The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine last month signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) that aims to promote collaborative research and training.
The agreement was signed by Cummings School Dean Deborah T. Kochevar and AzzedineDownes, IFAW's executive vice president, and recognizes areas of mutual interest and lays the foundation for more effective collaboration and student training opportunities.
"[This] agreement to work together on mutual projects has formed out of the close ties we have developed with this organization," Director of Veterinary Shelter Medicine Emily McCobb said.
IFAW manages and funds local initiatives across the globe, ranging from the protection of endangered species in local bodies of water to preventing rabies among stray dogs in India, according to Assistant Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the Cummings School and Director of the Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine Gretchen Kaufman.
Although the Cummings School and IFAW have worked together in the past, this affiliation is expected to make collaboration between the two groups easier, according to Kathryn Atema, director of IFAW's Companion Animals protection program and clinical instructor at the Cummings School.
The memorandum removes some bureaucratic red tape to enable greater information exchange between the two institutions and allow IFAW staff easier access to the research of Cummings employees, according to Atema.
The two organizations have forged a working relationship over the past several years; the Cummings School has sent students to work for IFAW to work on animal welfare and conservation issues across the world, Atema said.
In exchange, IFAW uses research conducted by the Cummings School in its conservation efforts globally, according to Atema. Several IFAW representatives also teach at the Cummings School in both the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program and the school's Master of Science in Animals and Public Policy program.
The groups strengthened their relationship when they worked together to plan responses to animals in disastrous situations, McCobb added.
"You don't create a relationship like this overnight," she said.
The new agreement will allow for an even greater level of cooperation than has been possible in the past. The two groups will now be able to train staff jointly and collaborate on projects in addition to providing internships for Cummings students, according to McCobb.
Tufts' new Masters of Science in Conservation Medicine program will directly set students up with such internships, Kaufman noted.
"IFAW provides for us much greater opportunities for our students to work directly in an international setting with animal welfare or wildlife," she said.
For students studying international veterinary medicine who are unsure of the type of medicine they would like to focus on, such experiences gained through internships can be crucial, according to McCobb. Students who choose to intern with IFAW are providing a huge service to the organization, aiding it in its conservation work, she added.
In addition to receiving increased student internship assistance, IFAW hopes to build a strong partnership with IFAW in order to conduct research with the Cummings School, according to Atema.
The Cummings School and IFAW are both located in the greater Boston area, making mutual access and collaboration easier, McCobb said.
Both groups acknowledged that cooperation is instrumental in their individual future success.
"I hope to see this partnership grow and that we continue to engage in more collaboration and research to impact animals for the better all over the world," Atema said.
