Kotlikoff

Michael I. Kotlikoff, professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell, has been named dean of the veterinary college, Cornell President David J. Skorton and Provost Carolyn (Biddy) Martin announced today.

Kotlikoff succeeds Donald F. Smith, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine, who announced in 2006 that he would step down June 30, 2007, ending a 10-year deanship to return to the veterinary faculty. Kotlikoff's five-year term as dean begins July 1.

"Dr. Kotlikoff brings to his new post a distinguished record of scientific achievement and administrative leadership along with a good understanding of Cornell," said Skorton. "His leadership will enhance the college's contributions in a complex and rapidly changing world."

Martin, who led the search effort with Stephen Kresovich, vice provost for life sciences, said: "Mike has been an excellent chair of biomedical sciences, and I know he will bring that same dedication and vision to the deanship. He is an excellent scholar, who will work hard to protect and enhance our reputation as the premier institution for veterinary medical education and continue to build bridges between the life sciences in Ithaca and the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City."

The veterinary college was ranked the best in the nation in U.S. News and World Report's 2008 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools," and it has consistently been ranked at the top since 2000.

"I am deeply honored to be chosen as the dean of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine," said Kotlikoff. "I look forward to working with faculty, students, staff and friends to continue the outstanding tradition of innovation and leadership that has distinguished the college, and to maintain Cornell's position at the forefront of veterinary medicine."

As dean, Kotlikoff will be the chief academic and administrative officer of the college, which has approximately 265 faculty, 680 staff members, 320 doctors of veterinary medicine (DVMs) and 145 graduate students. It has an estimated annual budget of $100 million and more than 5,000 alumni.

Kotlikoff will oversee the college's administrative operations and programs of teaching, research and outreach, including the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory; he also will play a key leadership role in the college's relationship to the university and leaders of veterinary medicine in New York state and the nation.

Kotlikoff, who joined Cornell in 2000, has chaired the provost's Local Advisory Committee and the Mammalian Genomics Initiative; he has served on the Cornell Genomics and Life Sciences Task Force, the Cornell Institute for Biotechnology and Life Science Technologies Scientific Administrative Board and the Cornell Neurosciences Steering Committee; he also directs the Cornell Core Transgenic Mouse Facility.

His laboratory is internationally recognized in the areas of mouse genetics, cardiac and smooth muscle biology, and cell signaling. Kotlikoff has pioneered efforts to understand complex physiological processes at the molecular level through the use of genetics, molecular design and advanced optics. Work from his laboratory has provided vital insights into heart development, injury and repair, and the molecular basis for abnormal muscle contractility.

Prior to his Cornell position, Kotlikoff was at the University of Pennsylvania as professor and chair of the Department of Animal Biology and director of the Center for Animal Transgenesis and Germ Cell Research in the School of Veterinary Medicine, and he held a joint appointment in the Department of Medicine in the School of Medicine. He received his veterinary degree, summa cum laude, from Penn in 1981 and his Ph.D. in physiology from the University of California-Davis in 1984.