We're a lively campus community brimming with opportunities to enrich your studies, connect with peers and grow intellectually and personally.
A Caring, Collaborative Culture
Our college has unparalleled academic programs — but what happens beyond our classroom walls is pretty exceptional, too.
Students study and socialize alongside a welcoming, tightly connected cohort of peers who, like them, are inquisitive, empathetic and ethically driven. They engage with faculty and staff who are rooting for their success. And they discover countless exciting extracurricular options.
Ignite new passions while studying abroad in spots like South Africa or the Galapagos. Build your skill set with research projects conducted in world-class labs. Kindle lifelong friendships with close-knit classmates. It all happens here, and we want you to be part of it.
Before Madison Henderson started her @boehringer_ingelheim fellowship supporting #ebola-fighting efforts at the @usdagov, she traveled to Peru, learning lessons in cultural competency that will stay with her throughout her veterinary career. 🗺️
"Cultural competence directly affects the human-animal bond by improving client communication, fostering trust and helping veterinarians navigate the unique cultural views individuals hold regarding animal care and end-of-life decisions," she says.
Don`t miss the rest of her Peru takeaways in her #FromtheField dispatch linked in our profile.
🎉 Dogs 99 and 100 have been enrolled in our ground-breaking longitudinal study on canine aging — a milestone worth marking!🎉
The study, launched by Dr. Natasha Olby and colleagues in 2018, is following what happens to dogs as they age and has led to tools to measure decline, all of which has implications for aging and Alzheimer’s research in humans. 🔥
The study has also produced a biobank and database that could be used for scores of new research into canine diseases, with data already contributing to two other exciting NC State research projects!
Find a Q&A with Olby and get up to date on the research at the link in our profile!
#FromtheField correspondent Kate Bessette shares that her experience at her first dairy farm visit of the summer has already cemented her love of pursuing veterinary medicine, educating neighbors and serving diverse communities. 🐮
As a Veterinary Scholars Program participant, Kate is working with Dr. Derek Foster, professor of ruminant medicine, on a research project, using her Spanish skills to talk with workers in Florida, Georgia, Texas, New Mexico and California about their knowledge of prudent drug use in animals.
Find out what she`s learned at the link in our profile.
When people talk about the excellent veterinary education NC State University provides, they most often are thinking of our four-year students leaving as world-class veterinarians.
At the NC State Veterinary Hospital, however, our faculty members and clinicians are training our fourth-year students AND residents, interns and fellows, doctors of veterinary medicine who look to NC State`s experts for advanced learning in their specialties. 👩🔬
🔥 Tonight, we recognized 61 house officers, as we call them, who finished their advanced programs across 30 different specialties and will be heading into their exciting futures.🔥
Erin Lempp is our #NCStateVetMed house officer coordinator who gets to welcome them as they come and say goodbye to them as they go.
"This time of year is always bittersweet for me," she says. "Seeing the tremendous growth and confidence in our interns and residents makes my job incredibly rewarding. I`m so grateful to be part of their story, and I`ll always be cheering them on from the sidelines."
Dr. Joshua Stern, associate dean for research and graduate studies, also recognized those who completed the college`s Veterinary Academic Leaders Program, which helps prepare house officers for careers in academia at a time when veterinary shortages are leading to crises.👩⚕️
The week of June 15, we and Lempp will get to welcome 20 new interns to Raleigh, and in July, 37 new residents, four speciality interns and three fellows will begin training at NC State, one of only four medical campuses in North Carolina. Seven of those doctors arriving for specialty training are returning NC State DVM alumni! 🐺
"As one chapter closes, another begins!" Lempp says. "I’m already looking forward to building connections with our incoming group and working hard to ensure they know they always have a trusted sounding board and support system in me."
❤️ We love it when we have an opportunity to serve the state! ❤️
4-H program assistant Bailey Hamm, who is charged with preparing her Wayne County club members for the statewide skillathon, livestock judging and quiz bowl coming up in July, had a thought outside the barn.
Why not take the kids to the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine`s working campus farm for some hands-on and ears-tuned education? 🐷🐮🐥
"I wanted to put together a fun day trip so they could get some educational insight in a fun interactive type of way to maybe help them retain some of the things they are learning for contests they participate in," Hamm said in an email to the college. "I always try to include fun tours and trips throughout the contest season for them."
