Beginning on Aug. 1, current Tufts University professor Andrew Hoffman will take up the role of Dean of the Penn Vet School, according to a Feb. 28 announcement from Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Wendell Pritchett.
At Tufts, Hoffman is a professor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and the director of its Regenerative Medicine Laboratory. He has worked at Tufts for 24 years.
Gutmann said in an official statement that Hoffman has a “long and distinguished track record and an exciting vision for the role of veterinarians and veterinary schools in research universities and society.”
Dean of Tufts Vet School Deborah Kochevar wrote in an emailed statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the Tufts faculty is "intensely proud" of Hoffman's appointment as Penn Vet Dean, "we will miss him at Tufts."
"He has long been recognized as a passionate advocate for biomedical research and has directed a dynamic and innovative research program at the school," the statement read. "We wish him all the best as he assumes leadership at Penn Vet, and we look forward to following his accomplishments in the years to come.”
According to Penn Today, Hoffman has been director of the Regenerative Medicine Laboratory since 2012. Prior to that appointment, he served for seven years as director of the Stem Cell Laboratory at Tufts. Hoffman has also headed the Tufts Lung Function Laboratory for over two decades, and chaired the admissions committee for the Vet School.
Hoffman earned his veterinary degree from Cornell University and his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Delaware. He also holds a doctorate in veterinary science from the University of Guelph.
“We look forward to working with Andy as he collaborates with faculty, staff, students, overseers, and alumni to build on Penn Vet’s remarkably distinguished history and potential,” Pritchett said in the announcement.
Hoffman is set to replace current Penn Vet Dean Joan Hendricks, who has held that position since 2006 and who was one of the first women in the United States to become dean of a vet school.
“We profoundly appreciate Joan’s superb service to Penn Vet and to Penn,” Gutmann said in the announcement.
Hendricks has been a member of the Penn faculty for over 30 years, where according to Gutmann she has “garnered international acclaim for her work in veterinary clinical care and in the biology of sleep.”
Second-year Penn Vet student Emily DuPont said that she is excited to see Hoffman as the new Dean.
"While it will be hard to replace Dean Hendricks, we are looking forward to all the wonderful things Dr. Hoffman will surely bring to Penn Vet," DuPont said.
Hendricks will continue to serve as dean of Penn Vet until Hoffman’s tenure starts in August.
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