Welcome

Prof.Anton Pijpers

Dean Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Utrecht University

Aerial view of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Utrecht

General Info

• Only Veterinary Medicine faculty in the Netherlands, part of Utrecht University

• Budget approx. 100 M€ per year

• 800 fte - 1000 employees:

– 400 fte academic staff

– 400 fte support and admin

• 1600 students

• Average 40 PhD’s earned each year

• Academic Veterinary Hospital

ca. 4300 active vets

• Around 3100 in practice• The others: industry, government, research,

academia, education

Practitioner Other

Mission FVM-UU

Opening up new horizons in Veterinary Medicine

Motto: One World, One Medicine, One Health

General trends• Need for animal proteins worldwide

– 9 billion people in 2040– Growth in fish and meat production and consumption, especially

fish and poultry– Changes in values and ethical stances of consumers:

acceptance of modern technology, sustainable production methods, animal welfare, biodiversity protection, fair trade

• Farm(er) specialisation• Differences within Europe• Information technology, open knowledge world• Global world, all travelling around• Global world market and trade• (re)Emerging diseases• Importance of biomedical research is increasing• Quality systems are integrated and accepted in every

part of the food chain or transparant for clients.

Specific trends

• Food producing animals......• Companion animals/ equine……• Wildlife services and monitoring• Biomedical research

– comparative medicine of multiple species

• Human health, One health• New diagnostic techniques

Societal demands

• Healthy animals• Animal welfare, well-being, adaptation• Public health, One Health, food safety,

sustainable production

• Differences within Europe• Emotions vs ratio• Checks and balances, need for quality

systems

Public Health – One Health

– (emerging) Zoönoses– Antimicrobial resistance– Food safety– Environmental security

– Basic principles in biomedical research• Vaccine-technology• Cell-biology• Regenerative medicine• Cancer research• etc

Vet – “Public health servant”

Primary role in serving society!!

Role at the interface of animals, humans and environment (One Health):

- (emerging) Zoönoses- Antimicrobial resistance, what are the facts?- Food safety- Environmental health, sustainable food production

- Not only in food producing animals but also in companion animals!!

Vet –“Animal health specialist”

• Traditional role as a clinician– knowledge of healthy and diseased animals

• Focus on prevention• Monitoring and surveillance of diseases• Risk analysis – disease, public health• Supervising technical services• Academic approach

– Problem-solving: collaboration and integration– Diagnostic innovations

Vet – “Animal welfare protection”

• Advocating the well-being of animals• Scientifically founded position• Evaluating the welfare of the animal and

recognises possible abuses (housing, stewardship)

• Advice how to improve welfare conditions

The future veterinarian• Based on knowledge and primary skills of public health

and animal health and animal welfare, for different species:

• Is not anymore only a single hard-working practitioner mainly busy with animal health in all species;

• Is a health care professional with self-confidence on serving society, problem-solving and integrating disciplines with other professionals

• Is an advisor, coach, consultant with specialised added value, delivering higher value services;

• Is a critical thinker with self-reflection• Has awareness on quality assurance and improvement• Is an animal health and welfare ‘specialist’• Focus on the concepts of One Health

Professional competences

• Veterinary expertise:– Animal health– Animal welfare– Public health, One Health

• Academic attitude: analyze and interprete• Collaboration• Communication• Leadership: spokesman on animal issues,

leader in animal/human interface• Business management, marketing• Ethical standards

VetPro

Thank you