Office of the Dean
Our office works to ensure that the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania stands as a leader in education, clinical care, and research related to animals and humans.
Welcome
The School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania serves at the nexus of education, clinical care, and research related to animals and humans. For the School’s community of educators, practitioners, and scientists, our moment in time holds revolutionary promise to accelerate veterinary medicine’s impact on animal, human, and environmental health.
Dean
Andrew M. Hoffman, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM
Gilbert S. Kahn Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Advancing Veterinary Medicine
Our Mission
Our mission at Penn Vet is to train the next generation of veterinary leaders to advance healthcare outcomes and access, ensure global health, bolster sustainable agriculture, create and support interdisciplinary career paths, and foster community and wellness in the profession.
Dean Hoffman on Campus and Around the Country
One Health, Climate, and Sustainability
Using his voice as veterinarian, Dean Hoffman collaborates across a network of One Health professionals and academics to promote public engagement on sustainable agriculture; to advance veterinary practices within the profession; and to identify solutions that enhance food systems while minimizing environmental and climate impacts.
2025
- 2025 AAVMC Catalyze Annual Conference, panel moderator for keynote Jade Sasser, April 11, 2025
- March 17, 2025 | Perry World House – ‘Feeding a Climate-Changed World’; Opening Keynote – Climate, Agriculture, and Food Systems
- March 12, 2025 | One Health @ Penn Research Community RIP/WIP Seminar: Accelerating knowledge-sharing about Climate at Penn;
- Feb 11 2025 | From Forests to Farmlands: Navigating the Tradeoffs in Land Use for Renewable Energy, Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, Moderator
2024
- COP29: Delivering Health and Education for People, Planet, Peace and Prosperity (Zero Water Day Partnership, Julian Fisher, sponsor); Speaker on One Health /Transdisciplinary Climate Education.
- Global Consortium for Climate and Health Education (GCCHE) speaker – Climate Change and Veterinary Education;
- Plant Arc Symposium speaker:
- April 10, 2024 | Perry World House: opening remarks for, participation in Panel 1 – Workshop on Preparing for Vector Borne Disease in a Warming World (sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation)
- Member, National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the US Health Sector (“Climate Collaborative”), serving as AAVMC representative, and Education Committee
- Member, National Academy of Practice (NAP Class of 2024) – Interprofessional Education on Climate, service: Abstract Committee
- May 15, 2024 | “Climate and Veterinary Medicine”: Seminar, Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food Security
- “Climate and Veterinary Medicine”: Seminar, Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food Security
- April 13, 2024 | AAVMC CATALYZE 2024 conference: organizer, moderator, speaker for Climate and Sustainability tracks, Wash DC
- Energy Week Panelist; “Growing Greener: The Role of University Research & Demonstration Farms in Energy and Climate Policy” with Great Lakes University of Kenya (GLUK);
- Keynote, One Health Club at Penn Vet, Climate Change Action at Penn
- Jan 25, 2024 | Perry World House Supported Workshop: From Crisis to Connection: Intersecting Threads of Climate, Communication, and Mental Health; UPenn
- Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy; Voices for Change: Empowering Climate Change Communicators
2023
- December 8, 2023 | WHO COP28 Webinar: Integrating the Social Determinants of Health into Health Workforce Education and Training: What relevance for Planetary Health and Climate Action?
- Environmental Health Working Group, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAMES), An Expanded One Health Framework Toward Interprofessional Education – One Health Survey lead
- 2023 MARS Veterinary Health Dean’s Council, invited speaker: Climate and Sustainability at Penn
- Perry World House, Penn Global – Pandemic preparedness and zoonoses
- Perry World House, Penn Global – ‘Living with Extreme Heat’ panel moderator
- Methane and Health Dialogue, Environmental Defense Fund working group on agriculture
- 2023 ASPPH Interprofessional Education Panel on Climate and Health Education, Washington DC
2022
- 2022-present MARS Veterinary Health, Deans Council (MVH Advisory Group)
- 2022 UN Delegate Observer, Focal Point Panelist at COP27, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
- 2022 Founding dean and member, Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (Penn Vet)
- 2022-24. Chair, AAVMC Climate Change Task Force
2021 and 2020
Supporting Research
Dean Hoffman is founder of the first Extracellular Vesicle (EV) Core Laboratory in the United States. EVs are associated with various physiological processes. They facilitate cell-to-cell communication and are being explored for potential therapeutic applications. He maintains a state-of-the-art EV Core Laboratory at Penn Vet to support research activities across the country.
Our Leadership
Our Board
Penn Vet’s Board of Advisors is the advisory body to Dean Andrew Hoffman. While formal institutional governance and fiduciary responsibility for the University rests solely with its Board of Trustees, our advisory board serves as a vital channel of communication with the Trustees on the activities of Penn Vet.
Our Board of Advisors afford Penn Vet a ready panel of professionals, experts, and informed lay people who provide volunteer leadership and financial support to the School. They serve as ambassadors and spokespersons by linking the campus to the world.
