Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine names Hans Coetzee department head of anatomy and physiology

A former faculty member is returning to Kansas State University to lead the anatomy and physiology department in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Hans Coetzee will become head of the department on Oct. 1. Coetzee was a College of Veterinary Medicine faculty member from October 2005 to July 2011, leaving to join Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine as a professor and section leader for its pharmacology analytical support team.

"We are very pleased to have Dr. Coetzee return to Kansas State University and assume a leadership role in our college," said Tammy Beckham, dean of the college. "He has a great wealth of experience as researcher, instructor and administrator in cattle health, animal welfare and pharmacology. Dr. Coetzee is committed to institutional success with a sound record of leadership in the areas of research support and sponsored funding, institutional service, outreach, teaching and professional practice."

"It is very exciting to have a chance to come back to Kansas State University and an honor to have been selected to serve as the department head for anatomy and physiology," Coetzee said. "I am humbled to join a department where there are many talented faculty members who do outstanding work teaching foundational skills to the next generation of veterinarians. Researchers here are also focused on solving some of the world's most complex biomedical challenges at a time when competition for funding resources has never been more intense. I look forward to working with faculty to identify new opportunities to better meet the needs of our veterinary students and to expand our research portfolio."

Coetzee earned a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 1996 at the University of Pretoria's Onderstepoort campus in South Africa. He earned a doctorate in veterinary microbiology from Iowa State University in 2005.

He became board certified as a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology in 2006, and as a diplomate of the American College of Animal Welfare in 2014. He also earned a certificate in cattle health and production from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in London in 2000 and is a European specialist in animal welfare science, ethics and law.

Coetzee was a mixed animal practitioner from August 1996 to May 2000 at the Riada Veterinary Clinic, Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. From 2000 to 2002, he was a veterinary adviser for the Research and Development Division of Norbrook Laboratories Ltd. in Northern Ireland. He served two years as an adjunct professor and university veterinarian at Iowa State University before joining Kansas State University. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and received more than $7 million in research funding.

Coetzee is a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, American Veterinary Medical Association, American Society of Animal Science, American Dairy Science Association, Academy of Veterinary Consultants and American Association of Swine Practitioners. He received the 2014 American Association of Bovine Practitioners Award of Excellence, 2014 Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence, 2006 Novartis Teaching Excellence Award in recognition of outstanding instruction of third-year veterinary students, Fort Dodge Animal Health Fellowship in Veterinary Medicine in 2004 and Northern Ireland Veterinarian of the Year Award in 2000.

In his free time he enjoys spending time with his wife, Tiffany, and his twin daughters, Scarlett and Anabelle.