PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2020 - 17

compliance. Failures stem from lack of infrastructure and
knowledge, muzzling of public health officials and healthcare
providers, failure to pursue contact tracing and virus testing
early on, sewing confusion or distortion of information, or
frank politicization. Sound familiar? The 'human dimension'
predicts whether a spillover causing a rare human infection or
sporadic outbreak evolves to a catastrophic pandemic. Human
dimensions serve as an important fulcrum for global governance
and resource investment strategies. For example, new proposed
legislation (bit.ly/BrianFitzpatrick) that addresses
wet markets and governmental transparency in virus
outbreaks will be helpful to avoid future pandemics
involving direct or indirect transmission of viruses
from animals to humans.

disciplines and communities (e.g. art, science, and religion
in Florence producing Leonardo da Vinci). An additional
historical factor in periods of great innovation is the aftermath
of humanitarian crises such as the plague or major wars,
compelling reasons to regroup. Obviously, we find ourselves
in a pandemic, but less obvious is the 'geography of genius'
where radical innovation will take place. First and foremost,
it is physically located at our Universities. Penn's School
of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) is one of a kind among
veterinary schools in its proximity, within 4 city blocks to 11
other schools, including 3 health schools (nursing, dental,
medical), several major hospitals, and 8 graduate schools.
This geography has enabled us to forge walkable academic
alliances between veterinary and non-veterinary graduate
programs. As a direct consequence of this geography, we have
created several inter-disciplinary, first-of-their-kind dual degrees
that combine the VMD program with Master's programs
in social work, nursing, environmental science, education
entrepreneurship, and law. This adds to our existing Master's in
Business Administration and Master's in Public Health degrees
that are combined with the VMD. One approach to interdisciplinary training yields future veterinarians with a second
degree in human healthcare such as Nursing; interestingly,
these professionals will recognize zoonoses from the veterinary
medical and human healthcare perspectives in all corners of
the globe.

We can't keep doing things
the same way: a new dawn
of education
Reshaping the way that the veterinary profession
contributes to sleuthing and ultimately preventing
future pandemics requires a radical new way of
thinking. We simply cannot keep approaching
these problems the same way over and over. Future pandemics
will be prevented by bringing together talented individuals
who integrate their knowledge and expertise in medicine and
human dimensions: anthropology, psychology, economics,
political science, international relations, design, social policy,
law, communication, education, and entrepreneurship. It's
time that we create and support inter-disciplinary education
as a roadmap toward transforming the role of veterinarians
in society, with no more compelling example than pandemic
prevention. Albert Einstein famously said 'all religions, arts, and
sciences are branches of the same tree. This philosophy recently
embraced by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering,
and Medicine. Interdisciplinary education has the potential to
improve problem solving, team work, soft skills, and learning
while reducing stress. But how can this be done? Where can this
be done? It turns out that the how and where are intimately
related.
The secret sauce - the geography of inter-disciplinary education.
Eric Weiner concluded in his book 'The Geography of Genius'
that great innovations occurred throughout history in unique
geographies that promote informal social gatherings across

Pursuant to the greatest equity and social impact, partial
scholarships are offered for all Master's degree enrollees to
reduce the financial impact. Additionally, these recruitment
scholarships have become a top priority for fund-raising at the
school. Most dual degree programs take between four and five
years to complete, though some can take up to six years. This
strategy is aligned with the objective of attracting diverse and
under-represented students into the veterinary profession, a
key to inter-disciplinary success.
In summary, we view inter-disciplinary education as the
cornerstone to innovation, inclusion, and impact (the 'Penn
Compact'), attributes that are going to be needed for
prevention and mitigation of pandemics and other future
humanitarian crises (e.g., wildfires and climate change).
Veterinarians that seek inter-disciplinary education will not
only develop unique skills that will serve this purpose and
new career opportunities, but the profession itself will see a
renaissance in innovation, social impact, as well as diversity
and inclusivity. These new perspectives will advance our
commitment to benefit society, as we have pledged with the
Veterinary Oath.
Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association | 17

http://www.bit.ly/BrianFitzpatrick

PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2020