Dr. Allison West, clinical veterinarian for college`s Teaching Animal Unit and Reedy Creek Equine Farm, met Hamm and her troop at the college`s new dairy barn and then took them through the pigs, goats and beef cows, explaining the care and the life path for each animal.
NC State University actually supports the state`s 4-H groups 🍀in other ways, participating in a strategic partnership called the N.C. Cooperative Extension, which staffs local offices in all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The other partners are NC A&T State University and federal, state and local governments.
"The day was everything I hoped it would be," Hamm said. "And more."🥰
We`re celebrating #HugYourCatDay by enumerating just a few of the ways we are wrapping all of our feline friends with love! 💗 Our leadership on all things cat is undeniable with:
🐈 Our new Vladimir Cader Feline Health Research Distinguished Chair, with Dr. Joshua Stern as the first recipient, and its focus on promoting groundbreaking translational research to find answers to diseases like #HCM in cats! go.ncsu.edu/cader-chair
🐈⬛ Our Feline Health Center dedicated to improving cat health through clinical service, medical research, community outreach and education! go.ncsu.edu/felinecenter
🐈 Our leadership in training the next generation of feline-focused veterinary clinician scientists by starting Cat Camp. go.ncsu.edu/catcamp
🐈⬛ Our expertise in helping educate veterinarians and cat owners about the latest breakthroughs in cat care with the annual Feline Health Symposium. go.ncsu.edu/felinesymposium
🐈 Our Veterinary Hospital with four dedicated feline exam rooms (thank you, donors!) and compassionate and cutting-edge caregivers who see more than 2,000 feline cases each year.
Start grabbing a few gallons of water every grocery store trip — or more if you own horses — and getting those animal carriers, rigs and trailers in shape: Hurricane season 2026 has arrived.☂️
The good news is that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting below-normal activity in the Atlantic this year, with a 35% chance of a near-normal season, a 10% chance of an above-normal season and a 55% chance of a below-normal season. 🔆
Here are a few things you can take care of now:
🐴 Get vaccinations, worming and hoof care up-to-date. 🐕 Make sure your dog’s collar has an ID and keep an extra leash near the pet carrier so you don’t have to find it. 🐈 If you don’t have a carrier, get one or store away a simple cardboard box. A common reason people get caught in bad weather is because they do not have carriers for cats.
For our veterinary students, new experiences can reinforce their interests or lead to the realization that something they thought they would love just isn`t for them.
At her externship at Hilltop Animal Hospital in Fuquay-Varina, Kristen Folk from our Class of 2028 happily learned that surgery does indeed fascinate her — especially when it ends in puppies!
She also notes the importance of working in a culture that supports exploration. Thank you, Hilltop! #FromtheField2026
Get the rest of her insights at the link in our profile. @hilltop_animalhospital/
Welcome to From the Field 2026! 🛣️ This summer five of our amazing veterinary students will be reporting from their internships, externships, preceptorships and other places where they are putting their NC State College of Veterinary Medicine learning into action!
1️⃣ First up is Sydney MacDonald, who will be writing primarily about her preceptorship with the NC Aquariums at @CMAST, the our college`s coastal campus. She also will be reporting from Morehead City, NC, about her work during the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in June! 🐟🐟🐟
This week, the Currituck County, North Carolina native gives us a peek at her research project involving mahi-mahi. She hopes to create a baseline health database for the commonly caught game fish, which has a huge economic benefit for many coastal NC communities. 💲
👉 Find more information about Sydney and the rest of our correspondents and the link to Sydney`s first post in our profile.
The College of Veterinary Medicine is home to a multi-talented group of students from a wide variety of backgrounds. No matter who you are or where you’re coming from, there’s a place for you on our campus. Fostering community and belonging is critical to our university’s mission. Within the college, we have a dedicated Office of Community and Culture that organizes events and initiatives to enhance the sense of belonging in the veterinary profession and the cultural competence of our students.
We believe varied perspectives and experiences are what make this college strong. We also believe in building our community as a team, so your input and ideas will be valued, and every part of you will be embraced.
“We’re wildly supportive of one another. We also have a lot of fun together. We can find a reason to celebrate almost anything.”
We focus on supporting the whole student, mind and body, so you’ll have access to holistic resources that reach well beyond your coursework.
Whether you’re expanding your mind, mapping out your future, making new connections or teaming up with staff ready to help you face any challenge, you’ll find ample ways to better yourself and thrive here.
