Ramsey Lecture Series

The Ramsey Lecture Series is named after Dr. Frank Ramsey (1910-1992), a former head of the Department of Veterinary Pathology, who established an endowment in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The series is intended to bring accomplished and leading animal and human health researchers to campus to share their work and experiences with faculty, staff and students.

All Ramsey Lectures begin at 12 noon in the Ramsey Classroom (Vet Med 2532) unless noted.

Upcoming Lectures
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Past Lectures
2024
Using Innovation, Collaboration, and Curiosity to Impact Marine Mammal Health
Dr. Shawn Johnson
Co-Founder and Director of Innovative Medicine, Sea Change Health

What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been
Dr. Cynthia Webster
Tufts University Cummnings School of Veterinary Medicine

Influenza A Virus and the Intersect Between Swine and Human Health
Dr. Amy Baker
National Animal Disease Center

2023
Rudolf Virchow had it Right: Between Animal and Human Medicine there are no Dividing Lines – Nor Should there be
Dr. Tracey S. McNamara
Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine

Climate and Health: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Address Risks
Dr. Laura Anderko
Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment, Villanova University

2022
The Impact of Bile Acids on C. Difficile Physiology and Pathogenesis
Dr. Joe Sorg
Department of Biology, Texas A&M University

“Individualizing Drug Therapy: Advances in the Pharmacodynamic Monitoring of Immunosuppressive Agents”
Dr. Andrew Mackin

“Interactions between Brucella abortus and the innate immune system”
Dr. Renee Tsolis
UCDavis Health, School of Medicine

“Brucella pathogenesis: from cell biology to Type IV effector functions”
Dr. Jean Celli
Washington State University

2021
“Good Dogs, Bad Lymphocytes”
Dr. Anne Avery
Director, Clinical Hematopathology Laboratory, Colorado State University
Professor of microbiology, immunology and pathology, Colorado State University

“Using a One Health Approach to Chart a Healthier Future”
Dr. Jonna Mazet
Professor of Epidemiology and Disease Ecology, University of California-Davis One Health Institute

“Antimicrobial Therapy in an Antimicrobial Resistant World. How Do We Balance Antimicrobial Stewardship and Animal Care?
Dr. Scott Weese
Director, University of Guelph Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses
Chief of Infection Control, Ontario Veterinary College Teaching Hospital

2020
“Update on Canine Osteosarcoma: The Colorado State Experience”
Dr. Douglas Thamm
Director of Clinical Research, Colorado State University Flint Cancer Center

2019
“Genetic and Structural Basis for Human Antibody Response to Viruses”
Dr. James Crowe
Director, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center

Dr. Albert Osterhaus
CDO, Artemis One Health Foundation

“Discovering a New Infectious Disease: No Guts, No Glory”
Dr. Jody Gookin
North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine

“Early Life Stress Can Permanently Damage Your Gut, But How? Studying Piglets and Mice May Shed Light”
Dr. Adam Moeser
College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University

“Pigs and People: Economics, Behavior and Biology”
Dr. John Deen
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

2018
Tracking Dangerous Pathogens: Molecular Epidemiology in the Age of Genomics
Dr. Paul Keim
Cowden Endowed Chair in Microbiology, Northern Arizona University

A Comparative Approach to Metastasis Biology and Therapy
Dr. Chand Khanna
Chief Science Office, Ethos Veterinary Health

One Health in Action: Confessions of a Veterinary Epidemiologist Working in the Field
Dr. Jan Sargeant
Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph

Compliance Dilemma: The Quest to Treat Chronic Ocular Disease
Dr. Brian Gilger
North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine

Tuberculosis: A One Health Approach to a (Re) Emerging Disease
Dr. Michelle Miller
Stellenbosch University, South Africa and Kruger National Park

Primary Immunodeficiencies and Associated Infections in Companion Animals: A Veterinary Clinician Scientist
Dr. Urs Giger
University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine

2017
Disease and Morphology in Domestic Dogs: Tales from the Canine Genome
Dr. Elaine Ostrander, PhD
National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health

Is One Healthy: A Veterinary Life – From Parasites to Peers
Dr. Alexander John Trees
House of Lords

