INTERNSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE VIENNA: NEW HORIZONS FOR PHD CANDIDATES OF THE FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

   Within the framework of the CEEPUS programme, Valeriia Tiopla, a PhD candidate of the third educational and scientific level of the PhD Program “Contagious Animal Pathology”, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (supervisor – professor Maryna Galat) had a unique opportunity to complete a one-month internship at the University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna (Vienna, Austria), at the Institute of Parasitology.

   The main focus of the internship was the molecular testing of pathological material from mouse-like rodents for the presence of such pathogens as Anaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., Ehrlichia spp., Babesia spp., Theileria spp. and Hepatozoon spp. The high level of technical support of the Institute of Parasitology of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna allowed to effectively perform complex tasks for the detection of these pathogens. In addition, considerable attention was paid to the independence of postgraduate students during the internship, which allowed the applicant to work on her own research project during the internship.

   Cooperation at the level of lecturers and PhD candidates of the Institute of Parasitology of the University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna and the Department of Veterinary Epidemiology of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine has already become a good tradition, as it opens up new perspectives in the implementation of their scientific tasks and is an invaluable experience of international cooperation.

   We express our gratitude to the colleagues of the Institute of Parasitology of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna for their hospitality and look forward to further fruitful cooperation!

Mykola Tsvilikhovskiy, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Maryna Galat, coordinator of the International Programmes
of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine