Dr. Lonnie King has been appointed dean of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine effective September 1, 2009, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.
Dr. King was most recently the director of the Center for Disease Control's new National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne and Enteric Diseases (NCZVED). In this position, Dr. King lead the center's activities for surveillance, diagnostics, disease investigations, epidemology, research, public education, policy development, disease prevention and control programs. NCZVED also focuses on waterborne, food borne, vector-born and zoonotic diseases of public health concern, which includes most of the CDC's select and bioterrorism agents, neglected tropical diseases and emerging zoonoses. Before serving as director, Dr. King was the first chief of the agency's Office of Strategy and Innovation.
Dr. King became the 11th dean of the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996, and served for 10 years. He was the chief executive officer for academic programs, research, the teaching hospital, diagnostic center for population and animal health, basic and clinical science departments, and the outreach and continuing education programs. As dean and professor of large animal clinical sciences, Dr. King was instrumental in obtaining funds for the construction of a $60 million Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, initiated the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases in the college, served as the campus leader in food safety and provided oversight for the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center. He brought the Center for Integrative Toxicology to the college, was the university's designated leader for counter-bioterrorism activities for his college, and was involved in re-establishing public health programs at Michigan State University.
Prior to this, Dr. King was the administrator for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., where he provided executive leadership and direction for ensuring the health and care of animals and plants, improved agricultural productivity and competitiveness, and contributed to both the national economy and public health. Dr. King has served as administrator of APHIS since October of 1992, and prior to that time, was associate administrator. He served as the country's chief veterinary officer for five years, and worked extensively in global trade agreements within NAFTA and the World Trade Organization.
Before beginning his government career in 1977, Dr. King was in private veterinary practice for seven years in Dayton, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to his current appointment, his assignments included serving as a field veterinary medical officer in Georgia and station epidemiologist in Texas. He spent five years in Hyattsville, Maryland in staff assignments in emergency programs, as well as in animal health information. While in Hyattsville, Dr. King directed the development of the agency's National Animal Health Monitoring System. He left APHIS briefly to serve as the director of the Governmental Relations Division of the American Veterinary Medical Association in Washington, D.C. and served as the lobbyist for the AVMA on Capitol Hill. From 1988 to 1991, Dr. King was the deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services, where he was responsible for directing national veterinary and animal health programs, including the National Veterinary Services Lab and Plum Island Animal Disease Center.
A native of Wooster, Ohio, Dr. King received his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from The Ohio State University in 1966 and 1970, respectively. He earned his Master's of Science degree in epidemiology from the University of Minnesota while on special assignment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1980. He also received his masters degree in public administration from American University in Washington, D.C. in 1991. Dr. King has gained a broad knowledge of animal agriculture and the veterinary profession through his work with other governmental agencies, universities, major livestock and poultry groups and private practitioners. Dr. King is a board-certified member of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, and has completed the Senior Executive Fellowship program at Harvard University. He has served as president of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges from 1999 to 2000 and was the vice-chair for the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues from 2000 to 2004. Dr. King helped start the National Alliance for Food Safety, served on the Governor's Task Force on Chronic Wasting Disease for the state of Michigan, and served on four National Academy of Sciences Committees; most recently he chaired the National Academies Committee on Assessing the Nation's Framework for Addressing Animal Diseases. Dr. King is one of the developers of the Science, Politics and Animal Health Policy Fellowship Program, and lectures extensively on the future of animal health and veterinary medicine. He served as a consultant and member of the Board of Scientific Counselors to the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases, is a member of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Microbial Threats to Health, editor for the OIE Scientific Review on "Emerging Zoonoses," a current member of the FDA's Board of Scientific Advisors and is past-president of the American Veterinary Epidemiology Society. Dr. King currently serves in advisory or adjunct positions with six universities. He also served as chair for the national One Medicine Task Force for the AVMA, and is the current Point-of-Contact for One Health activities at the CDC. Dr. King was elected as a member of the Institute of Medicine of The National Academies in 2004.
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About the College of Veterinary Medicine at Ohio State
Founded in 1885, The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine is ranked fifth in the nation and includes more than 1,000 faculty, staff and students in the Departments of Veterinary Biosciences, Veterinary Clinical Sciences, and Veterinary Preventive Medicine. The Veterinary Medical Center is one of the largest specialty referral centers in the world, with more than 35,000 farm, equine, and companion animal patients each year. A nationally-recognized ambulatory practice and teaching unit in Marysville, Ohio provides farm animal experience to every veterinary student, and the Food Animal Health Research Program in Wooster, OH focuses on detection, control, and prevention of disease. Located on the only campus in the country with a comprehensive medical center offering seven health sciences colleges, we admit up to 162 veterinary students per class, and offer a new comprehensive graduate program in Veterinary and Comparative Medicine as well as a unique Master’s degree in Veterinary Public Health, in partnership with the College of Public Health. http://vet.osu.edu.
