September 24, 2012
Education, research, clinical care
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) welcomes two faculty members to the Department of Large Animal Clinical Science (LCS). Jill Brester, DVM, and Jennifer Roberts, DVM, joined the faculty as assistant professors and will deepen the department’s expertise in dairy production medicine and surgery.
Drs. Brester and Roberts will supervise veterinary students during clinical rotations at the Training Center for Dairy Production (TCDP) at Green Meadow Farms and also will perform clinical services at the farm.
“Their commitment to education and training will be a great asset to the school,” said Ray Geor, BVSc, MVSc, PhD, DACVIM , professor and chairperson of LCS. “Their presence will strengthen the research and clinical community at Green Meadow Farms and in the department—we’re excited to have them here.”
Dr. Brester earned her DVM at Kansas State University in 2005 and completed an internship at MSU in large dairy herd medicine in 2006. Her focus is on dairy production medicine and surgery. Dr. Roberts completed her DVM at MSU in 2005 and focuses on reproduction, dairy training center medicine, and surgery.
The training center at Green Meadow Farms is a one-of-a-kind teaching facility. Located on a working dairy farm, TCDP provides specialized training in caring for dairy animals. It is an important component of the CVM’s extraordinary resources in teaching large animal sciences. Students and veterinarians work and conduct research at the farm and students learn about the dairy industry in addition to animal health and production.
The dairy industry continues to change, and the roles of veterinarians change along with the industry. The training center prepares students in new technologies and industry practices and has also strengthened the department’s capacity to conduct research in the field.
“Green Meadow Farms and the training center provide students opportunities to learn about every aspect of dairy production medicine,” says Dr. Brester. “It’s an incredible facility for learning and for developing new ways of training new generations of veterinarians.”
With a milking herd of about 3,500 cows and calves being born every day, students see the entire production cycle and have clinical opportunities unavailable in a regular veterinary school setting. Also, the farm is MAEAP verified, which means that the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program has determined environmentally sound practices are in place and the farm is working to prevent or minimize agricultural pollution risks.
“Students at the farm learn all aspects of farm animal health, production, and welfare,” says Dr. Roberts. “They are trained in calving and pregnancy checks and see patients with common medical conditions. Because it’s such a large facility, students also see less common conditions. It’s a great place to learn veterinary medicine and also for students to learn the relationship of animal health to the overall success of the farm.”
“Dr. Roberts and Dr. Brester were recruited to add breadth to the department,” said Dean Christopher Brown. “They will support the college’s commitment to understand and tackle complex issues in our food system. They are now part of a team that is building a safer, healthier environment for animals and for humans.”
Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, a world-renowned institute of veterinary education, strives to develop a diverse academic community that fosters scholarly activity and encourages exemplary human qualities. The College imparts the art and science of veterinary medicine to its students, which is expanded by research, and extended to the public for the benefit of animal and human health. With more than 100 years of teaching excellence, CVM continues to prepare leaders, life-savers, and world changers to meet the challenges of Michigan, the nation, and the world.
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