UTCVM associate dean helps to innovate new tech that improves the healthcare of people and animals
Where are you from, and how did your career lead you to UTIA?
I grew up in the small farming community of Oak Ridge, North Carolina. My family has a long history of crop farming, so I’ve always been drawn to animals, agriculture, and the people who serve as stewards of the land.
When I was 15, I joined the volunteer fire department and was exposed to emergency medicine and a variety of other service missions. This ignited my interest in science, biology, and a curiosity of how things work, which led me to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science and a veterinary medical degree at North Carolina State University. During veterinary school, I completed a residency specializing in the care and well-being of livestock with a specialty focus on surgery. During veterinary school, my internships, and residency, I was able to participate in research which further deepened my passions toward discovery.
How do things work? What happens when things go wrong? How do we fix them? How do we prevent them from happening again?
I have spent the majority of my 33-year long career pursuing clinical service, research, and discovery along with teaching and training the next generation of veterinarians, specialists, and scientists. In 2012, the stars aligned for me to become a department head in the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. This may have been fate or Providence, but I landed in the right place at the right time and have so enjoyed living in Knoxville for the last 11 years.
What is your role within the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, and what do you do on a typical day?
I serve as the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the UT College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM). In this role, I serve the faculty, staff, and graduate students by helping them find opportunities to pursue their interests in research and discovery. My goal is to support programs that make a difference for the good of animals and society and to help people achieve their potential as the pursue their passions.
My other role is to represent the college to the Institute, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the UT system, and beyond. In this role, my goal is to promote the people and programs of UTCVM, to identify new programs in which the college can participate and be an effective partner, and to increase awareness and exposure of the magnificent things happening in veterinary medicine and the role that we play in the health of people and animals.
What is your main research focus, and why is it important?
Over the course of my career, I’ve been involved in a variety of research projects involving nearly all the body systems. I have found my veterinary training, especially my specialty training in surgery, to be extraordinarily valuable as a member of collaborative teams working to advance science and technologies in the healthcare of people and animals.
My main focus has been in the area of orthopedics, medical devices, and the integration of technologies to support the return of diseased and injured tissues to normal form and function. Specifically, our team is focused on developing tissue regeneration scaffolds. This is an area of regenerative medicine where we combine properties of synthetic devices with biological processes to create highly functional treatments resulting in fully integrated structures that can restore the form and function of damage tissues. We feel that these technologies will be transformational in the healthcare of people and animals that suffer devastating diseases affecting the muscular and skeletal systems.
Why did you choose the field of veterinary medicine?
When I was about eight years old, my dog got a fishhook caught in its upper lip. So, we loaded the dog up and took it to a veterinary hospital where the veterinarian was able to successfully remove the hook and alleviate the dog’s suffering. This was my first realization that you could have a career in providing medical and surgical care for animals. This realization, combined with my dedication to animals, the land, and my interest in biology and eventually emergency medicine solidified my fate as a future veterinarian. I was fortunate to have fantastic veterinary mentors, an extremely supportive family, and the encouragement of my community to pursue this dream.
What is the most fulfilling aspect of the work you do?
The most fulfilling aspect of my work is helping students, faculty, and staff achieve their goals in life. Creating a safe, inclusive environment so that people look forward to coming to work, experience great satisfaction in the work that they do, and feel like they are making a difference in our society is the testament to our success. I hope that all of our people feel seen, heard, and respected.
Nothing brings me more pleasure than finding the resources and ways to help people achieve their potential and to watch them progress in their lives and careers as they use newfound knowledge and skills to advance themselves professionally and to serve their communities.
What has been your proudest moment while working at UTIA?
I have had the great fortune of being associated with so many tremendous programs at UTIA, and it is difficult to narrow this list down. The opening of the large animal hospital in 2013 was a signature achievement for UTCVM and the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, of which I was serving as department head at that time. However, I have to say that my proudest moments are in the achievements of the people in our college and the Institute.
What is one of your favorite experiences you have had while working at UTCVM?
The things that stand out are the times when our people come together in celebration of each other. College celebrations such as the pre-Thanksgiving covered dish luncheon, the college December holiday celebration, the December holiday week pancake breakfasts, and UTIA and UT Knoxville sponsored events showing appreciation for the faculty and staff are memorable because of the many people that come together not for work, but rather to enjoy a relaxing environment and spend time with each other. There is nothing quite like food (and ice cream) to warm the heart and calm the mind.
What is a project you are currently working on that you are excited about?
There are several things that I’m involved with that are extremely exciting. I am fortunate to be collaborating with several faculty as we invent new technology to improve the healthcare of people and animals. These groups have several patents filed and novel technologies being brought forward to the FDA. Hopefully, these will result in transformational healthcare for some patients and allow them to return to a better quality of life and more normal activities.
Another activity that I’m involved in is a historic collaboration between UT Knoxville, UT Health Science Center, and UT Medical Center. The focal point of these collaborations has been building out the third floor of the UT Medical Center’s new Orthopaedic Institute to develop healthcare-related research facilities that will serve to support faculty and physicians for the advancement of healthcare throughout the region. These facilities will also bring an infrastructure to bear that will greatly accelerate the pace of research and the development of new medical devices that can be applied in patients. As part of this collaboration, I’m thankful to have an opportunity to participate in the development of a new Center for Precision Health, serve on the steering committee of a cluster hires initiative to establish a critical mass of faculty in the area of big data science driven healthcare, and to participate in the governance of the Institute for Advanced Materials Manufacturing.
What do you like to do outside of work and/or what is a fun fact about yourself that your colleagues may not know?
The thing I look forward to the most are our family trips to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I spent a good bit of time growing up on the Outer Banks and enjoy sharing those experiences with our family. Locally, we enjoy exploring the ever-expanding cuisine in Knoxville and trying out new restaurants and foods. A fun fact probably is that my youngest son and I recently achieved open water diver certification in SCUBA. We are hoping to take a trip to put these new skills to use – possibly in Turks and Caicos.
