With outbreaks of the H5N1 bird flu virus still continuing to occur in poultry and people across Asia and Africa, the virus that seems to have spread through wild bird populations across Eurasia shows no signs of going away. Now, the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is launching four BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) funded scholarships for their MSc in Veterinary Epidemiology.

The funding is set to help counter a worldwide shortage of scientists specialised in infection and disease control within animal and human populations.

Through funding from the BBSRC the RVC is now offering full-time or part-time scholarships for students resident in the UK who meet the BBSRC criteria to study veterinary epidemiology at postgraduate level. The scholarships include the course fees as well as upkeep for the year.

Five years ago millions of sheep and cattle suspected to have foot and mouth disease were culled in the UK. Now poultry farmers around the world are on full alert as country after country reports the virulent avian influenza virus in wild birds and poultry, which it is feared could cross to humans. There has never been a greater need to invest in researching the spread of infectious diseases, especially those that spread between animals and humans.

‘Although the UK is leading the way in training people in veterinary epidemiology, there still aren't enough skilled professionals to service this growing need,' said Professor Dirk Pfeiffer, Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College. ‘Government develops policy control measures to limit the spread of infectious diseases on the basis of scientific evidence and epidemiologists make a significant contribution to this policy development. This is why we need to invest in students so that they have the skills to do this in future.'

The RVC's course is taught by four organisations; the RVC (animal epidemiology), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (human epidemiology), the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (veterinary surveillance and epidemiology), and DEFRA (UK government surveillance). 

‘Veterinary epidemiology is like detective work, trying to identify the reasons behind occurrence of disease. You're piecing together information from many scientific disciplines including microbiology, ecology, social sciences and animal husbandry in order to understand how a disease is spreading,' said Professor Pfeiffer. ‘This is exactly what scientists are trying to do with the spread of avian flu at the moment. They investigate how contact is made between wild and farmed birds, whether other animals - such as rats or cats - can carry and transmit the virus and how humans interact with birds.'

The RVC is seeking applications from graduates with a degree in veterinary science or medicine, or an honours degree (first or second class) in biological science, medicine, mathematics or statistics, preferably with relevant post-graduation or work experience. Job opportunities after successful completion of the MSc include a variety of UK, European or international governmental organisations such as DEFRA, the Veterinary Laboratory Agency and the World Health Organisation, in addition to the possibility of working in academic or purely research environments.

RVC Press Office
Contact: Jenny Murray, Tel: + 44 (0) 1727 733 889 Mobile: 07815 145608,
jenny@communicationsmanagement.co.uk

All applications for studying the MSc course should be received by the RVC by July 31, 2007. The MSc course starts on 24 September 2007 and runs for an academic year.

Students wishing to apply for the scholarship should include the application form with their MSc applications. More information can be found at: http://www.rvc.ac.uk/postgrad/

The sponsorship covers course fees for the MSc at £8,250 and the stipend of £19,450 for vets or £14,600 for non-vet applicants.

The 12 sponsorships will be phased over 3 year, therefore there will be 4 full-time sponsorships available for each academic year up to and including the 2009-10 academic year.