New educational models are being applied in Azerbaijan in the field of professional personnel training in modern veterinary medicine and the protection of animal health. Khazar University's HASVET School of Veterinary Medicine, established in cooperation with Türkiye’s "Hasvet" company, is also active in this area. The Dean of the Faculty, Chichak Aliyeva, spoke to AZERTAC about the role of veterinarians in preventing zoonotic diseases and issues related to personnel training in this field. We present the interview below.

— What was the main purpose behind establishing the Faculty, and how does it differ from other veterinary faculties?

— The HASVET School of Veterinary Medicine was established last year based on an agreement signed between Khazar University and Türkiye’s "Hasvet" company. Our campus has spacious lecture halls, modern laboratories, and clinical facilities. The establishment of this Faculty is one of the important steps toward developing modern veterinary medicine education in our country, while also supporting our state's policy focused on agriculture, animal husbandry, and food security, and should be regarded as an academic contribution.

What distinguishes the HASVET School of Veterinary Medicine from other faculties is that this institution was formed as a result of cooperation between an academic institution and a major company with practical knowledge in the industrial field — the first such collaboration in Azerbaijan. At the same time, it embodies the integration of a new teaching model and educational program, created as a clear example of Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood. The key factor that sets our Faculty apart is the application of a modern educational model that combines academia with industry integration.

— How has the role of veterinarians in preventing animal diseases, particularly zoonotic diseases, changed in recent years?

— Today, the responsibility and functions of veterinarians in society have grown even further. One of the main factors contributing to this is the latest statistical data published by the World Health Organization. Currently, more than 65 percent of diseases spreading among humans are attributable to zoonotic diseases.

Zoonotic diseases have the characteristic of transmitting from animals to animals and from animals to humans. For this reason, bearing in mind the "One Health" concept, it can be said that the importance of veterinarians' role in protecting human health is proven once again. This has increased veterinarians' responsibility, turning them into key specialists in protecting food safety and public health, as well as in ensuring the health of the environment and animals.

— What problems exist regarding personnel training in the field of veterinary medicine, and how is this issue being addressed at your Faculty?

— The problem we encounter most often at the Faculty is the shortage of qualified personnel, which is currently a pressing issue at the national level as well. The shortage of pedagogical staff specifically in the veterinary specialty creates certain difficulties within the teaching system.

President Ilham Aliyev's attention to the development of agriculture and modern professional personnel training drives us to be even more responsible. Within the framework of the State Program, we are striving to resolve this personnel shortage in a short period of time by involving our young specialists, who studied abroad and have returned to the country, in the teaching process.

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