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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.
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