Troedsson named UK Department of Veterinary Science Chair and Maxwell H. Gluck Equine
Research Center Director
By Holly Wiemers
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Dec. 21, 2007) The University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture
has named an internationally-recognized scientist with more than 24 years of research
and clinical experience in equine reproduction as its new chair of the Department
of Veterinary Science, a position which also serves as director for the prestigious
Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center.
Mats Troedsson, who currently serves as a professor and services chief in theriogenology
(reproduction) at the University of Florida, will begin June 2008. As chair of the
Department of Veterinary Science, Troedsson will lead the Gluck Equine Research
Center, the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center and the Equine Parentage Testing
and Research Laboratory.
“I am delighted that we have successfully recruited a world-class scientist of Dr.
Troedsson’s caliber to lead the Gluck Center. I am confident that Gluck will reach
new heights of achievement in equine sciences under his direction,” said College
of Agriculture Dean Scott Smith.
UK College of Agriculture Associate Dean for Research Nancy Cox echoed those sentiments.
“Dr. Troedsson’s selection was the result of a thorough, international search that
engaged a variety of stakeholders from the equine community. He will bring a strong
commitment to furthering both the economic significance and the well-being of the
horse in this region and beyond,” she said.
After earning his degree in veterinary medicine from the Royal Veterinary College
in Stockholm, Sweden in 1975, Troedsson spent 10 years in private veterinary practice.
He then earned a doctorate from the University of California, Davis, in reproductive
immunology. Following his time in California, he served as a faculty member and
director of the Minnesota Equine Research Center and director of its large animal
hospital before joining the University of Florida in 2002. Troedsson also is a diplomate
for the American College of Theriogenologists and the European College of Animal
Reproduction.
“I'm looking forward to working with, and being a part of, excellent teams of faculty
and staff within the Department of Veterinary Science. I have spent much time in
Lexington in the past, and I'm looking forward to working and living in this beautiful
part of the world,” said Troedsson. “Gluck's Equine Research Center is one of the
premier equine research institutions in the world. I believe the Department of Veterinary
Science and Gluck's Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky can offer
a stimulating environment in which I can pursue my professional goals and my vision
for the future of equine research and education.”
According to Walter Zent, a practicing equine veterinarian in Lexington and current
chair of the Gluck Equine Research Foundation, Troedsson is highly regarded worldwide
for his research in equine reproduction and his selection will provide enormous
benefit to UK and Kentucky’s horse industry.
David Switzer, executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders
(KTOB) and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, agreed.
“The Kentucky Thoroughbred owners and breeders welcome Dr. Mats Troedsson as the
new director of the Maxwell E. Gluck Equine Research Center and chair of veterinary
science,” Switzer said. “The addition of Dr. Troedsson will add another dimension
to the already internationally-recognized infectious disease center by adding his
expertise in equine theriogenology. His knowledge and research in reproductive physiology
and pathology will be a welcome addition. Where else than the ‘Horse Capital of
the World’ could you have a better research laboratory for reproductive issues?”
Troedsson said some of his goals include seeking input from the equine industry
and the veterinary community to identify short- and long-term research needs, and
to effectively disseminate knowledge generated from research at Gluck's Equine Research
Center to the industry; to further involve the veterinary community in research
and other activities at the University of Kentucky; and to work with the directors
of the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center and the Equine Parentage Testing and
Research Laboratory to support their excellent services to the equine community.
The Gluck Equine Research
Center is one of the preeminent equine research centers in the world, and
is home to International Reference (OIE) laboratories in equine influenza, equine
viral arteritis and equine rhinopneumonitis. The Gluck Center has facilities located
at four Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station research farms, and one primary
research facility on the University of Kentucky campus. The Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center (LDDC) is a full-service,
multi-species veterinary diagnostic laboratory. The LDDC’s caseload is predominantly
equine and provides a world-class diagnostic service for this species. The Equine Parentage Testing and Research Laboratory performs
genetic and parentage testing services.