MU Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory

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Pathology Externship

Veterinary Diagnostic Pathology Externship

Objective
To assist junior and senior veterinary medical students in exploring careers in diagnostic pathology.

Program Description
The Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL) has externship programs to acquaint veterinary students with various aspects of laboratory medicine. The Anatomic Pathology Externship Program is offered annually and the training is tailored to meet the extern’s specific desires for exploring the field of diagnostic anatomic pathology. Rotations will be available in mammalian or avian necropsy, and histopathology. Externs will be assigned a faculty mentor and will become a vital member of a diagnostic service team.

Institutional Resources
The University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) is a major research university that enrolls about 34,000 students in 15 schools and colleges on a 1,335-acre campus. It has the breadth of programs associated with a nationally competitive institution.
The VMDL provides services to teaching hospitals and private clinics across the state. Our caseload includes small animals, horses, ruminants, poultry, wildlife, and exotic species. A team of faculty and resident pathologists as well as other diagnosticians will be available for consultation. Various clinical/diagnostic rounds, journal clubs, and seminars are open to trainees.

About the Community
Columbia, MO is a fun-filled oasis and is located halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City (about a 2-hour drive from each metropolis). It combines small-town comforts and low cost of living with big-city culture and activities. Money magazine, Fortune magazine, U.S. News & World Report and other news entities have rated Columbia, Mo., one of the best places to live.

Requirements
Current official transcripts of college course work.
A reference letter from a former or current Pathology instructor.
A 250-word personal statement which describes prior demonstrated experience or special interest in diagnostic pathology, and plans after graduation from veterinary medical college.

How to Apply
Download and complete the Application Form and mail or E-mail to:
Diagnostic Pathology Externship
Veterinary Medicine Diagnostic Laboratory
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Missouri
PO Box 6023
Columbia, MO 65202

Contact Us
Dr. Kei Kuroki, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: 573/882-6811
E-Mail: KurokiK@missouri.edu

Message from the Director

The University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL) is a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory and Missouri’s only laboratory accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. The VMDL is a Level I Lab of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, Tier I Lab of the FDA Veterinary Laboratory Response Network, and a National Poultry Improvement Plan authorized lab. The VMDL maintains an effective quality assurance and quality control program.

The VMDL has formal anatomical pathology, clinical pathology, and clinical microbiology training programs. The VMDL faculty hold academic appointments in the Departments of Veterinary Pathobiology and Veterinary Biomedical Sciences. The director is administratively responsible to the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine for the overall operation of the laboratory and its multiple missions of public service, teaching, research and continuing education/extension.

The VMDL faculty and staff work diligently to provide relevant, timely and cost-effective diagnostic services to our clients and to create a positive learning environment for our students and residents. In 2024, veterinarians, animal owners and researchers from 103 Missouri counties and cities, as well as from 51 states and provinces outside Missouri, continued to rely on the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory’s (VMDL) diagnostic services. The lab performed approximately 63,500 total cases and conducted nearly 204,500 tests.

About the MU VMDL

The VMDL is a full-service laboratory accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD). The VMDL provides in-depth laboratory diagnostic support to veterinary practitioners, livestock and poultry industry interests, companion animal interests, wildlife conservationists, scientists utilizing animals in their research throughout the university, state and regulatory officials, and clinicians of the MU Veterinary Health Center.

Our Location

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901 E. Campus Loop
Columbia, MO 65211

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