July 31, 2023
Veterinary college selects Hans Coetzee as associate dean for research and graduate programs
Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine has named Hans Coetzee as its new associate dean for research and graduate programs. He has served as the head of the anatomy and physiology department since 2016 and will continue to manage those responsibilities until a new department head is identified.
"Dr. Coetzee's effectiveness as a leader in the department of anatomy and physiology provides a great foundation on which to advance our college's research and graduate programs," said Bonnie Rush, Hodes family dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. "He has built productive relationships with veterinary students, graduate students and faculty as well as with research collaborators beyond Kansas State University. We thank the search committee — our chair, Dr. Brian Lubbers, and members Dr. Jordan Gebhardt, Dr. Stephanie Hall, Amy Brusk and Joel Sanneman — for their service and insight in this important process."
Coetzee's contributions to graduate education at K-State include establishing the A&P Graduate Assistantship Program. This program provides an opportunity for new graduate students to rotate through research laboratories using departmental funding for their first year of the program, resulting in a threefold increase in the number of doctoral students enrolled in the physiology program since 2018. Coetzee has mentored 28 graduate students, 10 as a major professor and 18 as a committee member.
In 2022, Coetzee received the university's highest faculty ranking of university distinguished professor, a lifetime title. Coetzee is nationally and internationally recognized for his work to validate pain assessment tools for use in farm animals and to develop practical drug protocols to alleviate pain in livestock. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers and received over $20 million in research funding. He was the first North American recipient of the World Veterinary Association Global Animal Welfare Award and the second recipient of the World Buiatrics Congress Ruminant Well-being Achievement Award. His contributions to advancing animal welfare also have been recognized with the American Veterinary Medical Association Animal Welfare Award and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners Award of Excellence.
At K-State, Coetzee recently received the 2022 Dr. Ron and Rae Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Research from the K-State Alumni Association. He was also the 2022 recipient of the Commerce Bank and W.T. Kemper Foundation Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award.
Coetzee earned his Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, in 1996 and 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. After earning his doctorate, he served on the faculty of the clinical sciences department at Kansas State University from 2005 to 2011 and the veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine department at Iowa State University from 2011 to 2016 before returning to Kansas State University.
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, 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, Coetzee enjoys spending time with his wife, Tiffany, and his twin daughters, Scarlett and Anabelle.