Innovative Dual Degree with Penn Vet

This fall, Penn Arts & Sciences and Penn Vet launched a new Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (VMD) – Master of Environmental Studies (MES) dual-degree program. This option is designed to prepare multidisciplinary veterinarians to assume leadership roles within the environmental and public health sectors.

The new VMD-MES program provides veterinary students with a deeper understanding of the environmental context of animal population health and reflects the growing recognition of the inextricable link between wildlife, food animal habitats, and the environment. Contextual environmental factors are often a significant, contributing factor in animal-to-human disease transmission. Toxic minerals, chemicals, soil destruction, and climate change can negatively impact landscapes and animal populations.

Yvette Bordeaux, Director of the Professional Masters Programs in Earth and Environmental Science, notes the dual-degree program is the natural next step in the evolution of the OneHealth perspective at Penn. “Vet and Medicine have been working together for a while. Now we are bringing in the environmental piece. I’m very excited about the program, and students are, too.”