A Message from the Dean

Dear Alums,

Happy New Year! We are welcoming 2013 with a renovation initiative in the hospital, a new department and plenty of energy and good work from our students, staff and faculty.

At the recent Tufts alumni reception at the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) we shared our near- and longer-term plans for renovation of the Foster Hospital for Small Animals. You'll be pleased to know that the proposed Phase I renovations will yield a re-designed and improved client waiting area, more exam rooms, a bereavement room and restructuring of existing space on selected services. We would all agree that it is time for a fresh look! Details will follow on both the Phase I project and the longer-term master renovation plan.

Our new department of Infectious Disease and Global Health (IDGH) officially launched on January 15th. Consistent with Cummings 2015, our strategic plan, formation of the new department reflects our continued investment in areas of strength including infectious disease research, wildlife and conservation medicine and international medicine. We also seek to enhance our foundation in public and population health. The time is right to focus on integrated global health. We have a history of successful international engagement with positive outcomes, including contributing to the worldwide eradication of rinderpest, only the second infectious disease behind smallpox to have been purged. Establishing international One Health programs through the US Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded RESPOND project has recently highlighted the international power of our combination of infectious disease and wildlife medicine expertise. By creating a new department, we will deliberately recruit motivated faculty with population health skills who share our enthusiasm for integrating infectious disease research and international, wildlife and conservation medicine. Dr. Saul Tzipori will chair the IDGH department and Drs. Flo Tseng and Patrick Skelly will serve as Associate Chairs.

We were saddened in January to lose a mainstay at the Cummings School, Ms. Sheila Moffat. Sheila was the long-serving department manager in Environmental and Population Health (DEPH) and was known to all as an advocate for our students and faculty, especially those involved in the international veterinary medicine program. George Saperstein, chair of DEPH, wrote an eloquent note to our campus that was shared with alumni via email.

We will shortly be congratulating the Class of 2014 on their entry into the clinical and final year of their veterinary studies. The White Coat ceremony ranks, along with Parent and Family Day and graduation, as one of the best days of the year. If you know a rising fourth year student, please congratulate them on their achievement!

Thank you for all you do for our students and for the school. The time and treasure you share and your ambassadorship on behalf of Tufts is truly appreciated.

All the best for a strong year in 2013,

Deborah Kochevar, DVM, PhD
Dean and Henry and Lois Foster Professor