Leadership award goes to OSU's Lonnie King

WASHINGTON — The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) has named Dr. Lonnie King, dean of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, as the 2012 AAVMC Senator John Melcher, DVM, Leadership in Public Policy Award.

"Dr. King is an expert in One Health and the emergence of new diseases, (and he) has successfully advocated for important legislation and demonstrated leadership throughout his career in government and academia," says Dr. Bennie Osburn, interim executive director of AAVMC. "The impact of his contributions as an effective leader, strategic planner, visionary and communicator are extraordinary and far-reaching."

In addition to leading his college, King is a professor in the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine and holds the Ruth Stanton Endowed Chair in Veterinary Medicine. He received his bachelor's degree and DVM from OSU, a master's degree in epidemiology from the University of Minnesota, and a master's degree in public administration from American University.

King has held numerous leadership positions in academia and government. He worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), where he rose to become an administrator and the highest-ranking veterinarian in the USDA. Under his leadership APHIS advocated for an impressive legislative agenda, averaging 250 House and Senate bills per year, encompassing policies and regulations for animal welfare, biotechnology, disease control and eradication in animals and plants, international trade, animal product movements, diagnostic services, vaccine development and wildlife services. King originated the National Disease Detection System, which later became the U.S. National Animal Health Monitoring System, a key APHIS surveillance tool.

In 2004 he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science in recognition of his significant contributions to veterinary medicine.

In 2005 King was appointed the first director for the Office of Strategy and Innovation at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and in 2006 he became the first director of the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases, where he served as the senior CDC veterinarian. He pioneered the "One Health" program at the CDC and established CDC positions that were filled by veterinarians to ensure better linkages between human and animal health.

King was dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University (MSU) for 10 years before joining the CDC. At MSU he led efforts, together with the AAVMC, to emphasize professional development and teach new skills. He was also a key driver in securing $58 million for new animal health diagnostic laboratory facilities at the college.

In 2009 he returned to academia to become the CVM dean at Ohio State, where he recently was appointed executive dean for health services, overseeing seven health science colleges.

King is a past president of the AAVMC and currently serves as AAVMC liaison to the Legislative Advisory Committee of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).