MU College of Veterinary Medicine Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine Leah Cohn, DVM, PhD, has accepted the position of interim associate dean for academic and student affairs at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine. She assumed her new responsibilities Jan. 3.
“I am grateful to Dr. Cohn for her willingness to serve the college in this critical position,” said CVM Dean Carolyn Henry. “We had an excellent pool of candidates and I received considerable feedback that will ultimately help inform future decisions regarding the permanent replacement.”
Cohn replaces Angela Tennison, DVM, who left the CVM to take a position in the animal health care industry.
Cohn is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where she earned a bachelor’s degree and her DVM, and North Carolina State University, where she received a PhD. She completed specialty training in small animal internal medicine at North Carolina State before joining the CVM in 1995 in the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery. She is considered one of the country’s leading researchers on the tick-borne disease Cytauxzoon felis, commonly known as bobcat fever.
She has served as the associate chair for the college’s Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery since 2008 and has also served in a number of leadership roles in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, including president and chair of the board of regents. In 2019, the ACVIM honored Cohn with its Lee and Inge Pyle Service Award in recognition of her outstanding and dedicated service to the organization.
In addition to the day-to-day duties of the CVM’s Office for Academic and Student Affairs, she will provide leadership through the upcoming Class of 2026 interviews, spring Awards Banquet, Class of 2022 graduation and Veterinary Enrichment and Teambuilding.
“It is an honor to be chosen for this important position,” Cohn said. “The reason that the MU College of Veterinary Medicine exists is to train the next generation of veterinarians, and the duties of this position are all related directly to maintaining our tradition of excellence in doing just that. I hope to continue to build on the efforts of Drs. Tennison, Linda Berent, Ron Cott, and the others who have served admirably in these roles in the past.”
The college will conduct a national search for a permanent associate dean, a process that is expected to take approximately nine months. Tamara Hancock, DVM, MS, PhD, interim director for academic success, and Joanne Kramer, DVM, MS, interim assistant dean of clinical education, will continue in those positions providing support to the associate dean’s office.
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