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Veterinary medicine and animal science (VMAS) students coexist in asocial, geographic, and economic context that influences personal and career decisions. The goal of this study was to analyze students' perceptions of Animal Welfare (AW) and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) topics by gender, religion, and stage of study at the school of veterinary medicine in the northeastern Mexican border area. Survey response rate was 60% of VMAS student enrollment, which was divided in basic, intermediate, and advanced academic levels. Student respondents reported animal production followed by animals for companionship and wildlife appreciation as their job placement expectations after graduation. Students in the basic training stage rated AW in general practice to be more important compared with those in intermediate and advanced training (p < 0.005). Compared with intermediate and advanced level students, students at the basic level considered bioethics, sustainable food production, and OIE animal welfare topics more important (p < 0.05). Regarding gender differences, compared with male students, their female counterparts rated AW more important, depending on areas of work practice and OIE topics (p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the "Welfare and Epidemiology: Across Species, Across Disciplines, and Across Borders," held in Ames, Iowa on July 14-16, 2008 is presented. The topics discussed at the conference include research in epidemiology, animal science and veterinary medicine. The event was organized by Iowa State University, Ontario Veterinary College, and Norwegian School of Veterinary Sciences with an aim to create awareness that links between animal welfare and epidemiology scientific disciplines.