News Release
For Immediate Release — April 27, 2008
Tennessee Veterinary College Celebrates Expansion
Veterinary assistant Carol Tuft checks on a patient walking in one of two new underwater treadmills.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) — The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) has celebrated the completion of its small animal teaching hospital expansion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Construction on the $10 million, 32,000-gross-square-foot expansion began winter 2007. The expansion will provide more space for several service areas.
UT Vice President for Agriculture Dr. Joseph DiPietro said the small animal hospital matches the caliber and class of the people who work there. “The veterinary program, like all programs at UT, is another window to the public,” he said. “Clients who come here see the university in a different light, and it’s important they see we’re on the cutting edge of veterinary medicine.”
Dr. Leon Potgieter, UTCVM interim dean, said the hospital’s activities have long outgrown the available space. “When the college was built more than 30 years ago, it was never anticipated the facility would need to accommodate the approximately 15,000 small animals we currently treat each year,” Potgieter said. Since 1978, the patient caseload has increased by more than 70 percent.
In addition to an isolation suite for small animals with infectious diseases, the expansion includes medical oncology, radiation oncology, canine physical rehabilitation and therapy, and avian and zoological medicine.
Among other disciplines, the college has a national reputation in avian/zoological medicine and canine physical rehabilitation and therapy. According to Dr. Robert DeNovo, associate dean for Administration and Clinical Programs, “The facility will allow UTCVM to push the bar of contemporary educational standards to a new level.”
Housed within the new space is a linear accelerator used to treat cancer patients with radiation therapy, a heated therapy pool, and two underwater treadmills.
The college is still working to secure funding to expand its large animal teaching hospital.
One of 28 veterinary colleges in the United States, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine educates students in the art and science of veterinary medicine and related biomedical sciences, promotes scientific research and enhances human and animal well-being.
In addition to the programs of the College of Veterinary Medicine, the UT Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction, research and public service through the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station's system of ten research and
education centers and UT Extension offices in every county in the state.
The UTCVM is the winner of the 2006 Commitment Award from the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence.
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Contacts:
Sandra Harbison, (865) 974-7377, sharbiso@utk.edu
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