Vaccinology 3.0: An Evolving Paradigm in the 21st Century
Dr. Gregory Poland
Director, Vaccine Research Group, Mayo Clinic

Discovery and Immunopathogenesis of a Previously Undetected Theileria n. sp. in the Horse
Dr. Don Knowles
Research Leader, USDA Animal Disease Research Unit of the Agricultural Research Service

Strategies for Enhancing the Safety and Efficacy of Recombinant Vaccines and Technology Transfer to Developing Countries
Dr. Tilahun Yilma
University of California-Davis School of Medicine

2016
Pigs, Pork and Pathogens: MRSA Outside the Clinic
Dr. Tara Smith
Associate Professor, Kent State University College of Public Health

The Critical Role for Veterinary Medicine in Global Health
Dr. Guy Palmer
Professor of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, Washington State University

Dogs are Man’s Best Friend: A Comparative Approach to Atopic Dermatitis
Dr. Rosanna Marsella
Professor, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine

T Cell Trafficking in Chronic Gut Inflammation: Terms of Engagement
Dr. Matthew Grisham
Professor and Chair, Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology, Texas Tech University

Dr. Tetsuo Ashizawa
Director, Neuroscience Research Program, Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston

Dr. Niels Pedersen
Emeritus Distinguished Professor, University of California-Davis

2015
The BIG Impact of Little Things
Dr. Christopher Murphy
Professor of Comparative Ophthalmology, University of California-Davis

Natural Host Models of Emerging Infectious Diseases
Dr. Richard Bowen
Professor, Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

What Can Modern Pharmacokinetics Do for You?
Dr. Jim Riviere
Distinguished Professor, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine

2014
Antibiotic Perturbation of the Early Life Microbiome Affects Metabolic and Immunologic Development
Dr. Martin Blaser
Director, Human Microbiome Program at New York University

Influenza: Tracking a Moving Target in a Rapidly Changing World
Dr. Nancy Cox
Director, Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

My Dog’s Breed Doesn’t Respond Well to that Drug: Myth or Opportunity?
Dr. Michael Court
Professor of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Pathophysiology of Immune Thrombocytopenia: From Humans to Animal Models
Dr. John Semple
Senior Scientist, Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Sciences in St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada

College Legends:
Dr. Frank K. Ramsey

There’s a lecture series in his name, an endowed chair, a room and a bronze relief of him at the college. But the most lasting contribution of Dr. Frank K. Ramsey lies in thousands of veterinary students, faculty, alumni and others who called him teacher, mentor and friend; and the many more who will be impacted through his legacy.

Broadly stated, Dr. Ramsey’s footprint on the college was big, figuratively and literally.

Dr. Ramsey (’46) was the chair of the pathology department from 1957 to 1975, retiring from the college in 1980. He served as chair of the building committee for the construction of the current Vet Med complex.

Dr. Ramsey was the college’s chief ambassador and, as such, an effective fundraiser with his characteristic enthusiasm and persistence. He couldn’t resist a challenge, and the college was always the benefactor. He raised money for a number of projects, including the college’s endowment fund and the Gentle Doctor Society.

In writing about Dr. Ramsey, Dr. George Beran said: “… He was a very kind, considerate and sensitive person, always putting himself into the situation of his students. He was a model of what we should be in our professional life; indeed, in our life in society, in family and our faith.”

Dr. Ramsey was born in Princeton, Missouri, and graduated first in his class from Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine (1946). He earned his PhD from Iowa State in 1955. Prior to going to veterinary school, he was a high school superintendent in South Dakota, and taught. He joined the faculty at ISU after graduation as an assistant professor of veterinary anatomy. He was promoted to associate professor in 1949, and served as chair of the Department of Veterinary Pathology from 1957-1975. He was the first recipient of the Clarence Hartley Covault Distinguished Professorship in 1957. He was a veterinary consultant for the Agriculture Research Service, USDA, in 1961, to explore the establishment of a veterinary school in Kenya.

• In 1975, the Frank K. Ramsey Lecture Series was established.
• In 1995, the Frank K. Ramsey Endowed Chair was established.
• In 1996, a bronze relief was sculpted in his likeness.