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:

1. To establish the first Institute of Companion Animal Gastroenterology worldwide
2. To establish the first Chair in Companion Animal Gastroenterology worldwide
3. To create the first academic training program in Companion Animal Gastroenterology
4. To establish a fund for collaborative projects in Companion Animal Gastroenterology
5. 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