Student recruitment begins for Lakehead University's new veterinary medicine program
Program a partnership between Lakehead, University of Guelph
Lakehead University students in Thunder Bay will soon be sharing the campus with cows, horses, sheep and dogs.
The university, in partnership with the University of Guelph, is starting recruitment for the new collaborative doctor of veterinary medicine program.
"There is a shortage of vets generally, but there's a a really urgent need for vets in northern Ontario," said Gillian Siddall, Lakehead's president and vice-chancellor. "We know that we need more vets to look after our pets, but equally important is the agri-food business in this region and right across Northern Ontario."
"In Thunder Bay, for example, there's only one vet clinic that works with large animals, and that is absolutely insufficient. So we're really happy to be part of a process that's going to ensure that there are more vets working in the north."
Lakehead will begin construction on a new large animal educational facility in early summer, Siddall said. It will be located behind the Faculty of Education building on the Thunder Bay campus.
"That's where the cows and the sheep and the horses and dogs will be housed," Siddall said. The project will also repurpose some existing space for labs, classrooms and student spaces.
The first students will begin in 2025. But those who enrol in the program in 2025 and 2026 will complete all four years in Guelph while the Lakehead University facility is under construction.
After that, students will do the first two years in Thunder Bay and the second two years in Guelph.
"If you could materialize five full-time veterinarians right now in Thunder Bay, they would be fully booked tomorrow," Dr. Domenic Sanzo, veterinarian and partner at Thunder Bay Veterinary Hospital, said in a media release.
"Some people might say you'd want all those veterinarians at your clinic so that you get the business," he stated. "But I don't even care about that right now — I just need help."
"We should be working as a collaborative group to succeed because there's plenty of business for all of us. Let's make sure we have success for everybody involved here."