Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine

What Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine does

Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1879 as part of Iowa State University of Science and Technology, is a public land-grant veterinary college headquartered in Ames, Iowa, at Frederick Douglass Patterson Hall. The college operates the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center — comprising the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital (with 24/7 emergency services) and the Equine & Food Animal Medicine & Surgery Hospital — alongside the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL), Veterinary Pathology Services, and Veterinary Field Services covering beef, dairy, swine, sheep, goats, and camelids in a five-county area around Ames. Academic programs include the DVM program, graduate programs, residency training, and the Swine Medicine Education Center (SMEC), which attracts students from 19 North American veterinary schools and 29 countries.

The college monetizes through three primary revenue streams: (1) veterinary clinical services billed to pet owners and livestock producers, including consultations, surgeries, diagnostics, and 24/7 emergency care; (2) diagnostic laboratory service fees from referring veterinarians, producers, and animal health stakeholders across the region; and (3) externally funded research grants and contracts from organizations such as the USDA, industry sponsors, and foundations supporting swine medicine education and clinical research. Pricing for clinical services is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with discounts available for ISU employees, students, and working dogs. Customer segments span livestock producers (primary), companion animal owners (primary), equine owners (secondary), and referring veterinarians (secondary). The college has executed significant recent capital investments including the VDL Phase 1 expansion (dedicated 2024, LEED Silver certified), a $5 million gift-funded Equine Hospital expansion, and the establishment of a new Pet Cancer Clinic.

The college's technology stack centers on specialized veterinary clinical equipment, advanced diagnostic laboratory infrastructure (histopathology, clinical pathology, bacteriology, virology, parasitology), and clinical trial capabilities staffed by board-certified clinicians across cardiology, equine, internal medicine, and oncology. Notable proprietary capabilities include veterinary endoprosthetics (titanium-alloy prosthetic limb procedures developed with BioMedtrix) and a comparative oncology program drawing on faculty trained at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. Faculty include internationally recognized experts such as Dr. Al Jergens (2026 ACVIM Specialty Lifetime Achievement Award; 100+ research grants; 140+ publications) and Dr. Jianqiang Zhang (National Academy of Sciences). As a state-supported public institution, the college is owned by the State of Iowa and governed by the Iowa Board of Regents, with funding sourced from state appropriations, tuition, research grants, and clinical service revenues.

Name

Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Legal name

Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Website

https://vetmed.iastate.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1858

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine is a public land-grant veterinary college founded in 1879, operating teaching hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and field services that serve livestock producers, pet owners, equine owners, and referring veterinarians across Iowa and the broader region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Education and Clinical Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Support Activities for Animal Production (1152)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Agricultural Services (700), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Medicine Universities (EDAHAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Livestock & Farm Animal Veterinary Services (AFAEANAB), Routine On-Farm Veterinary Services (Exams, Treatment, Prescribing) (AFACADAB), Diagnostics & Laboratory Services (Sampling, Necropsy, Disease Investigation) (AFACADAF), Veterinary Public Health Laboratories (Reference & Confirmatory) (HLAMAJAH)

Keywords

• Veterinary medical education
• Veterinary clinical services
• Animal diagnostic testing
• Livestock veterinary care
• Veterinary research programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ames

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Veterinary Clinical Services: Revenue from veterinary hospital services including consultations, surgeries, diagnostic tests, and treatments for small animals, equines, and food animals. Services are billed to pet owners and livestock producers, with emergency services available 24/7.
2. Diagnostic Laboratory Services: Fees for diagnostic testing services provided to referring veterinarians, producers, and other animal health stakeholders through the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
3. Research Grants and Contracts: External funding from organizations including USDA, industry sponsors, and foundations to support swine medicine education, clinical research, and training program development

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine delivers veterinary medical education (DVM, graduate, and residency programs), clinical veterinary care through the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center (small animal, equine, and food animal hospitals), on-farm livestock services via Veterinary Field Services, and diagnostic testing through the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. It also operates the Swine Medicine Education Center and a Clinical Trial Service that advance evidence-based veterinary and comparative medicine.

