Education and Training Opportunities at the WFUPC
Nonhuman Primate Medicine Residency Training
The Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Section of Comparative Medicine is the recipient of a Nonhuman Primate Clinical Medicine Residency Program Training Grant to support three veterinarians for two years of specialized training in primate medicine. The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) has long recognized a shortage of veterinarians trained and proficient in the clinical management of nonhuman primates maintained for biomedical research and have offered such training opportunities through application using the R25 granting mechanism.
The Section on Comparative Medicine at Wake Forest University is particularly well suited to provide this type of training as there are over 50 years of history in the use of nonhuman primates as a model of human disease along with an equally long and rich history of training veterinarians in clinical medicine and research with nonhuman primates. The program and training will work directly with the Wake Forest University Primate Center to provide a broad exposure to the many different species and animal models in use across the primate center campuses. The training is offered under the guidance of a 16-member faculty, 14 of whom are veterinarians. Of those, five are board-certified by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM), and three are board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP). The academic environment comprises several other post-DVM educational programs which include ACLAM and ACVP training and a T32 supported research training grant.
Wake Forest University currently has four different Old World species (Macaca fascicularis [cynomolgus macaque], M. mulatta [rhesus], M. radiata [bonnet macaque], and Chlorocebus aethiops [African green]). They are housed in variety of settings including traditional four-cage rack housing, indoor/outdoor pens and corrals, and indoor group housing. Breeding groups of each of the four species provide experience and training in NHP breeding colony management, planning and oversight as well as clinical cases involving animals at all stages of life. WFU is somewhat unique among academic institutions to be licensed and approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the direct importation of NHPs from non-domestic sources. This too provides a unique training opportunity for potential zoonotic disease surveillance, as well as navigating the special regulations, facilities and operational requirements involved with importation of NHPs. During the residency the trainees are expected to conduct a limited-scope, clinically relevant research project utilizing nonhuman primates which should be suitable for publication and contribution to the greater body of knowledge regarding non human primate medicine.
In addition to the training and experience received through support from WFUPC, the trainees selected for participation in this residency will have the opportunity to train at other facilities housing different species of primates and offering other areas of primate research and medicine expertise. Two of our partners in this activity are the Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research (University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center), which will provide experience with New World species and chimpanzees, and the Southwest National Primate Research Center which will provide training in NHP genetic analysis, molecular genetics techniques and pedigree establishment as well as clinical training with baboons.
In summary, the Wake Forest University Primate Center hopes to contribute to the formal training of primate clinicians to meet a recognized shortage in this area. We aspire for the participants in this program to gain clinical experience with a variety of primate species, have exposure to a large array of nonhuman primate models used for biomedical research, gain familiarity with many different housing arrangements and managerial issues and accomplish a research study relative to the clinical care of nonhuman primates. Successful graduates from this program should contribute to and strengthen the field of research using nonhuman primate models.
More information is available on the Comparative Medicine website. Dr. Michael Adams is the Program Director, and Dr. Nancy Kock is the person to contact for more information.
In addition, the WFUPC offers unique collaborative opportunities for investigators from other institutions; Dr. Peter Pierre is the Assistant Director of our Visiting Scientist Program. Contact Dr. Pierre for more information.