June 1, 2015
Dear Faculty, Staff, Students and Friends,
The success of any organization, be it a sports team, or any other group, is a function of the people that make up that group. I’d like to take this opportunity to note some of the key honors, appointments and awards that our own people – the foundation of this college and its success — have achieved in recent months.
Below in no particular order are acknowledgments I would like to bring to your attention. You may have heard about these honors through other sources, as some of these stories have appeared as news releases or been publicized in other ways. Still, it is important to me to provide another shout-out to these individuals in our college family. If you know these individuals, please congratulate them when you see them! We can’t thank them enough for all they do for the college and for UF.
- Dr. Janet Yamamoto was recently named to the Florida Inventor Hall of Fame, and in January, to the National Academy of Inventors. Both awards were for her role as a co-discoverer of the feline immunodeficiency virus and for her work with FIV as a model for the study of HIV in humans.
- Fourth-year veterinary student Geoff Landau received the prestigious national Simmons Business Aptitude Award in February.
- In April, Dr. Paul Davenport became president of the faculty Senate and will serve on the University system’s Board of Trustees, becoming the first veterinary faculty member ever to occupy that role.
- Dr. Amanda House received a Gold Star Award from the Florida Veterinary Medical Association in April for her professional accomplishments and leadership.
- This spring, the college’s Alumni Council named Dr. Natalie Isaza as the recipient of the college’s Alumni Achievement Award and Dr. Pamela Ginn as recipient of the Special Service Award.
- Dr. Chris Sanchez received the North American Veterinary Conference’s 2015 Speaker of the Year Award in the equine category.
The college had 15 Superior Accomplishment Award winners this year – the highest percentage of winners in the entire HSC. In addition, this year UFCVM biological scientist Dina Michaels received the universitywide Superior Accomplishment Award in the scientific/technical category. - Patricia Wlasuk of our development office was named director of development for the new Dean’s Scholarship Initiative this spring.
Dr. Dana Zimmel was appointed associate dean for clinical services in April. - Two key endowed professorships were filled. Dr. David Freeman was named the Appleton Professor of Equine Surgery. Dr. Natalie Isaza fills the newly endowed Grevior Shelter Medicine Community Outreach Professorship.
- Dr. RIck Johnson was recently named the college’s Teacher of the Year and was also named this year’s UF Research Foundation Professor.
All of you work hard every day to make our college great. I appreciate the role every one of you plays and it’s a privilege to work among such talented and energized individuals.
Sincerely,
Dean Lloyd
James W. Lloyd
Professor and Dean
UF College of Veterinary Medicine