Product overview

Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine operates as an academic veterinary medical center with a unified hospital system centered around the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center (LVMC). The LVMC comprises specialized hospitals including the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital (providing 24/7 emergency and specialty care) and the Equine & Food Animal Medicine & Surgery Hospital. The college also provides field-based services through Veterinary Field Services and maintains a Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for comprehensive diagnostic testing. The Clinical Trial Service enables research through clinical studies. The academic programs include a DVM program, graduate programs, and specialized training through the Swine Medicine Education Center (SMEC).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center Primary veterinary teaching hospital offering comprehensive medical and surgical care for companion animals, equines, and food animals, with emergency services available 24 hours daily.
• Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital Specialized hospital within the LVMC providing primary and specialty care for small companion animals, including emergency services available 24 hours daily.
• Equine & Food Animal Medicine & Surgery Hospital Specialized hospital providing medical and surgical services for horses, cattle, swine, sheep, goats, and camelids, with separate Equine and Farm Animal divisions.
• Veterinary Field Services On-farm veterinary services providing individual animal and herd health veterinary care for beef, dairy, swine, sheep, goats, and camelids in a five-county area around Ames.
• Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Full-service diagnostic laboratory providing comprehensive testing services for animal health diagnostics, pathology, and disease surveillance.
• Department of Veterinary Pathology Diagnostic Services Diagnostic pathology services including clinical pathology and biopsy services for accurate disease diagnosis.
• Clinical Trial Service Conducts clinical trials to evaluate procedures, treatments, diagnostic tests, and medical devices for advancing animal and human health through board-certified clinicians and faculty expertise.
• Swine Medicine Education Center (SMEC) Specialized education center for teaching and learning evidence-based swine production medicine, offering courses and training videos for veterinary students and professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained veterinary students from 19 veterinary schools in North America and 29 countries at SMEC
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BioMedtrixminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBioMedtrix, a veterinary orthopedics company, donated time and materials for the design and development of custom titanium-alloy prosthetic implants for Vincent the cat's hind leg replacements. The company worked with Dr. Mary Sarah Bergh to create implants that could be inserted into the femur bones and pass through the skin.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital: Large corporate specialty and emergency veterinary hospital chain offering cardiology, oncology, internal medicine, and surgery — overlaps with the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital's specialty referral services and competes for the same client base and specialist talent.

Direct peers

• Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences: Veterinary college with a major teaching hospital, strong oncology and equine programs, and active research enterprise — competes with ISU CVM for clinical trial sponsors and specialist faculty.
• University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet): Top US veterinary school operating Ryan Hospital (small animal) and New Bolton Center (large animal), with a diagnostic lab and substantial research output — a direct institutional peer.
• Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine: Midwestern veterinary college with a teaching hospital, diagnostic lab, and swine/large animal programs — directly comparable in mission and constituency.
• Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine: Large Midwestern veterinary college with a comprehensive teaching hospital and diagnostic lab, directly comparable in mission and structure to ISU CVM.
• Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: Peer US veterinary college with a comparable mix of DVM education, teaching hospital, and diagnostic laboratory; ranked among the top US vet schools and competes with ISU for faculty, students, and federal research funding.
• University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine: Regional Midwestern veterinary college with companion animal, equine, and production animal services, and a Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory — a geographic and mission peer.
• Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine: Land-grant veterinary college focused heavily on production animal medicine and rural veterinary service, with a diagnostic lab — closely aligned with ISU CVM's food animal emphasis.
• Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences: Large US veterinary college with extensive teaching hospital, diagnostic labs, and biomedical research programs — a key peer for federal research funding and faculty recruitment.
• University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine: Top-ranked US veterinary school with a large teaching hospital, diagnostic lab, and multi-species clinical services — the most direct US analogue to ISU CVM in scale and scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/isuvetmed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcm7y1rLHHMiL32f1TDV1Pg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ISU-College-of-Veterinary-Medicine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iowa-state-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/isucvm

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine