Michael Bowie, Ph.D., has been named assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. His appointment was effective May 1, 2021.
A clinical assistant professor of parasitology in the college’s department of comparative, diagnostic and population medicine, Bowie has for years been a national leader in issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion. He served as the college’s acting diversity officer since 2019 and its director of community engagement and diversity outreach since 2018.
From 2001-2018, Bowie was the director of recruitment, retention and multicultural affairs for the UF College of Education, and from 2018 until now he has directed community engagement and diversity outreach for PreK-12 at UF’s Center for Precollegiate Education and Training. Since 2001, he has served as executive director of the Florida Fund for Minority Teachers.
Bowie received his Ph.D. from the UF College of Veterinary Medicine in 1997 with a focus on molecular epidemiology. He received his M.S. degree in immunobiochemistry in 1992 from Pennsylvania State University and his B.S. degree in biology from Morgan State University.
In addition to his professional endeavors, Bowie has excelled in multiple aspects of community service at UF and elsewhere. He currently chairs the Knoxville College Board of Trustees and is founding chair of the Intercountry Adoption Accreditation and Maintenance Entity Inc. He chairs Service Management Solutions for Children Inc. and has served on the board or as an officer for the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Alachua County NAACP, and Partnership for Strong Families, along with many other organizations.
“Dr. Bowie is the perfect fit for this newly created position, which will ensure that the college continues to move forward strategically and methodically to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices across its missions of teaching, research, patient care and community outreach,” said the college’s interim dean, Dana Zimmel, D.V.M.
“He will help to inform the strategic discussion advancing diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the college and will build, guide and assess policies and practices that encourage diversity, equity and inclusion as a means of improving the college’s cultural climate and supporting its underrepresented populations,” Zimmel said.