Conservation Medicine is an emerging interdisciplinary field that incorporates the tools and perspectives of many different scientific and medical professions in order to solve complex global health problems such as controlling disease in wildlife populations to help protect human and animal health and preserve species biodiversity. Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine (Tufts CCM) supports educational programs that forward these aims.
Our work is designed with the ultimate goals of affecting change toward a secure quality of life for all species and developing solutions for humans to harmoniously and sustainably coexist with other species. Human development, population growth, and modern technologies inevitably lead to altered landscapes; increased demands on limited resources; and decreased land, air, and water quality. The cumulative impact of these issues takes form as emerging disease, species extinction, and health implications for wildlife, domestic animals, humans and their environments. We implement research projects, mentor students, and establish innovative educational programs locally and worldwide to help combat these global issues.
Through the practice of conservation medicine, Tufts CCM brings together veterinarians, physicians, ecologists, and conservation professionals to support and develop educational programs and research activities that explore the relationships among animal, human, and environmental health.
Encompassing the school’s signature opportunity programs in Wildlife Medicine and International Veterinary Medicine, as well as the MS in Conservation Medicine, the Center builds interdepartmental programs and acts as a catalyst for interdisciplinary partnerships within the University. Through local, national, and international collaboration, Center faculty implement research projects, mentor students, and establish innovative educational programs locally and worldwide.
The Tufts Wildlife Clinic provides medical care for over 1600 orphaned, sick, and injured wildlife patients yearly. The clinic offers rich learning opportunities for students concerned with wildlife preservation, habitat and species diversity, conservation biology, ecological issues, and natural resources.
The Tufts CCM provides opportunities for students to participate in global initiatives concerning animal, human and ecosystem health in conjunction with our two signature opportunities and MS degree. The Center has established programs in regional and international conservation medicine research and has developed novel curricula in conservation medicine to meet the needs of both veterinary and post-graduate students.
The MS in Conservation Medicine is multi-disciplinary program designed to examine the relationships between environmental, animal and human health. The program engages graduate students from a variety of fields to confront the disciplinary gaps that obscure the broad view of “One Health."
The WCM Signature Opportunity is designed to teach the clinical skills required for the medical care and management of wildlife, and to develop an understanding for the habits of wild animals and the environmental conditions in which they live. As the clinical arm of Tufts CCM, the Tufts Wildlife Clinic is the federally designated wildlife care and rehabilitation center for the New England region.
The IVM Signature Opportunity supports investigations of global veterinary medical practices and issues of environmental, animal, and public health; it has gained world recognition for its work toward community-based solutions to problems that threaten sustainable agriculture and environmental integrity.
Tufts CCM is a founding member of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine along with EcoHealth Alliance, the National Wildlife Health Center, the Bloomberg-Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and others. Through the collaborative and interdisciplinary strength of this partnership, a number of new and exciting programs have and will continue to evolve.
Center for Conservation Medicine
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
200 Westboro Road
North Grafton, MA 01536
Phone: 508-887-4812