(February 27, 2009 Stillwater, OK) – The Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences recently hosted a reception to officially launch the National Center for Veterinary Parasitology (NCVP), which will be housed at the OSU veterinary center in Stillwater. Representatives from Novartis Animal Health and Bayer Animal Health were among the attendees.

Novartis Animal Health pledged $225,000 as the first industry partner to support the NCVP followed by Bayer Animal Health for an equal monetary contribution and industry partnership. The Kirkpatrick Foundation established a gift of $100,000.

Initial plans include locating the facility in the lower level of McElroy Hall, the cornerstone of the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. The laboratory upgrade is scheduled to begin in 2009 with graduate studies commencing in 2010.

“The benefits both nationally and internationally will be many fold,” explains Dr. Susan Little, professor, Krull-Ewing Chair in Veterinary Parasitology, OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. “We are grateful to our industry partners and their commitment to advance veterinary parasitology and support it into the future.”

The mission of the NCVP is to further the many advances made in controlling parasitic diseases of animals through integrated programs of applied graduate and residency training, targeted current research initiatives, and a diagnostic and consulting service that serve the veterinary profession worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.ncvetp.com or http://www.ncvetp.org.

“In the last several years there has been a decline of veterinary parasitology training in the U.S.,” says Dr. Michael Lorenz, dean of the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. “The NCVP is an opportunity for us to continue training in the discipline of veterinary parasitology and to provide a source for national diagnostic testing.”

The Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences is one of 28 veterinary colleges in the United States and is fully accredited by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The center’s Boren Veterinary Medial Teaching Hospital is open to the public and provides routine and specialized care for small and large animals. It also offers 24 hour emergency care and is certified by the American Animal Hospital Association. For more information, visit www.cvhs.okstate.edu or call (405) 744-7000.

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