One of these is directly related to a press release by the National Academies on May 30, 2012. It states that because of budget cuts at universities and grant money provided, funding is leaving areas of veterinary medicine that in my opinion are THE most important with regards to global health. Veterinary medicine isn't just about treating sick puppies and kittens. It's about finding new ways to lessen our disturbances within this global ecosystem and the detrimental health effects to all life involved because of it. It's about being on the front lines of a microbial war that seems like a never ending struggle just to stay on top. And it's about educating others to do the same indifferent to where you are from or what your background may be.
Now I understand that money in an economy equals choice; however, it feels to me that those choices are being made ill-advised as to their detrimental effect on our health as a whole. And this worries me for our future. Veterinarians in these areas of expertise will definitely have wonderful job security as there will be less of them and possibly more problems for them to solve and overcome.
There was a line in that press release that since I saw it have posted it everywhere on my wall, computer screen, post-it notes, and phone.
Establishing a health-oriented think tank with the goal of advancing sustainable food-animal husbandry practices, welfare policies, ecosystem health standards, and the capacity of the veterinary profession in the developing world, is important and could help future generations of veterinarians collaborate across professions, disciplines, and cultures.
If money is going to be taken away from these industries, then the only responsible action is to figure out where we need to go from here and start putting those choices back to work towards advancing our global health.
