Course description
The School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis offers a professional degree, the Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine (MPVM). Using state-of-the-art modern methods in epidemiology, the program prepares veterinarians to investigate and evaluate disease and production problems in animal populations and to design, evaluate and implement disease control or other veterinary services programs.
The School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) is responsible for the overall administration of the MPVM program and for awarding of the degree but many Departments, Divisions and Schools at the university also actively contribute to the MPVM program. Faculty in the SVM and other collaborating faculty carry out research on a wide variety of animal diseases, on microbial and parasitic zoonoses, veterinary public health, food-borne infections of man, wildlife diseases and wildlife management, animal health economics, animal production, biostatistics, veterinary medical data management and computer applications in veterinary medicine.
Since its inception in 1966, more than 750 graduates of this pioneering educational program have gone on to top-level governmental, private industry, academic and practice careers in various areas of preventive veterinary medicine throughout the United States and 74 other countries.
A veterinarian can now combine MPVM academic training with field service in the Peace Corps as part of the Peace Corps Master's International Program. The candidate volunteer enters the Peace Corps and enrolls in the MPVM program. After completing course work, the student conducts an animal health project during a two-year Peace Corps assignment, then returns to school for a final quarter to complete the program and MPVM project based on the field research.
The MPVM program involves course work, a research project and a series of electives which permit the student to select one of the areas of emphasis (Population Health, Food Safety, Public Health and Zoonoses, Wildlife Disease & Ecology, Ecosysytem Health, International Health, Independent). A faculty advisor helps students tailor their selection of elective coursework to meet their individual future professional needs.
The MPVM program is a one-year program, but some students may require up to 2 years to complete all coursework requirements. For non-native English speaking students, a two-year program is highly recommended. A special part-time program is available for a limited number of students who are unable to leave their employment for three consecutive quarters of instruction.
Possible required courses:
MPM 402: Medical Statistics I, 4.0 units
Course Description: Statistics in clinical, laboratory and population medicine: graphical and tabular presentation of data; probability; binomial; Poisson, normal, t-, F-, and Chi-square distributions; elementary nonparametric methods; simple linear regression and correlation; life tables. Microcomputer applications of statistical procedures in population medicine.
MPM 412: Introduction to Information Management, 3.0 units Course Description: Introduction to information management. Emphasis on data quality and design of data applications. Specific topics include library fundamentals and managing human resources for project management, data collection, organization, storage, analysis and communication.
MPM 403: Medical Statistics II, 4.0 units Course Description: Continuation of MPM 402. Analysis of variance in biomedical sciences; nonparametric methods; multiple regression; biomedical applications of statistical methods. Microcomputer applications to reinforce principles that are taught in lecture.
MPM 405: Principles of Epidemiology, 4.0 units Course Description: Basic epidemiologic concepts and approaches to epidemiologic research, with examples from veterinary and human medicine, including outbreak investigation, infectious disease epidemiology, properties of tests, and an introduction to epidemiologic study design and surveillance.
MPM 405L: Epidemiology Laboratory, 1.0 units Course Description: A practical application of epidemiological methods using the microcomputer as a tool to solve problems. Utilizes spreadsheets and databases as tools to organize and analyze data. Emphasis on epidemiological methods introduced in course 405. Data sets provided.
MPM 408A: Veterinary Research: Planning and Reporting, 2.0 units Course Description: Planning, critical analysis, ethics, and written and oral communication of veterinary research.
MPM 410: Animal Health Policy and Risk Communication, 1.0 units Course Description: International, national and state policy issues affecting veterinary medicine, how policy is made, organizational cultures, the role of science in policy-making, ten best practices in risk/crisis communication, message-mapping for the public and policy-makers, and effective meeting management.
WINTER QUARTER
MPM 404: Medical Statistics III, 4.0 units Course Description: Analysis of time dependent variation and trends, analysis of multiway frequency tables; logistic regression; survival analysis selecting the best regression equation; biomedical applications.
MPM 406A: Epidemiologic Study Design, 3.0 units Builds on concepts presented in MPM 405. Concepts of epidemiologic study design—clinical trials, observational cohort studies, case control studies—introduced in MPM 405 are covered in more depth, using a problem-based format. Discussion of published epidemiologic studies.
MPM 408B: Veterinary Research: Planning and Reporting, 1.0 units Course Description: Planning, critical analysis, ethics, and written and oral communication of veterinary research.
MPM 426: Applied Epidemiologic Problem Solving, 1.0 units Course Description: Integration of epidemiologic and statistical methodology in a problem-solving approach to contemporary animal population health issues. Data validation and manipulation; descriptive statistical analysis using spreadsheets, database management, and Epi Info software. Builds on skills learned in MPM 405L and MPM 406.
