Michigan State University, College of Veterinary Medicine – East Lansing, MI
Program Duration: January 5, 2026, to January 4, 2029.
Annual Salary: $43,000
The Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at the Michigan State University (MSU) College of Veterinary Medicine is offering one (1) three-year standard track residency training program position in Medical Oncology.
Brief program summary:
The Medical Oncology residency at Michigan State University (MSU) is a 3-year training program designed to prepare the resident for board-certification candidacy with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Specialty of Oncology. Our training program is multi-faceted and encompasses prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of companion animals with cancer. Training in basic and applied aspects of cancer biology, conventional therapeutics, and experimental therapeutics is provided. The MSU VMC Oncology service is part of the larger campus wide One Team, One Health initiative. The service is supported by on-site strength in surgical oncology and off-site radiation oncology support. MSU is also home to the MSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, one of the country’s premier veterinary diagnostic laboratories. The program routinely offers multiple clinical trials for canine and feline oncology patients; these are MSU-investigator led trials, as well as trials with collaborators in industry and other academic institutions.
Additional information and expectations:
Residents are provided time away from clinical responsibilities to participate in research and prepare for board examinations. Opportunities to attend conferences related to veterinary oncology will be provided, with a stipend that may be used toward conference registration, travel, or membership fees. The resident’s work schedule is developed by the faculty to satisfy the training requirements of ACVIM and to fulfill full-time employment at MSU. This includes time spent with other specialty services and therefore the resident’s clinical duties are not restricted to medical oncology alone.
Residents are expected to attend and participate in house officer seminars and case presentations. Hospital-wide house officer seminars also occur weekly, and residents deliver one to two, fifty-minute seminars on a topic of their choosing during each year of their program.
Residents play a crucial role in student instruction and grading when on clinical service. Residents are also allowed to assist in teaching laboratories for pre-clinical courses. Additional chances to provide didactic teaching sessions can be discussed on an individual basis, depending on interest.
Weekly duty hours are typically 45 hours.
Other programmatic requirements:
Continuous improvement in proficiency, physical exam skills, diagnostic capability, and knowledge base is expected throughout the program. Residents are expected to maintain flexibility in their approach to their workday, regarding both patient-management and teaching responsibilities. Residents will be responsible for managing both in-patients and out-patients, and consulting with other hospital services as indicated. The best client service possible is always expected. Residents must also provide follow-up on cases as needed with both clients and referring veterinarians. Residents must strive to develop and excel at client and peer communication skills as well as successful collaboration in a team environment. High-quality efforts in student teaching are also expected.
Responsibility for transfers (i.e., cases admitted by other services requiring management by the medical oncology team) is shared between the oncology intern, resident, and faculty, with expectations for the resident to be the primary clinician managing the case. On-call responsibility will be shared by the resident and faculty, after an initial training time. A faculty member will always be available as back-up for the resident.
Resident duties also include participation in research. Residents are encouraged to pursue an independent project and first author publication, although this requirement can be supplemented with other qualifying activities as defined by ACVIM. Research project participation must be approved by supervising medical oncology faculty.
Our residency program is approved by the ACVIM. However, it is the responsibility of the individual resident to ensure they meet specialty board requirements. The program provides support to the resident through direct supervision and clinical teaching, board preparation rounds, journal club, and other educational opportunities as described in the ACVIM Program description (Oncology Approved Reency Training Programs), regularly scheduled oncology rounds, resident seminars and local as well as national continuing education opportunities.
The selected candidate will be appointed as an Instructor/Resident in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. No formal course work is included in the program. Full faculty benefits, which include comprehensive medical/dental packages are available, and premiums will vary. There is also an optional base retirement plan available after completing 24 FTE (full-time equivalent) service months of continuous employment if you work 50% time or more, and for nine (9) months or longer. Professional liability coverage and vacation days are provided.
Appointments are for a calendar year, renewable each year based on satisfactory progress until completion of the program. Residents will receive performance reviews biannually at minimum. Additional reviews will take place as necessary or as requested. Criteria assessed will include clinical abilities, teaching abilities, scholarly activities, professional conduct, interpersonal skills, and compliance with hospital policies and procedures.
To be eligible for this program, a candidate must have satisfactorily completed a one-year rotating internship and one year or more in practice or a specialty internship. The certificate of residency is awarded upon successful completion of the training program.
Applicants are not required to visit MSU as part of the application. A Skype/Zoom interview may be a part of the application/selection process.
The successful candidate will hold a veterinary degree (DVM or equivalent) and demonstrate a strong interest in advanced training in medical oncology. Completion of a rotating internship or equivalent clinical experience is required. Additional clinical experience beyond a one-year internship is highly desired.
Practice in the MSU Veterinary Medical Center requires Michigan Clinical Academic Limited and Controlled Substance licensure. A Clinical Academic Limited license is available and acceptable and requires no additional testing beyond NAVLE. Michigan licensure application fees will be paid for and are reimbursable expenses. Additional fees, including but not limited to, transcript requests, criminal background check/finger printing, verification of licensure in another state, etc., may be the responsibility of the selected resident. The selected resident will be provided with additional details to assist in obtaining Michigan licensure. Program requires proof of passing NAVLE score prior to start of program.
Application materials:
• Your Contact Information
• School Granting your Veterinary Degree
• Special Disciplinary Interest
• Your Current Position
• Publications, research or other pertinent experience
• Post-DVM Training Programs Completed
• Work Authorization
At this time, Michigan State University is only able to accept residency trainees that are citizens or legal permanent residents (green card holders) of the United States, and individuals eligible for a TN visa from Mexico or Canada.
Transcripts
You will enter information into your application packet for each veterinary school you attended. If you attended a separate school for your clinical year, you should make an entry for your clinical year school. You will provide the following information:
• School Name
• Location
• Degree
• GPA (If your school does not provide GPA, enter NA)
• Class Rank (If your school does not provide class rank, enter NA)
• Academic Honors
• PDF of your official transcript
All transcripts must be submitted by the applicant via email. You must provide a scanned copy of your OFFICIAL transcript or an official electronic transcript in PDF format. DO NOT provide your institution’s web-based academic record or a document stating it is not an official transcript. Make sure that all critical and identifying marks have been scanned and are legible. These include the institution's name, your name, the names of your courses, and the grades you have received. It is important that you scan both the front and back of your transcript. All transcripts not in English must be translated into English by a Certified Translation Service. You are responsible for ensuring your transcripts meet the requirements.
Personal Statement
You will upload a personal statement in PDF format. Your personal statement should be one to two pages in length and discuss your expectations of an internship/residency program and your future professional goals. In addition, we encourage you to describe your anticipated contributions to your matched institution. These may include life experiences, background, past activities or unique personal characteristics that would contribute to the program in meaningful ways.
Curriculum Vitae
Three (3) Letters of Reference directly from reference.
Proof of passing NAVLE score required to start the program.
*Materials should be emailed to Dr. Kelly Hume (humekell@msu.edu) and Ms. Erika Flinn (flinneri@msu.edu) with “Medical Oncology Residency Application Packet (Name)” in the subject line.
Applications deadline: November 17, 2025
Offer Date: January 5, 2026
Questions regarding the application process or the program may be directed to Dr. Kelly Hume, (humekell@msu.edu).