United States: veterinary services reorganization

APHIS Veterinary Services reorganized in November 2013.

Under its new structure, VS is organized into four strategically focused units: Surveillance, Preparedness and Response (SPRS), National Import Export Services (NIES), Science, Technology and Analysis (STAS) and Program Support Services (PSS).

Key Services:

• SPRS: animal health incident management; commodity business planning; disease program, surveillance, and animal disease traceability policy setting and administration; emergency preparedness; epidemiologic investigations and tracing; veterinary accreditation; and veterinary stockpiling.
• NIES: import animal and animal product inspection and quarantine; import and export policy setting and administration; facility inspection; health certificate endorsement; World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) representation and disease reporting; pathways analysis and risk assessment; permit issuance; pre-export inspection; and select agent registration and inspection.
• STAS: analysis of response options; animal disease modeling; animal health data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation; animal health data standards; animal health surveillance design; diagnostic capability and capacity; economic analysis; national animal health laboratory network coordination; national studies and large scale epidemiological investigations; OIE Collaborating Center; predictive modeling; risk assessments; veterinary biologics approval and monitoring regulatory activities.
• PSS: animal health budget formulation and monitoring; animal health information technology systems; guidance documents; regulatory coordination; recruitment; Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Animal Health facilitation; strategic planning; technical training; and workforce/succession planning.