A roadshow of officials from the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine visited Wilmington last week to promote the new Protect One Health in Ohio (Protect OHIO) initiative.
According to Ohio State, Protect OHIO is a $30 million effort designed to strengthen Ohio’s veterinary workforce, public health and agricultural economy.
The event in Wilmington featured OSU College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Rustin Moore and included panelists from the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, student outreach and engagement and the new Emerging Infectious Disease Center. Class of 2026 vet students also shared their insights during the event held on the Wilmington College campus.
📸 Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine
The Protect OHIO program includes three pillars. The first is to educate more Ohio veterinarians to serve rural and large animal needs.
The OSU College of Veterinary Medicine has pledged to increase its class size by about a dozen students a year to get to 200, from about 160 students in a class. Panelists spoke about the new hands-on curriculum the school has rolled out in the last four years, with a greater emphasis on large animal experiences.
The second pillar is to mentor and support large animal and rural veterinarians. This includes creating programs with youth and also encouraging rural communities to support and fund new large animal vet practices.
At the event, OSU Dean Moore said the school will be able to give $6 million in scholarships to vet students thanks to their existing donors and the funds from Protect OHIO. The cost to attend OSU vet school is $275,000 for four years, including living expenses.
The third pillar is establishing the new Emerging Infectious Disease Center to advance research and strengthen preparedness and prevention of outbreaks.
This is especially important as new infectious diseases like avian flu are harming Ohio agriculture. Dean Moore talked about the important partnerships OSU has with the USDA, the Ohio Department of Health and the State Veterinarian.
The Protect OHIO town halls were held in April and May in Findlay, Nelsonville, Wilmington and Wooster.
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