FROM THE DEAN

My first year as dean of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) was certainly a memorable one, bringing us challenges unlike any I’ve faced in my 35 years in higher education administration.

However, 2020 was also a year that put the excellence of the CVMBS on full display. We were defined by adaptability and initiative, and I am extremely proud of everyone at the CVMBS who allowed us to not only navigate these challenges but also to have another highly successful year.

After moving to remote learning in March, quick action allowed us to be one of the first veterinary programs in the nation to bring our fourth-year students safely back for face-toface clinical instruction in June.

Within the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH), faculty and staff also adapted, ensuring that the hospital continued to thrive during the pandemic. Although the VMTH did not perform elective procedures for much of the year, the VMTH’s overall drop in total income and funding was only 4.5%, despite a drop of almost 12% in overall caseload. However, the VMTH has still remained profitable, with a net margin over $1 million through the first half of the year.

That success was partially due to the rollout of the VirtualVet Telemedicine program, which launched in March. Over 128 appointments were completed in 2020 using the VirtualVet platform.

A significant amount of headway also was made in our efforts in the Texas Pandhandle. COVID-19 may have delayed the grand opening of the Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach Dean John R. August (VERO) and Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) buildings until this summer, but the two new buildings were opened, two additional faculty were hired (with plans to hire more), and applications were accepted for the first cohort of veterinary students who will participate in our 2+2 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) Program at VERO. In addition, the first fourth-year veterinary students were able to begin clinical rotations at VERO.

Both the VERO and TVMDL buildings sit on the newly named The Charles W. “Doc” Graham ’53 DVM, The Texas A&M University System Center, which makes up a significant portion of the West Texas A&M University campus.

We also took the first few steps of our next major initiative, the construction of a new Small Animal Hospital by hosting two visioning summits that included some of the best minds from around Texas A&M, the state of Texas, and the country. With their help, we have envisioned a new next-generation Small Animal Hospital and are looking forward to sharing that vision with everyone in the near future.

It was also a year in which our expertise was called on more than ever. Dr. Gerry Parker, the associate dean of Global One Health, was a trusted voice in the media throughout the pandemic, and the Veterinary Emergency Team (VET) not only used its expertise in emergency management to help our own VMTH adapt its operations to COVID-19, but VET director Dr. Wesley Bissett was called on by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to assist with COVID-19 contact tracing in the Panhandle, marking the first time the VET has assisted in a human medicine response.

In all, 2020 was a challenging year, but as you’ll see in these pages, it was still a highly successful one for the CVMBS.

JOHN R. AUGUST