LSU Vet Med honors endowed professors whose work impacts animal and human health every day

The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine has named the newest recipients of its prestigious endowed professorships, five-year appointments that fuel groundbreaking research, innovative teaching, and improved care for animals and people. These positions provide faculty members with the resources to pursue discoveries that often translate directly into better diagnostics, treatments, and public health outcomes.

The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine has named the newest recipients of its prestigious endowed professorships, five-year appointments that fuel groundbreaking research, innovative teaching, and improved care for animals and people. These positions provide faculty members with the resources to pursue discoveries that often translate directly into better diagnostics, treatments, and public health outcomes.

Endowed professorships support the work of accomplished scholars whose expertise ranges from developing better treatments for painful eye diseases in pets to creating faster diagnostic tests for life-threatening infections, to advancing neuroscience research that can help people with Alzheimer’s and PTSD. These professorships are effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030.

“These professorships are more than academic honors,” said Oliver Garden, PhD, FHEA, FCPP, FRCVS, DACVIM, DECVIM-CA, dean of LSU Vet Med. “They are investments in science and medicine that make a tangible difference in the lives of families, pet owners, farmers, and communities in Louisiana and beyond.”

The 2025–2030 Endowed Professors

Blanche Donaldson Professorship in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences – Shannon Dehghanpir, DVM, MS (LSU 2013, 2017), DACVP

Associate professor and clinical pathologist in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences focusing on the cytologic features of deep fungal infections. Her work supports faster, more accurate diagnoses for small animals—leading to timely treatment and better outcomes. “I am honored to receive this professorship,” said Dr. Dehghanpir. “I plan to further investigate the cytologic features of deep mycoses. My goal is to expand the diagnostic resources available to clinical pathologists to support more accurate and timely identification of these infections.” This professorship supports a faculty member with a concentration of investigation in an aspect of small animal medicine or surgery.

Dr. Mary Louise Martin Professorship – Olalekan (Michael) Ogundele, PhD

Associate professor and neuroscientist in the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences studying how the brain processes novelty and context—research that can inform treatment for anxiety disorders, learning challenges, and age-related cognitive decline in both animals and people. This professorship was founded in memory of Dr. Mary Louise Martin (LSU 1982), who moved to Africa in 1995 and lost her life in the terrorist bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi on August 7, 1998. In 2022, Dr. Ogundele received a National Science Foundation grant to study neural circuits that govern novelty and context discrimination behavior and an NIH grant to investigate novelty encoding mechanisms in 2023. In recognition of his effort, he was named an LSU Distinguished Faculty (2024) and received the Zoetis Research Excellence Award (2024). “It’s an honor to have been selected for this professorship and will continue to embody the teaching and research excellence it represents,” said Dr. Ogundele.

William L. Jenkins Professorship – Charles Lee, PhD

Professor of cognitive and neural systems and expert in cognitive and neural systems in the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences whose work deepens understanding of brain function, with potential benefits for neurological disease research in humans and animals. This professorship was established in honor of William L. Jenkins, BVSc, M.Med.Vet, PhD, Professor Emeritus of veterinary physiology, pharmacology and LSU Vet Med Dean, and LSU Provost, LSU Chancellor, and President Emeritus for the LSU System. Dr. Jenkins served as the dean of LSU Vet MEd from 1988 to 1993. Said Dr. Lee, “I am truly honored and humbled to receive the William L. Jenkins Professorship in Veterinary Medicine. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and will strive to live up to the trust it represents.”

Paula & Milton W. Shepherd Professorship in Veterinary Medicine – Renee Carter, DVM (LSU 2000), DACVO

Professor and veterinary ophthalmologist in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences investigating new drug delivery systems to treat painful and blinding eye conditions—helping preserve sight and quality of life in pets. This professorship was established in 1996 and is the veterinary school’s first endowed professorship. Dr. Carter received the LSU Vet Med Distinguished Faculty Award in 2022 and the Year II Faculty Teaching Award and the Zoetis Aniaml Health Distinguished Teacher Award in 2025. Said Dr. Carter, “I am very grateful to be chosen as recipient of the Milton and Paula Shepherd Professorship. Through this opportunity I plan to continue my work investigating drug delivery systems to enhance the treatment of painful and blinding ocular conditions.”

Dr. Robert and Julia Simmons Professorship in Pathobiological Sciences – Udeni Balasuriya, BVSc, PhD

Professor and virologist in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences specializing in vector-borne diseases, whose work helps protect livestock health and food safety—critical to Louisiana’s agriculture economy. This professorship which honors Dr. Robert “Bob” Simmons, a 1977 graduate of LSU Vet Med. Dr. Simmons spent most of his career in senior management in research and development at Merck Animal Health. He and his wife Julia established the Belle Fund in honor of their son’s dog to support vector-borne disease research in the Pathobiological Sciences Department. “It is an honor to receive the Robert and Julia Simmons Endowed Professorship,” said Dr. Balasuriya. “I plan to continue contributing to research on infectious diseases and arboviral diseases, as well as to the One Health mission of the School of Veterinary Medicine.”

The 2022–2027 Endowed Professors

Additional endowed professorships at LSU Vet Med support cardiovascular pharmacology and toxicology research, pre-clinical cancer research, infectious disease studies, and advanced biomedical training programs for the next generation of scientists.

Everett D. Besch Professorship in Veterinary Medicine – Tammy Dugas, Ph.D.

Associate dean for research and graduate education and professor in the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences whose research focuses on cardiovascular pharmacology and toxicology. This professorship was established in 2002 in honor of LSU Vet Med’s founding dean who served in that role from 1968 through 1988.

Hannelore and Johannes Storz Professorship in Pathobiological Sciences – Konstantin “Gus” Kousoulas, Ph.D.

Head of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences and Director of the Division of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine (BIOMMED) Dr. Kousoulas is also fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors whose research interests are focused on the molecular bio9logy and pathogenesis of herpes simplex viruses and bovine herpesvirus-1. This professorship was established in 2015. Johannes Storz was head of the LSU Vet Med Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Parasitology (now Pathobiological Sciences) from 1982 to 2000.

Why It Matters

From the pets in our homes to the animals that sustain our food supply, LSU Vet Med’s endowed professors are solving problems that affect everyday life. Their research can mean the difference between a pet surviving a life-threatening infection, a farmer protecting an entire herd, or a family member receiving a new approach to managing a neurological condition.

About Endowed Professorships

An endowed professorship provides resources to recognize a faculty member’s excellence and fuel their work in teaching, research, and service. Each professorship is awarded for five years and is used to support instruction, research, equipment, faculty development, and travel.

About LSU Vet Med: Bettering lives through education, public service, and discovery

The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is one of only 33 veterinary schools in the U.S. and the only one in Louisiana. LSU Vet Med is dedicated to improving and protecting the lives of animals and people through superior education, transformational research, and compassionate care. We teach. We heal. We discover. We protect.