Disaster - College of Veterinary Medicine - Texas A&M University

Faculty/Staff Focus
Chowdhary named assoc. dean for research & graduate studies
Dr. Bhanu P. Chowdhary
AAfter conducting a national search,
the Texas A&M University College of
Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical
Sciences (CVM) didn’t have to go any
further than down the hall to find
the new Associate Dean for Research
and Graduate Studies, Dr. Bhanu P.
Chowdhary.
“Dr. Chowdhary’s strong reputation
in the research community, his commitment
to service, and his dedication
to students will be key to ensuring the
bright future of the research enterprise
at the CVM,” said Dr. Eleanor
Green, Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary
Medicine.
“I am grateful for the opportunity
provided to me and am excited to serve
DDr. John August, professor of feline
internal medicine at the Texas A&M
College of Veterinary Medicine &
Biomedical Sciences, has been named
as Interim Head of the Department
of Veterinary Pathobiology. His appointment
replaces previous Interim
Department Head, Fuller Bazer, whose
research is taking him out of the country.
With the appointment comes new
duties and responsibilities for August.
“I will be responsible for the quality
and scope of instructional, research,
and clinical service programs of the
department and one of my responsibilities
will be to ensure a smooth transition
for the next permanent leader in
the department,” said August.
36 • CVM Today • Summer 2010
the college and all its constituents to
take research and graduate education
to the next level of advancement.
We are fortunate at the CVM to have
a bunch of faculty members who are
very successful and are internationally
renowned for their work,” said Chowdhary.
“I will work to support their
continued success by encouraging and
promoting them to target various funding
sources and by increasing opportunities
for expanded collaborations.”
The same excitement Chowdhary
wants to bring to the research faculty
also applies to the graduate students in
the college.
“I have been very close to graduate
students all of my career,” said Chowdhary.
“I would like to see graduate education
at the CVM further organized
so that we can attract the best students
and can create and matriculate graduate
students of the highest caliber.”
In addition, Chowdhary wants to incorporate
more research opportunities
into the professional DVM curriculum,
as it adds a very important dimension
to education and professional
development.
“I would like to help create an
atmosphere whereby our veterinary
medical students have a better idea of
the research that goes on within the
college and even outside the college
that supports the discovery of novel
tools for treatment and diagnostics,”
said Chowdhary. “By doing this, and
As a faculty member in Small Animal
Clinical Sciences, August is looking
forward to having an opportunity to
become better acquainted with his colleagues
in Pathobiology, through his
interim administrative appointment.
“As a faculty member in Small Animal
Clinical Sciences, I’ve always had a
great deal of respect for my colleagues
working in Pathobiology, and this
interim appointment gives me a unique
opportunity to get to know the faculty
and staff of the department better, and
to learn more about their many contributions
to the academic programs of
our college.”
August’s term as interim head will
conclude in late August, when Dr. Lin-
helping these students develop a
research aptitude, their awareness of
the latest developments will dramatically
increase and they will be better
equipped with ways of understanding
and addressing complex problems they
may see in their clinics.”
Another group that Chowdhary is
working with is the post-doctoral students,
or “postdocs.”
“By encouraging them to be actively
involved in research, proposal writing,
teaching, we can ensure they continue
to advance, they develop a CV that
speaks volumes, and they are better
positioned to be the future leaders in
their field,” said Chowdhary.
Chowdhary began his education with
a Veterinary Degree from the College
of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in
Bikaner, India, followed by a Masters in
Veterinary Science in Animal Breeding
and Genetics. He received his PhD
from the Swedish University of Agricultural
Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden.
In addition to numerous articles and
book chapters, Chowdhary has played
an active role in professional genetics
societies. In 2009, he was named as the
President-Elect of the Texas Genetics
Society. He has also served regularly
on many department, college, and
university-wide committees.
August appointed interim department head of pathobiology
Dr. John August
da Logan will return to the Pathobiology
department to assume the helm.