Department of Biomedical Sciences
The mission of the Department of Biomedical Sciences is:
- To deliver quality veterinary student teaching and graduate and postdoctoral training programs.
- To conduct state of the art biomedical research.
- To provide timely and quality diagnostic services to our hospital clients and biomedical research community.
- To foster scholarly activity.
The department currently consists of 27 permanent faculty positions with primary appointments, seven faculty with secondary appointments, five research faculty, ten research associates, four postdoctoral associates, six graduate students and five pathology residents.
The department faculty directed 22 undergraduate courses representing 1,062.5 contact hours and 63 credit hours. They also direct graduate courses in our PhD program. A number of faculty from the Tufts University School of Medicine, alumni and area veterinarians/scientists also participate in the department's teaching program.
A number of faculty members are involved in biomedical research in the area of infectious diseases, aging and cancer, neuroscience and reproductive biology, and digestive diseases. These research activities are supported, in most part, by extramural grants and contracts from federal and state agencies and biotechnology companies. Members of the department are also involved in the research and operation of the New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory which is dedicated to the study of emerging infectious diseases and the prevention and therapeutic treatment of toxin mediated diseases.
Services to the small and large animal hospitals are provided by the department's Section of Pathology. Faculty and staff provide biopsy/necropsy and clinical pathology services. The Histology Lab provides biopsy, immunohistochemistry and high quality slide preparation. The Clinical Pathology Laboratory performs diagnostic tests such as hematology, clinical chemistry, coagulation tests and urinalysis for Tufts' patients and for research projects.