Vet Med Associate Dean & Chairman to Step Down

Dear Colleagues, Following 16 years of dedicated leadership in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Siba Samal has decided to step down as Chair effective September 1. Through Siba’s leadership, his department has gained national prominence in fundamental science critical to both animal and human health. Although he will no longer serve the college as Chair, Siba will still play an important role as a senior faculty member in the department, mentoring young faculty and directing his research program. Dr. Xiaoping Zhu has graciously agreed to serve as interim while we search for a permanent replacement.
 Siba’s accomplishments and accolades as department chair are many. Most impressively, he has recruited several outstanding faculty in the department and has grown his faculty from two to a current size of 12. Siba has also improved the research infrastructure of the department including a BSL-3 facility and improved the quality and quantity of publications in the department. He has also served as Associate Dean of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and has been highly influential in expanding that program and enhancing the partnership between the two institutions. I want to formally thank Siba for his many years of service to our college as Chair and as Associate Dean. We will be initiating a search for a permanent Chair sometime this fall. In the meantime, please join me in thanking Siba for the many contributions he has made to the department, the college, and to the VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine Sincerely,Craig BeyroutyDean and Director