Four veterinary schools recently announced a change in their management. New deans have been announced at the University of Florida, Louisiana State University, and the University of Minnesota, and the dean of North Carolina State University will step down.
Appointed Dean of the University of Florida
Dr. Dana N. Zimmel
Dr. Dana N. Zimmel was named permanent dean of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in June. Dr. Zimmel has been interim dean since December 2019.
“Over the past year and a half, Dana has worked tirelessly with her leadership team to ensure the safety of faculty, staff, and students at the college, and the successful continuation of its research, teaching, and patient care missions,” said David R Nelson, MD, UF senior vice president of health affairs; and Scott Angle, PhD, vice president of agriculture and natural resources at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, in a joint statement.
The two administrators said it was important to maintain the lead as the veterinary school approaches its next visit to the AVMA Council on Education accreditation site in 2022.
Dr. Zimmel previously served as Senior Administrator of UF Veterinary Hospitals and as Deputy Dean of Clinical Services. Under her leadership, the hospital’s case numbers nearly doubled, and UF Small Animal Hospital received American Animal Hospital Association accreditation in 2015.
Dr. Zimmel is a graduate of UF Veterinary College and previously worked in his own practice in Ocala, Florida. She later taught at the University of Georgia and returned to Florida in 2002 to teach as an assistant professor at UF. Her clinical interests include neonatology, exercise physiology, and endocrine disorders.
Louisiana State University Appoints New Dean
Dr. Oliver garden
Dr. Oliver Garden has been named the new Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana State University.
Subject to the approval of the LSU Supervisory Board, Dr. Garden will take over his new role on August 31st.
“It is the honor of your life to be entrusted with the Dean’s Office of the Veterinary Faculty,” said Dr. Garden in a press release. “I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the LSU family, and I am very much looking forward to working with the students, staff, faculty and alumni of this great academic institution to contribute to our world-class programs in teaching, research, and the public Service.”
Dr. Garden currently serves as the chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences & Advanced Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. He previously held positions at the Royal Veterinary College in London, the University of South Carolina, Cornell University, Imperial College London and the Queen Mary University of London. Dr. Garden is a specialist in internal medicine for small animals.
Dr. Garden will lead the departments of the University of Veterinary Medicine at LSU in the areas of comparative biomedicine, pathology and veterinary clinical sciences. He will also oversee the Veterinary Medicine Library, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and the Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.
Dr. Joel Baines
Dr. Garden will succeed Dr. Joel Baines, who has served as dean since 2014 and will take on a full-time position in the veterinary faculty.
With a research background in pathobiological sciences and particularly in viruses in animals, Dr. Baines was instrumental in running the university during the pandemic.
Veterinary school researchers worked with local hospitals to run COVID-19 tests and others worked to track the virus on campus, Dr. Baines in Veterinary School’s magazine last year.
Dr. Baines led an accelerated research grant program for the Veterinary School and received a $ 11 million grant to establish the Center for Preclinical Cancer Research. Dr. Baines has also raised funds for the new Stephenson Pet Clinic, which will expand pet wellness services and provide much-needed clinical care space.
Dr. Baines is a proponent of increasing diversity, advancing research programs, and increasing the number of cases and faculties in the veterinary teaching hospital, he wrote in the magazine column.
University of Minnesota Appoints Dean
Dr. Laura K. Molgaard
The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine has appointed a new dean following a national search.
Dr. Laura K. Molgaard took over the position on June 21st. Since August 2019 she has been interim dean at the University of Veterinary Medicine. She has other management positions and has been a faculty member since 1997.
“I look forward to promoting more of the great work that has made this college one of the world’s leading veterinary colleges,” said Dr. Molgaard in a press release. “I am fortunate enough to start from a position of strength and opportunity, and I am proud to be the first woman to lead the college as dean.”
Before joining the University of Minnesota, Dr. Molgaard as a small animal vet and taught on a veterinary technology program. She is a member of the Competency-Based Veterinary Education Working Group of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges and is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Competency-Based Medical Education Collaborators, a group of educational leaders in human medicine.
She is active in developing veterinary pipelines, approvals, and campus climate issues.
North Carolina State Dean resigns
Dr. Paul Lunn
Dr. Paul Lunn, Dean of North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, will step down in January 2022.
Dr. Lunn, who has headed the Veterinary College since 2012, will become Dean of the University of Liverpool School of Veterinary Science.
While Dr. Lunn’s tenure as dean at North Carolina State University grew the veterinary college’s class size from 80 to 100. The college saw an increase in philanthropic support during his tenure and research funding doubled to over $ 20 million.
Dr. Lunn led several new building projects at the veterinary college, including the Biomedical Partnership Center and an equine theriogenology facility. Other projects are in the works, including a modern dairy and a new equine hospital.
More recently, Dr. Lunn helped turn the veterinary school into a COVID-19 testing laboratory for the NC State community. He also made diversity and inclusion a priority within the veterinary college, and a diversity committee was formed during his tenure as dean.
Dr. Lunn was recently appointed a member of the Standing Committee on Race Safety of the new Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority. He is currently the President of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.
