University, in Rome Tor Vergata the new degree course in Veterinary Medicine

The Degree Course in Veterinary Medicine, the first in the Lazio region, will be active for the 2024-2025 academic year at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. Highly anticipated in the national academic panorama – explains the University in a note – the course aims to respond to the growing needs of the veterinary sector and the global challenges outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Rector Nathan Levialdi Ghiron is “particularly proud” to announce this. This is the “crowning of a complex academic journey,” he says. “After years of intense work involving the entire academic community, we are thrilled to finally see the start of the first year of the Degree Course in Veterinary Medicine. This milestone represents the realization of a project that has required years of dedication and concrete efforts to offer our students an excellent education. Starting in September, it will be possible to access an innovative and cutting-edge study program, designed to meet the growing needs of the veterinary sector. The course prepares future veterinarians to contribute significantly to the health and well-being of animals, providing the skills necessary to face the new challenges that such a delicate sector poses in an increasingly pressing manner.”

According to the WHO, 60% of known infectious diseases are zoonoses, that is, transmitted from animals to humans, while 75% of emerging diseases have animal origins and for this reason it is of fundamental importance to have an integrated and multidisciplinary approach in the prevention and management of diseases at the animal-human-ecosystem interface. The new degree course at Rome Tor Vergata, which welcomes 80 new students – among the more than 900 who applied in this summer’s tests – aims to train, starting from the 2024-2025 academic year, professionals capable of sustainably balancing and optimizing the health of animals and ecosystems (in which humans also live) in line with the “One Health” concept promoted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the WHO.

With over 60 million pets in Italy, of which approximately 10% reside in Lazio – the note informs – the importance of training professionals dedicated to the well-being of domestic animals is evident. The increase in the population’s sensitivity towards the human-animal relationship predicts a growth in the demand for veterinarians specialized in the care of companion animals. Furthermore, Lazio, with its significant agro-livestock supply chain, requires highly qualified veterinarians to guarantee the protection of consumer health through the management of the health of livestock, the management of livestock supply chains, quality certifications and the inspection of foods of animal origin. Furthermore, the region hosts numerous centers of excellence in biomedical, pharmaceutical and biotechnological research, contexts in which the veterinarian plays a crucial role both in translational medicine and in pharmaceutical development.

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The new degree course in Veterinary Medicine at Rome Tor Vergata is located in the Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and offers students modern and well-equipped classrooms for classroom teaching and exercises, as well as a cutting-edge veterinary hospital for clinical practice in the new headquarters of the Gregorio VII Veterinary Hospital, in via della Vignaccia in Rome.

“Choosing to become a veterinarian – explains Levialdi Ghiron – is not just a professional decision, but a real calling dictated by the passion for animals and the desire to take care of their well-being and therefore also ours. This profession requires dedication, empathy and a constant commitment to scientific research and innovation. It is a career that offers daily challenges and immense satisfaction, in the awareness that every small gesture can have a big impact on the world around us. We are proud to be able to support and train students motivated by this passion, ready to make a difference. The new training offer – he concludes – represents a significant step forward for the University of Rome Tor Vergata and for the entire Lazio region, helping to train highly qualified professionals in a sector vital for public health and animal welfare”.