Dr. Dana Zimmel
Greetings, all,
First, I’d like to say that I am deeply honored to have recently been named the college’s seventh permanent dean. The past year and a half have been challenging, but I have learned so much and am truly humbled at the support I have received. I am excited to move the college forward by advancing our strategic goals, as well as our national reputation for excellence across our missions of teaching, research, patient care and extension/outreach.
It has been a busy summer and we do have plenty of good news to share on several fronts. We had an unprecedented year for admissions, with 1,779 applicants for 130 seats in the incoming class. Members of our admissions committee conducted 275 Zoom interviews. We welcomed the Class of 2025 to campus in August. The Class of 2023 is currently engaged in clinical rotations throughout our hospitals until January 2022.
Meanwhile, the college has completed a review of the curriculum and is gathering feedback from faculty, staff, students and alumni on proposed changes for the curriculum in the future. I’d like to thank all of the faculty members who have been a part of this important process and to acknowledge the hard work that has gone into making sure that our curriculum offerings meet the rigorous national criteria for teaching and learning as well as leveraging the remarkable expertise of our faculty.
On the research front, UF recently reported that the university as a whole earned $861 million in research funding in FY 2021, the second highest amount ever, despite the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic. Our college did exceptionally well in this effort, pulling in $23.5 million in research dollars—eighth-highest among 17 UF colleges and units.
One of the projects noted in UF’s news release was the $6 million award received by Dr. Rhoel Dinglasan, a professor of diseases in our college, from the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund to test a new malaria vaccine in humans. Dr. Dinglasan has worked most of his career to end malaria, which disproportionately affects people living in poverty in developing countries, and the vaccine he has developed works in a unique way: It immunizes mosquitoes via people. This work is truly innovative and I am excited to see where it will lead.
I also want to congratulate our 25 newest Ph.D. and M.S. degree recipients, who received their degrees at commencement exercises held at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on August 6. We’re so proud of all they have accomplished in the area of biomedical research and look forward to their continued impact on animal, human and environmental health.
In addition, 39 residents and interns completed their programs in July. We will miss them as well, and wish everyone continued success in their career endeavors.
In administrative news, Dr. Amanda House has accepted the position of associate dean for academic and student affairs. She has served in this role on an interim basis for over a year, during what has been one of the most challenging times in our college’s history. Dr. House will continue to oversee the entire office, including instructional and other activities associated with our D.V.M. program, along with college admissions.
Dr. Guy Lester’s last day as chair of large animal clinical sciences was June 18, and we are in the process of interviewing candidates for his replacement. Once more I’d like to thank Dr. Lester for his leadership and service. We are in the process of finalizing his appointment as a professor emeritus and are grateful we can continue our association in this way. Dr. David Freeman will be serving as interim chair until we are able to bring a new permanent chair on board, and I am grateful for his willingness to keep the ship steady in large animal clinical sciences until that time.
I know how difficult the past year has been — for so many reasons — but please know that regardless of the role you play, you all contribute to the college’s success. I am always humbled by the work that takes place here, and the compassion you show one another as well as the patients in your care.
With gratitude,
Dana N. Zimmel, D.V.M.
Professor and Dean
