Principal Investigator: Kevin Cummings

Co-PI: Jodi A. Korich

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): 

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an increasingly serious threat to global health, and veterinarians must be properly equipped to face this challenge. Teaching about AMR in the core veterinary curriculum is regarded as a high priority by nearly all surveyed veterinary instructors in the United States. However, several barriers have been identified, including lack of relevant teaching resources. The purpose of this project is to develop and widely disseminate a comprehensive collection of competency-based educational resources on AMR to aid veterinary programs throughout the U.S. Our audience includes veterinary students (520 students during this project) as well as faculty who will become proficient in learner-centered teaching. There is potential to ultimately impact nearly 3,000 graduates per year from U.S. veterinary colleges. Resulting products include a comprehensive set of 3 AMR lessons, each to include multi-media instructional materials, interactive learning activities, student assessment instruments to objectively measure learning outcomes, and an instructor guide to facilitate curricular implementation. These lessons will be integrated into the Cornell and Texas A&M veterinary curricula, refined based on evaluation results, and subsequently disseminated to all U.S. veterinary colleges. We will also develop undergraduate learning activities on AMR for outreach to universities with significant under-represented student populations. Intended outcomes/impacts for veterinary students include achievement of learning outcomes related to pharmacologic considerations, mechanisms, and public health implications of AMR, along with antimicrobial stewardship in clinical practice. Faculty will develop expertise in utilizing learner-centered teaching techniques. We also anticipate increased recruitment of diverse students into veterinary medicine and related fields.