Joseph Francis Appointed as Acting Dean of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine

Joseph Francis07/16/2021
BATON ROUGE – LSU has appointed Joseph Francis as acting dean of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. Francis will serve as acting dean from July 19 through Aug. 30, as the school awaits the arrival of its permanent dean, Dr. Oliver Garden. Francis currently serves as associate dean for research and advanced studies and holds the Everett D. Besch Professorship in Veterinary Medicine.

“This is an exciting time as the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine prepares to welcome its new dean,” said LSU Interim Executive Vice President & Provost Matt Lee. “I am confident Dr. Francis will do an exemplary job leading the school in the interim.”

Francis is a professor in the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences and has been at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine since 2003. Francis has a bachelor’s of veterinary medicine in animal husbandry and a master’s degree in veterinary virology and immunology from Madras Veterinary College in Chennai, India. He received his  doctorate in neuroimmuno-endocrinology from Kansas State University.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the faculty, staff, and students as acting dean of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine during this transition period,” said Francis.

Dr. Francis received the Arthur Guyton Young Investigator Award in 2009, and the Dean’s Teacher Merit Honor Roll in 2012 and 2015. Francis’ research focuses on inflammation in relation to human diseases, using animal models to gain a better understanding of chronic diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Francis has been awarded over $10 million dollars in grant funding during his 18 years at LSU from a variety of funding organizations including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the American Heart Association, and the US High Bush Blueberry Council.

 

 

Contact:Ernie Ballard
LSU Media Relations
225-578-5685
eballa1@lsu.edu 

or

Emily Hatfield
LSU Office of Academic Affairs
225-578-6290
eopry3@lsu.edu 

 

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