Veterinarians as Scientific Contributors in Mainstream Biomedical Research

Arguably, veterinarians belong to one of the most respected professions owing to their significant contribution in protecting global food supply, uplifting public health and being the custodians of more number of species than any other professional can claim. The curriculum of veterinary sciences includes knowledge of anatomy and physiology of a variety of animals, pathobiology of developmental, metabolic and degenerative diseases, the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases and reverse zoonosis, in addition to basic sciences and extension-related subjects. Therefore the unique set of skills acquired by veterinarians who choose to become biological scientists makes them better contributors in biomedical research as well. However, their potential remains unharnessed, particularly in India, to fulfil unmet challenges in an everchanging climate that is bound to impend the ecosystem and pose an unheard scale of public health problems in the not-sodistant future.