D. Paul Lunn, BVMS, MS, PhD, professor of equine medicine and head of the Department of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has been named dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at North Carolina State University (NC State), effective Feb. 15, 2012. NC State Provost Warwick Arden announced the appointment.

"I am extremely pleased we have been able to attract Dr. Lunn to lead the College of Veterinary Medicine," Arden said. "I believe he has the experience, skill, and vision to continue to move this outstanding program to a position of international eminence."

"It’s a great privilege and a challenge to have the chance to take up the position of dean at the College of Veterinary Medicine at NC State," Lunn said. "Above all, I have been hugely impressed by the enthusiasm and positive attitude of the faculty of the college, and I look forward to working with them to accomplish their ambitious goals."

Lunn is an expert in equine immunology and infectious disease; his lab researches equine influenza and equine herpesvirus (EHV-1), a highly infectious virus that can cause abortion and neurologic disease in horses. (See Lunn’s advice to horse owners concerned about EHV-1 in TheHorse.com’s Neurologic EHV-1: The Top Five Things You Need to Know