Texas A&M VMBS To Shift Panhandle-Based Programming
Story by Jennifer Gauntt, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Beginning in the summer of 2026, the Texas A&M Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach campus will work to expand clinical education, while maintaining its research focus, with the goal of developing a new center of excellence in livestock medicine and rural practice in Canyon, Texas.
Building on the strengths of its Texas Panhandle-based research, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program clinical training, and relationships with West Texas A&M University (WT) and industry partners, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) will transition the programming offered at its Veterinary Education, Research, and Outreach (VERO) campus in Canyon, Texas, at the end of the spring 2026 semester.
With the goal of establishing a new center of excellence in livestock medicine and rural practice at VERO, the VMBS will expand its DVM clinical rotations and maintain focus on its nationally recognized research while concluding its preclinical veterinary coursework offered through the 2+2 DVM program. VERO, which was created as a partnership between the VMBS and WT in 2009, is located on the WT campus in Canyon.
“Through the development of a new center of excellence, a world-class program for hands-on training in production medicine and rural practice can be established at VERO. This center would offer immersive, high-impact clinical experiences for fourth-year veterinary students and graduate veterinarians through our strong partnerships with West Texas A&M and stakeholders in rural veterinary practices and the cattle industry,” said Dr. Bonnie R. Rush, The Carl B. King Dean at the VMBS. “We are committed to further developing educational training programs that will strengthen the presence and impact of Texas A&M in the Texas Panhandle, and this shift will better serve those needs.”
Producing New Opportunities
As home to one-quarter of the nation’s finished beef supply and ranked as the third-largest milk shed in the United States, the Texas Panhandle provides the VMBS with ample opportunities for expanding experiential training that will allow clinical veterinary trainees to apply their knowledge and skills as they progress toward graduation.
Since 2020, pre-eminent VMBS faculty have been leading fourth-year clinical rotations at VERO in dairy cattle practice, cattle feedlot medicine and surgery, rural and mixed animal general practice, and working horse health maintenance. More than 227 Aggie DVM students have gained unique, agriculture and veterinary industry-relevant training through these elective, two-week rotations.
Now, new rotations in rural practice management will be developed to strengthen graduate success in practice ownership in the Texas Panhandle region. Once established, the new center of excellence will expand those offerings, serving as a national hub for advanced clinical training in livestock production and rural practice business management coursework for Texas A&M veterinary students and those from other veterinary colleges.
“These experiences will strengthen technical skills, competence, and confidence of our graduates in livestock medicine,” Rush said. “Livestock-interested veterinary students will become familiar with the Texas Panhandle at the critical time, when they are considering job opportunities.”
In addition, VERO research faculty will continue to support the livestock industries through collaborative studies that promote the productivity and the sustainability of animal agriculture. Over the past three years, the VERO research team has received $10.4 million in new funding, covering 46 awards, for projects that span bovine respiratory disease, antimicrobial use and resistance, food safety, cattle behavior, and animal welfare.
A Sustainable Future
The decision to end the 2+2 DVM program centers on its sustainability following recent changes made by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education, the accreditation body for veterinary colleges, related to the delivery of distance education.
“We recognize and celebrate the commitment of the faculty, staff, and stakeholders who worked diligently to establish and deliver the 2+2 program,” Rush said. “The VMBS continues its commitment to strong educational training programs that address the needs of Texas’ agriculture community and strengthen the presence and impact of the college in the Texas Panhandle.”
Current 2+2 DVM program students will join their peers in College Station for the fall 2026 semester, and following the conclusion of the 2+2 program, all 180 students accepted into Texas A&M’s DVM program will complete the four-year curriculum in College Station.
Existing VERO faculty with clinical training credentials in production medicine and rural practice will be retained to deliver elective courses, clinical rotations, and externships at VERO and surrounding communities. VERO faculty members who teach the pre-clinical curriculum will be offered faculty positions in College Station.
“Through the creation of a new center of excellence in livestock medicine and rural practice, the VERO research faculty and rotating DVM students will continue their work to support regional producers, expanding their nationally recognized research portfolio through discovery in livestock disease prevention, antimicrobial drug resistance, and herd health management,” Rush said. “This transition will leverage existing assets in the Texas Panhandle region to train students for their future in rural practice and livestock medicine in a way that better encourages them to stay and serve the region.”
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For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
