Future vets study foreign animal diseases in New York

Daily Record (Rochester, NY), May 29, 2008

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine are hosting the 12th annual Smith-Kilborne program in Ithaca and Plum Island, New York.

Ninety-six veterinary students from 30 universities across the United States and Canada will attend the week-long program on foreign animal diseases that can potentially threaten domestic animals. The Smith-Kilborne program, annually hosted by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Plum Island Animal Diseases Center on Long Island, was founded by the USDA in honor of two former employees who discovered the transmission method for Texas cattle fever.

At Cornell students learn about foreign animal diseases, risk analysis and emergency management. At Plum Island, students will conduct hands-on research and diagnostic training on the most significant foreign animal diseases in laboratory sessions. The center, in operation for nearly 50 years, has been managed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since 2003. The program began Tuesday and continues through next Wedneday, June 4.