VERO Faculty Member Appointed Interim Associate Dean For Canyon Campus
Story by Ainsley Treesh, VMBS Marketing & Communications
Dr. Michael Kleinhenz, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Large Animal Clinical Sciences, has been appointed interim associate dean for administration at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ (VMBS) Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach (VERO) campus in Canyon.
Kleinhenz, who joined the VERO faculty in 2023, will serve in the administrative appointment for one year, with the option for a second year.
“As a dairy cattle specialist, Dr. Kleinhenz’s work with the dairy industry in the Texas Panhandle has played an important role in advancing the VMBS’ and VERO’s missions to strengthen Panhandle-based livestock industries and foster lasting relationships with our industry partners. These connections have benefitted both the veterinary students training at VERO and the VERO program itself,” said Dr. John R. August, the Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M. “I know that he will lead the Canyon campus with the same enthusiasm he demonstrates for veterinary medicine and educating Aggie veterinary students.”
“I am excited to support Dr. Kleinhenz in his new role as the interim associate dean at VERO,” said Dr. Jennifer Schleining, a clinical professor and head of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. “In my many years working with Dr. Kleinhenz, I know him to be a thoughtful and practical problem solver, a skill that will integrate well with his new responsibilities.”
In his new role, Kleinhenz is focused on filling faculty positions and maintaining relationships with local dairies, feedlots, and calf ranches.
“We have outstanding outreach relationships, so we need to maintain those so we can continue providing opportunities to our students,” Kleinhenz said. “I am excited to serve as the interim associate dean and lead our fantastic program during this time of transition.”
Kleinhenz grew up in rural Ohio, where he first discovered his love for dairy cows. In high school he began milking cows, leading him to pursue his undergraduate degree in dairy sciences.
Kleinhenz later received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from The Ohio State University. Following his graduation, he joined a private practice, where he worked in dairy production and completed a dairy production residency.
“I’m really interested in anything that has to do with dairy cow health and increasing production,” Kleinhenz has said.
After several years in private practice, Kleinhenz went back to school for another residency, motivated by his new passion for pharmacology. As part of the residency, he completed a Ph.D. in pharmacology at Kansas State University, where he joined the faculty.
In addition to his pharmacological work, Kleinhenz is interested in lameness, cattle hoof care, and pain prevention in cattle.
VERO provides unprecedented opportunities for veterinary education, research, and outreach, as well as collaboration with industry partners and stakeholders from the Texas Panhandle and High Plains area, across the nation, and around the world. The region is home to the highest density of cattle in the country, with approximately 30% of the nation’s beef cattle fed or finished in the region, another 2.5 million beef cattle in the area, and over 300,000 dairy cattle at any given time. Opened in 2020, the VERO facility is located next door to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL); together they comprise the Charles W. “Doc” Graham ’53 DVM, The Texas A&M University System Center on the West Texas A&M University (WT) campus in Canyon, Texas.
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For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
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