Supporting Faculty and Research
Three Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine faculty members have received professorships. The Elizabeth Arnolds Stevens Faculty Development Professorship, the Marilyn M. Simpson Endowed Chair in Equine Medicine, and the Agnes Varis University Chair in Science and Society were recognized recently. Drs. Daniela Bedenice, Cornelia Peterson, and Jonathan Runstadler have received new endowments.
Cummings School Dean Alastair Cribb, D.V.M., Ph.D., FCAHS, thanked everyone for coming to support fellow faculty members. “Professorships are important to the individual and to the school. Professorships allow us to recognize people who are excelling, to hire additional faculty members, and to free up resources that can be invested in other ways to support Cummings School’s research and teaching programs,” says Dean Cribb.
Dean Cribb recognized the previous holders of these professorships, noting their career achievements and contributions to to Cummings School and veterinary medicine: Dr. Amanda Martinot, Elizabeth Arnolds Stevens Faculty Development Professorship, Dr. Carl Kirker-Head, Marilyn M. Simpson Endowed Chair in Equine Medicine, and Dr. Saul Tzipori, Agnes Varis University Chair in Science and Society.
Investing in our faculty supports innovation and discovery, and professorships ensure a continued focus on finding solutions that advance animal and human health.
Elizabeth Arnold Stevens Faculty Development Professorship
Dr. Cornelia Petersen, Ph.D., DACVP, an assistant professor of anatomic pathology in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, has been named the Elizabeth Arnold Stevens Professor.
The Elizabeth Arnold Stevens Faculty Development Professorship was established in 2015 as the fifth endowed Professorship at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University to help Cummings School nurture talented junior scholars to build their careers. The Professorship honors Elizabeth “Libby” Arnold Stevens, a longtime Cummings School supporter and a Charles Tufts Society member.
Dr. Peterson earned her D.V.M. and Ph.D. at The Ohio State University. She completed an anatomic pathology residency at Johns Hopkins University, receiving her diplomate from the American College of Veterinary Pathology.
“With 19 publications and a recent NIH K01 award, this professorship will enable Dr. Peterson to continue her research in the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of ocular surface diseases and adnexa.” Dean Cribb shared.
Marilyn M. Simpson Endowed Professorship in Equine Medicine
Dr. Daniela Bedenice, Dr.med.vet., DACVIM (LAIM), DACVECC (Eq), a professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences, has been named the Marilyn M. Simpson Professor.
The Marilyn M. Simpson Endowed Professorship in Equine Medicine was established in 1999 as a gift from the Marilyn M. Simpson Trust. The Professorship is named in honor of philanthropist and granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Marilyn Simpson, who supported and invested in many animal causes.
Dr. Bedenice completed her D.V.M. equivalent at the Free University of Berlin and her residency at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. She is board-certified in large animal internal medicine, equine veterinary emergency, and critical care.
This Chair is a recognition of the many contributions Dr. Bedenice has made over her 20-year career.
“Daniela is an internationally recognized camelid expert, has published over 70 manuscripts, she is the recipient of the Zoetis Faculty Research Award at Cummings School, was appointed as a Principal Research investigator of the Dorothy Havemeyer Russel Foundation since 2021, and is well recognized as a pre-clinical and clinical educator of students and a mentor to house officers,” says Dean Cribb.
Agnes Varis University Professorship in Science and Society
Jonathan Runstadler, M.S., D.V.M., Ph.D., a professor and Chair of the Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, has been named the Agnes Varis University Professor.
The Agnes Varis Endowed University Professorship in Science and Society was established in 2000 with a gift from Dr. Agnes Varis to draw attention to the growing importance of scientific and technological discovery to our lives and our society and encourage scholarly work on the interface of science and public policy.
Dr. Runstadler received his D.V.M. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). He completed a residency at UC Davis in laboratory animal medicine and was a post-doc in the Veterinary Genetic Laboratory there.
This Chair supports scientific research that engages with society. Dr. Runstadler’s research on emerging diseases, publishing over 90 papers, has helped bring understanding to the transmission of disease between animals and humans.
Dean Alastair Cribb shared, “Jon’s work and its communication align perfectly with the goal of Agnes Varis, “to draw attention to the growing importance of scientific and technological discovery to our lives and society.”