4 minute read
Meet Dr. Hans Coetzee
Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs
Professional Background
Dr. Hans Coetzee earned his bachelor of veterinary science degree from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. After graduation, he worked in mixed animal practice in Northern Ireland for 4 years, then in pharmaceutical research and development at Norbrook Laboratories. He was awarded a specialist certificate in cattle health and production from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2000 and earned a doctorate in veterinary microbiology from Iowa State University in 2005. He holds dual board certification in the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology and the American College of Animal Welfare and is a European specialist in animal welfare, science, ethics and law.
Dr. Coetzee was an assistant professor, and later a tenured associate professor of clinical pharmacology in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Kansas State University from 2005 to 2011. He was then appointed as an associate professor and director of the racing chemistry laboratory at Iowa State University and served there as a tenured professor from 2014 to 2016. He returned to Kansas State University in October 2016, where he has served as department head of anatomy and physiology prior to his appointment as associate dean for research and graduate programs in July 2023. Dr. Coetzee was selected as a University Distinguished Professor in 2022 and is recognized by Stanford University as top 2% of researchers in the world. He maintains an active research program focused on pain assessment and pain management in livestock, has published more than 220 peer-reviewed scientific papers and has received over $20 million in research funding. He also enjoys gardening, fly fishing and spending time with his wife, Tiffany, and his twin daughters, Scarlett and Anabelle.
Goals and Objectives
In his new role as associate dean for research and graduate programs, Dr. Coetzee plans to focus on implementing the goals of the new Next-Gen K-State university-wide strategic plan. Growing the university research enterprise and annual research expenditures to $300 million is a strategic imperative of the new plan.
“Currently, research activities in the CVM are supported by approximately $20 million in research expenditures. Our goal is to grow this number through strategic investments in people, facilities and equipment” Dr. Coetzee says.
Just in the past month, researchers in the CVM have already been extraordinarily successful in competing for resources that have been made available through the new strategic initiative. Specifically, the CVM provided matching funds in response to the Office of the Vice President for Research $1 million call for equipment grant proposals to support the purchase of 3 critical pieces of equipment valued at more than $600,000. These instruments, combined with the state-of-the-art Biomedical Core Facility funded by an NIH C06 grant that is under construction in the CVM, will provide a foundation of infrastructure to support growth in new and existing research activities across the CVM.
In addition to being focused on supporting research, the role of the ADR has been expanded to include graduate programs. “Training the next generation of scientists is at the heart of any research enterprise,” Dr. Coetzee says. “As department head, we created a rotational Ph.D. program in the department in addition to empowering faculty to establish our Non-Thesis, One-Year Master’s in Biomedical Science program. My goal as ADR is to expand these innovative programs across the CVM to develop a talent pipeline of graduate students to advance our research activities.”
What’s so special about K-State?
The people. It is an honor for me to work alongside faculty, staff and students to advance research and graduate programs in the CVM. Their dedication to deliver the core mission of the university through learning and discovery transforms lives and creates shared prosperity for all.
