William A. Horne, DVM, PhD, has been named chair of the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences and professor of anesthesiology at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM).

Horne comes to MSU from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He was the director of the Cornell University Hospital for Animals and professor of anesthesiology and biomedical sciences. He is a leading authority on pain, and his research is focused on the role of calcium channels in pain management and multimodal approaches to pain management. During his tenure at Cornell, Dr. Horne built one of the nation's strongest Veterinary Medical Centers. His leadership included developing comprehensive, interdisciplinary systems to strengthen patient outcomes, advance education, and facilitate translational benefits to humans. He also was director of Graduate Studies and the Department of Clinical Sciences at Cornell and was affiliated with the graduate programs in Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Neurobiology and Behavior, and Pharmacology. Previously he was at Colorado State University, where he was a co-founder of the CSU Center for Comparative Pain Medicine.

“I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Horne to the MSU community,” said MSU CVM Dean Christopher Brown. “Bill is a proven successful leader and I expect we will see exciting innovations in this great department. “I thank Provost Wilcox and the search committee for making this pivotal recruitment possible. We look forward to having him take on his new roles at CVM.”

As chair of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Horne will lead the department of approximately 45 faculty members. Horne’s responsibilities will be divided between research, service, and teaching.

“I am delighted to be joining the College of Veterinary Medicine at MSU,” said Horne. “I’m particularly excited to build on the department’s established interdisciplinary programs, including those with the Colleges of Human and Osteopathic Medicine and the programs in physiology and neuroscience. This is a wonderful opportunity to build on the tradition of excellence in teaching and research, as well as patient care. I look forward to working with my new colleagues in the College and across campus.”

Horne joins the CVM on July 1, 2012, upon MSU Board of Trustees approval. He succeeds Charles DeCamp, professor of orthopedic surgery and chair of Small Animal Clinical Sciences since 2004. Brown said of DeCamp, “The department has grown and prospered under his excellent leadership. I am looking forward to continued growth and innovation with Professor Horne. Small Animal Clinical Sciences is well-situated to become the finest program of its type in the country.”