Board of Advisors
- Mr. Mark D. Spitzer, W’71, Chair
- Mr. Martin E. Winter, G’76, W’76, Vice Chair
- Mrs. Kathryn L. Champ
- Mr. Christopher B. Cowan, WG’91
- Mr. Michael Dana, WG’85
- Dr. Juan Luis Ferrer Perez, C’78, V’82
- Ms. Wendy Grubbs
- Ms. Abigail R. Kazam, C’02
- William R. Levy, Esq.
- Mr. Richard Lichter
- Mr. Keith A. Morgan, C’83
- Mrs. Linda Richardson
- Mrs. Gail Petty Riepe, CW’68
- Dr. Deborah S. Rothman, C’95
- Ms. Christa B. Schmidt
- Mrs. Tamara Totah Picache, W’94
- Dr. Anson J. Tsugawa, V’98
- Mrs. Lucy Zungailia, C’85
Ex Officio Members
- Mr. Christian Herr, ex officio
- Mr. David Lentz, ex-officio
- Hon. Dan Moul, ex officio
- Hon. Eddie Day Pashinski, ex officio
- Hon. Russell Redding, ex officio
- Hon. Judith L. Schwank, ex officio
- Mr. Christopher Torres, ex officio
- Hon. Elder A. Vogel, Jr., ex officio
Emeritus
- Mrs. Patricia Billhardt
- Ms. Christine C. Connelly
- Mrs. Mindy Heyer, C’79, W’79, WG’80
Dean’s Council
The Dean’s Council is comprised of faculty members and executive-level staff who serve as advisers to Dean Andrew Hoffman in guiding the mission and strategic priorities for Penn Vet.
Council Members
Gary Althouse, DVM, PhD, DACT
Associate Dean for Sustainable Agriculture and Veterinary Practices
Marion Dilley and David George Jones Endowed Chair in Animal Reproduction; Professor of Swine Health and Reproduction
Brady Beale, VMD, DACVO
Associate Dean of Clinical Enterprise, Ryan Hospital; Hospital Director and Chief Medical Officer, Ryan Hospital; Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Igor E. Brodsky, AB, PhD
Chair, Department of Pathobiology;
Robert R. Marshak Professor of Pathobiology;
Associate Professor of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine
Claire Bruno
Assistant Dean of Students & Admissions
Barbara Dallap Schaer, VMD, DACVS, DACVECC
Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Operations, New Bolton Center; New Bolton Center Hospital Director; Professor of Emergency Medicine & Critical Care
Amy C. Durham, MS, VMD, MSEd, DACVP
Associate Dean for Education;
Professor of Anatomic Pathology
Roderick Gilbert, MPH, DrPH(c)
Assistant Dean for Community and Engagement
Jonathan Evans, MA
Senior Associate Dean of Development and Alumni Relations
Martin Hackett, MA
Chief Communications Officer
Katrin Hinrichs, DVM, PhD, DACT
Chair, Department of Clinical Studies-New Bolton Center; Harry Werner Endowed Professor of Equine Medicine; Professor of Reproduction
Olena Jacenko, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty;
Professor of Biochemistry
Christopher J. Lengner, PhD
Chair, Department of Biomedical Sciences;
Harriet Ellison Woodward Professor
Jillian Marcussen, MPA
Assistant Dean of Administration & Chief of Staff;
Office of the Dean
Mark Oyama, DVM, MSCE, DACVIM
Chair, Department of Clinical Sciences & Advanced Medicine; Charlotte Newton Sheppard Endowed Chair of Medicine
Jennifer Punt, VMD, PhD
Associate Dean for One Health;
Professor of Immunology
Phillip Scott, PhD
Vice Dean for Research & Academic Resources;
Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
Robert Schieri, MBA, CPA
Vice Dean and Chief Financial Officer
Penn Vet Deans
From its inception in 1884, with Rush Shippen Huidekoper, MD, as Penn Vet’s inaugural dean, the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has been led by visionary thinkers.
The Gilbert S. Kahn Deanship
In 1993, Gilbert S. Kahn, breeder, exhibitor and judge of purebred dogs and supporter of animal welfare and canine health issues, made a gift to name the deanship of Penn Veterinary Medicine. The Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Penn was the first endowed veterinary deanship in North America.
Andrew M. Hoffman, DVM, DVSc
Term: 2018-Present
Joan C. Hendricks, VMD, PhD
Term: 2006-2018
Alan M. Kelly, BVSc, MRCVS, PhD
Term: 1994-2005
Edwin J. Andrews, VMD
Term: 1987-1993
Robert R. Marshak, DVM
Term: 1973-1987
Mark. W. Allam, VMD
Term: 1953-1973
Raymond A. Kelser, DVM
Term: 1946-1952
George A. Dick, VMD
Term: 1931–1945
Harold E. Bemis, DVM
Term: 1930–1931
Louis A. Klein, VMD
Term: 1910–1930
Leonard Pearson, VMD
Term: 1897–1909
John Marshall, MD
Term: 1890–1897
Rush Shippen Huidekoper, MD
Term: 1884–1889