A $250,000 gift from Zoetis to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University helps establish the new Center for Outcomes Research & Education (CORE). The center is an interdisciplinary research and training center focused on the application and extension of outcomes research in animal health both in the U.S. and from a global perspective.

"We are extremely grateful to Zoetis for supporting the CORE and for sharing our vision for enhancing the implementation of outcomes research for animal health," said David Renter, professor of epidemiology and director of the center. "Our CORE group has been very fortunate to have developed partnerships and support through a variety of private and public sources. However, this foundational support from Zoetis is remarkable as it enables us to really enhance the leadership and infrastructure for outcomes research, and thus be a unique resource for the veterinary profession and others focused on enhancing animal health."

With a goal of improving effectiveness and efficiency in animal health care and its associated impacts on human health, the center's activities will demonstrate the value of animal health interventions — including treatment, prevention or diagnostic activities that are intended to improve health. The center will generate and synthesize evidence on health interventions and train animal health professionals on how to best utilize that evidence to influence health care decisions, an announcement from Kansas State explained.

The discipline of outcomes research involves applied clinical- and population-based research that seeks to study and optimize the end results of health care practices and interventions in terms of benefits to the patient and society. Evaluation of economic factors, comparative clinical effectiveness, risk analysis and health-related quality of life assessments are key areas of focus.

The center involves several faculty at the university with existing collaborative programs, as well as experts at other institutions. It provides leadership and infrastructure for effective collaboration among practicing veterinarians, industry partners, government agencies and others in academia, in order to optimize animal health approaches.