funding can be used to hire new faculty and staff,
buy capital equipment, or fund a study that otherwise could not be
done.
Academic Training Program in Companion
Animal Gastroenterology. There are many clinical residency
programs around the country that educate great clinicians in
internal medicine. There are also a couple of training programs
that train PhD students in Companion Animal Gastroenterology.
Unfortunately, at the moment, there is no single training program
that does both. With the realization that evidence-based medicine
is becoming more and more important in everyday veterinary
practice, we believe that we must strive for the fusion of clinical
medicine and science. To that end, we are planning to initiate a
combined residency/PhD program that would ensure that there is a
next generation of clinically-oriented scientists in Companion
Animal Gastroenterology.
Collaborative Research Fund. Every
year the GI Lab works with a number of collaborators from different
universities and private practices from the US and abroad. Often
times we will be contacted by a colleague, who has a great idea but
no funding. We have always felt that it is very important to ensure
that people who have little access to funding can get involved in
the advancement of Companion Animal Gastroenterology. We would thus
like to establish a formal fund for these projects to ensure that
we can maintain a supportive environment for our colleagues.
Capital Equipment Fund. As
technologies advance our research capabilities improve
dramatically. But at the same time research is becoming
increasingly more expensive. Today it is not unusual for us to have
to invest $100,000 for a new piece of equipment. In addition, these
machines need service contracts and in many cases the analysis of a
single sample can require materials that cost in excess of $100 per
sample. In order to make sure that new technologies do not become
cost prohibitive, we need to establish a capital equipment fund
that can take over the payment of service contracts and allows for
the purchase of new equipment in the future.
"As Head of the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, I
value the contributions of the GI Lab in our mission of advancing
the care of veterinary patients. The GI Lab Team is a valuable
departmental asset, but the scope of their contributions to
veterinary medicine is worldwide. As most of you are aware, one of
the main functions of the GI Lab is to provide diagnostic testing
services and consultations by boarded internists. Simultaneously,
research and scholarship in gastrointestinal disease are
emphasized, and we are proud of the fact that the GI Lab never
loses sight of its main goal of advancing diagnostic methods and
treatments for veterinary patients. The GI Lab has a proven record
of excellence with a national and international scope, and I
encourage you to support this campaign to solidify its foundation
for the future."
Sandee M. Hartsfield, Head, Department of
Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College Station, TX