The ACVP/STP Coalition Responds to the Continued Shortage of Veterinary Pathologists

Abstract

Recently released results of a supply and demand survey (http://www.toxpath.org/acvp_workforce. asp) of veterinary pathologists conducted in 2007 by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP), the American Society of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, and the Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP) confirm the results of a similar survey conducted in 2002 (http://www.acvp.org/news/ 2002SupplyDemand/2002Supply.pdf)—there is a continued shortage of veterinary pathologists to fill a growing number of critical positions in academia, industry, and government. Comparison of the results of the 2 surveys, however, indicates that considerable progress has been made in the last 5 years, particularly on the supply (training) side. Specifically, it has become easier to recruit candidates for postDVM pathology training, the quality of the candidate pool has improved, and there are more positions and trainees in veterinary anatomic pathology and clinical pathology training programs. In response to the workforce shortage originally documented in the 2002 survey, the ACVP/STP Coalition for Veterinary Pathology Fellows was established to provide a unified mechanism to solicit and allocate funds to train additional, much-needed veterinary pathologists. After approximately 4 years of operations, this unique educational initiative has established partnerships between academia and the biopharmaceutical industry to create 22 new training positions, including 15 anatomic pathology residencies, 3 clinical pathology residencies, and 4 postresidency PhD pathology research positions. These positions were funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Charles River Laboratories, Eli Lilly, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Pfizer, sanofi-aventis, Schering-Plough, and Wyeth. Importantly, sponsors who funded the initial 3-year training positions have since renewed funding for another set of positions. ‘‘The visionary participation of these world-class biopharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations and their commitment to the training of future veterinary pathologists attest to their recognition that data submitted by these companies to regulatory agencies must always be of the highest quality,’’ noted Dr. Ricardo Ochoa, president of the STP. ‘‘By assuring the supply of well-trained veterinary pathologists, some of whom will likely become employed in private industry, these organizations are planning for the continued accuracy of decisions on the safety and efficacy of new chemical entities in the future.’’ Sponsors provide support for stipend, tuition and fees, benefits, travel, and educational supplies for 3 years. In addition to support for the training positions themselves, other sponsors have supplied unrestricted contributions for important enabling activities of the Coalition. Companies that have offered this form of support include Allergan, Aperio, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Burroughs-Wellcome Fund, Elsevier, Experimental Pathology Laboratories, GEMpath, Histo-Scientific Research Laboratories, Integrated Laboratory Systems, Millennium-Takeda, The Leyden Group, and Wyeth. Taken together, $5.2 million in commitments has been raised during the past 4 years. At the conclusion of their training, Fellows have no payback obligation or commitment to sponsors other than to complete the ACVP certification examination and pursue a career in veterinary pathology. The new positions were awarded on a competitive application basis to 14 different North Vet Pathol 46:565–566 (2009) DOI: 10.1354/vp.09-VP-0036-C-COM