The University of Kentucky (UK) Department of Veterinary Science’s cooperative agreement with Lincoln Memorial University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (LMU CVM) is providing research experiences for LMU veterinary students.

This partnership resulted from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education requirement that veterinary students be provided with the opportunity to participate in research programs. While LMU was able to provide state-of-the-art teaching facilities and classrooms, LMU CVM founding dean Glen Hoffsis, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, felt students would benefit from hands-on experience in the established research laboratories at UK’s Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center. These laboratories, along with scientific experts and a research farm of about 300 horses, provide a unique opportunity for both LMU faculty and veterinary students to engage in equine research. The location also played a key role, as LMU is located in Harrogate, Tennessee, approximately 130 miles south of UK.

“Since Kentucky does not have a veterinary school, this cooperative agreement also brings aspiring veterinarians to our area and introduces them to the local equine industry,” said David Horohov, PhD, chair of the department of veterinary science and director of the Gluck Center.

Lincoln Memorial welcomed its first class of veterinary students in 2014 and, the following summer, the first group of three veterinary students began their student research experience in laboratories at the Gluck Center. A second group of 11 students arrived in Lexington for their research experience the following year. This summer, another eight students spent several weeks collaborating with faculty, staff, and postdoctoral and graduate students at UK on a variety of research projects. There was a barbeque hosted at the Gluck Center to welcome the students and the summer concluded with an LMU student research presentations seminar at the UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory