Kate Meurs has been named dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University following a nationwide search. Her appointment becomes effective April 1, pending Board of Trustees approval. Meurs will be the first female dean of the college and the inaugural recipient of the Randall B. Terry, Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine Endowed Dean’s Chair. Meurs takes the permanent position after serving as interim dean of the college since January 18, following the departure of former dean Paul Lunn to become dean of the University of Liverpool School of Veterinary Science.
NC State Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick Arden announced the appointment today.
“Dr. Meurs is one of the foremost leaders in veterinary medical education and an incredibly strong researcher and teacher as well,” said Arden. “Her service to NC State and the veterinary medicine profession give her the in-depth knowledge, understanding and experience to lead the college in strategic growth, strengthening it as a premier destination for veterinary faculty, staff and students. I look forward to working with her as she continues to fulfill the college’s, and NC State’s mission and vision.”
Meurs joined NC State in 2011 as associate dean for research and graduate studies in the college. In 2020 she was named the Randall B. Terry, Jr. Distinguished Professor in Comparative Medicine.
Under Meurs’ leadership as associate dean, the college’s annual extramural and federal research funding experienced exponential growth. She developed the college’s first undergraduate research program, along with a combined DVM/master of public health program with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Public Health.
Her work helped grow the Comparative Biomedical Sciences doctoral program both in number of students and in the diversity of the student body, along with the addition of two new concentration areas. In 2017, she was integral in launching the Biomedical Partnership Center on the college’s campus.
“My internship at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1990 had a profound impact on the trajectory of my career and I am so grateful for the opportunities that the program provided me. I was fortunate to return to the college 10 years ago and be part of its growth in the past decade. I am so honored to now have this opportunity to step into this leadership role of this outstanding college with the incredibly talented and dedicated faculty, staff, students and trainees,” said Meurs.
Prior to joining NC State, Meurs served in faculty and administrative positions at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Meurs is board certified from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Cardiology). She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Phi Zeta Honor Society and the National Council of University Research Administrators. Her areas of interest include familial aspects of cardiovascular disease, especially cardiomyopathy.
Meurs received her Bachelor of Science in zoology, as well as her DVM, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also holds a Ph.D. in genetics from Texas A&M University. She completed a small animal internship at NC State and a cardiology residency at Texas A&M University.
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