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EVENT SPEAKER
Donald F. Smith, DVM, Dipl, ACVS
Donald F. Smith, the former Dean of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and member of the
National Academy of Practices, was recently named New York State’s Veterinarian of the Year.
Dr. Smith was born in Canada where he received his DVM, with distinction, at the University of Guelph in 1974.
After completing a surgical residency at the University of Pennsylvania, he was appointed to the faculty at
Cornell University. An energetic and engaging teacher, Smith was awarded the Norden Distinguished Teacher
prize in only his third year on the Cornell faculty. He was elected to the National Academy of Practices
in 1990.
During his time as a faculty member, Dr. Smith is credited with the development of a number of clinical
advances in bovine abdominal surgery and in the understanding of metabolic abnormalities that accompany
disorders of the bovine gastrointestinal tract. He developed an innovative experimental model of metabolic
alkalosis, which led to fundamental advances in fluid therapy of cattle and other species.
Dr. Smith was named Cornell’s ninth dean of veterinary medicine in 1997. He set the course for Cornell's
pioneering efforts in biomedical research by reorganizing the veterinary college’s academic structures in
his first year as dean, and by establishing new programs in cancer biology and oncology, functional and
comparative genomics and infectious diseases. These academic initiatives strengthened the college’s
clinical and teaching programs and encouraged interdisciplinary research collaboration in the life sciences
throughout the Cornell campus. Over a dozen major capital projects were funded during Smith’s deanship,
including the $55 million East Campus Research Facility and the $80 million Animal Health Diagnostic Center.
In 2000, Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine rose to the number one ranking in the country by US News and
World Report, and sustained that ranking throughout the remainder of Smith’s deanship. Dr. Smith returned to his
professorial position on the faculty this past summer, where he is exploring the relationship of companion animals
to the family structure in America. Smith believes that the role and impact of pets in society is changing very
rapidly, and that it is imperative that the veterinary profession become more proactive in providing leadership
in areas of public policy, health management and the dynamics of family planning as they relate to pets.
Dr. Smith resides in Ithaca, NY, with his wife, Doris, his dog, Beau and cat, Nip. Don and Doris have three children.
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