Alan M. Kelly, BVSc, PhD
1935-2023 | Dean Emeritus, 1994-2005
Dean Emeritus Alan M. Kelly died on Saturday, May 13.
“The passing of Dean Kelly is a great loss to our School, and to the entire academic community,” said Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine Andrew M. Hoffman, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM. “He was a distinguished scholar whose contributions to the field of veterinary medicine were exceptional. His leadership as Dean from 1994 to 2005 transformed our facilities and research capabilities, leaving a lasting impact on our School’s mission. Dean Kelly’s commitment to research excellence, and his dedication to teaching continue to inspire our faculty, students, and staff. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, and we will always cherish his memory as a prophetic leader and exceptional colleague.”
Alan M. Kelly was the 11th dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. With a career that spanned 60 years, he fostered sturdier interactions between clinicians and bench scientists, and he was a vigorous champion of the School’s leadership in animal health and food safety.
A native of Scotland, Kelly was born on February 7, 1935, and as a young man he served in the Royal Naval Reserve. He earned his BS from the University of Reading in 1958; his BVSc from the University of Bristol in 1962; and his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1967. Kelly joined the School’s faculty in 1968 as assistant professor of pathology. Four years later he was appointed associate professor of pathology, and in 1979 he was named professor of pathology. Kelly also served as head of the Laboratory of Pathology for three years beginning in 1986, chair of the Graduate Group of Pathology from 1987 to 1989, and chair of the Department of Pathobiology from 1990 to 1993.
On October 21, 1993, Interim University of Pennsylvania President Claire Fagin named Kelly acting dean of the School. Eleven months later, on November 28, 1994, then University of Pennsylvania President Judith Rodin announced Kelly as permanent dean. “Alan’s stewardship as acting dean has been exemplary,” Rodin said at the time. “In a brief period, he has guided the School of Veterinary Medicine through the continuing challenges it faces and worked to create a sense of optimism and collegiality across the entire School.”
An unflagging guardian of the School, Kelly oversaw the $128 million Building New Levels of Excellence fundraising campaign that soared past its $100 million goal. “In my forty years at the Veterinary School,” noted Kelly in a 2004 issue of Bellwether magazine. “I have never seen so many people and organizations supporting our teaching, research, and healing missions.”
During his tenure as dean, Kelly directed signature capital projects including the 120,000-square-foot Hill Pavilion in Philadelphia (2006), the first new teaching and research building to be opened at the School since 1963; the Scott Equine Sports Medicine Facility (2002), the 16,000-square-foot swine facility (2001) and the 200-head Marshak Dairy (1996), all at the School’s New Bolton Center campus in rural Chester County.
Kelly received funding throughout his career. He was a PI for grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Muscular Dystrophy Association of America, and a co-PI on grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Kelly was a member of various prestigious societies including the Royal College of Veterinary Medicine, the American Society for Cell Biology, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Association of Equine Practitioners. He was also the recipient of the 1974 Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award.
“I remember my first contact with Alan as a gifted, witty, reflective, and rigorous teacher,” said Joan C. Hendricks, VMD, PhD, who succeeded Kelly and served as the School’s 12th dean from 2006 to 2018. “Later, I knew him as a gifted, witty, reflective, and rigorous chair, and then dean. He was a huge cheerleader for me; awarding me an endowed chair, I was the first woman in the School to receive such a distinguished honor; and advocating for me to succeed him as dean. He could not have been more gracious as he offered advice and introductions during my transition into the deanship. Alan’s legacy is apparent in the good works he did with his hard work and love for our School, and our profession.”
Dr. Leszek K. Kubin
Leszek K. Kubin, former research professor of physiology at Penn Vet, passed away on May 26, 2023. He was 70.
Born in Poland, Kubin received an MS in biomedical engineering from Warsaw Technical University in 1976. He then earned two PhDs in physiology, one each from University of Pisa and Warsaw School of Medicine. Kubin arrived at Penn Vet in 1983 and served as research associate in the Department of Animal Biology (now Biomedical Sciences) for two years, followed by faculty appointments at Warsaw School of Medicine and Polish Academy of Sciences.
Richard O. Davies, emeritus professor of physiology, shared a lab and research with Kubin from 1983 until Davies retired in 2007. “Working with Leszek was enjoyable. He was highly skilled and driven, and I admired his intelligence and cleverness in devising experiments and interpreting data,” said Davies. “When I think about my friendship with Leszek, I remember a man of great commitment and integrity, and the warmth shared with him and his family.”
In 1988, Kubin joined the faculty at Penn Vet as research assistant professor of physiology, becoming full professor in 2003. He was dedicated to his students, teaching animal physiology and biochemistry, and was an invaluable mentor to many postdoctoral trainees and junior faculty. Kubin retired in 2019.
Kubin conducted research on respiratory, sleep, and metabolic disorders associated with sleep-disordered breathing, as well as homeostatic regulation of sleep. He played a major role in developing the first sleep-focused center at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1988, in collaboration with Davies, he led a well-received grant that was part of an application to establish an NIH-funded Special Center of Research in Obstructive Sleep Apnea (Allan I. Pack, P.I.0). Their success positioned the academic community in sleep and circadian research to establish the Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology at Perelman School of Medicine in 1991.
Kubin also offered his time and effort to the wider scientific community. He edited for several international physiology/neurophysiology journals and served as guest reviewer for over 50 international journals. He also organized or chaired many international symposia on sleep and breathing, including the annual Neuroscience of Sleep and Circadian Biology Data Blitz.
“Leszek Kubin was a gentleman and a scholar,” said Dr. Ellen Puré, who served as chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences during Kubin’s last six years before retiring. “We were near neighbors for a decade, so I had ample opportunity to observe his devotion to his research and the research enterprise. We shared a number of other interests and he always offered insights and angles I had not previously considered. His open-mindedness impressed me in contrast to his uncompromising standards in science. I was very fortunate to have him share his wisdom with me. He faced his challenges toward the end as he lived his life, with true grace and strengthened by his love for his family.”
Kubin is survived by his wife of 48 years, Joanna; daughters Kasia and Ania; and cherished grandson Franek. Kubin enjoyed the outdoors and made innumerable trips with the family to hike, swim, and canoe in the Adirondacks. An avid reader, Kubin and his grandson built a Little Free Library and installed it in front of Kubin’s house. A lasting legacy, the library will serve the neighborhood for many years to come.
Dr. Lincoln Parkes
Dr. Lincoln John “Nick” Parkes, GV’68, a former Penn Vet faculty member, died on February 7. He was 94.
After enlisting in the U.S. Naval Air Corps at the end of World War II, Parkes attended Dartmouth College before earning a DVM at Colorado State University. He then interned at Penn Vet.
After a brief stint as a solo practitioner, Parkes worked at the Animal Medical Center in New York. He then returned to Penn Vet, where he served as a faculty member and, in 1968, received a certificate of veterinary medicine. At Penn, Parkes did research in small animal surgery, specifically in bone healing and collagen. In 1971, Parkes left Penn and started the first veterinary orthopedic referral private practice on Philadelphia’s Main Line.
Parkes developed the concept of wheelchairs for dogs who became paralyzed in the hindlimbs. He obtained two patents for the K-9 Cart wheelchair, which is still sold. In 1991, he retired from practice and continued to sell wheelchairs.