Ramesh Vemulapalli Selected For SEC’s Prestigious Leadership Development Program
Dr. Ramesh Vemulapalli, executive associate dean of the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS), has been selected as one of Texas A&M University’s four Southeastern Conference (SEC) Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP) Fellows for 2024-2025.
Each year the SEC offers its 14 member schools a unique opportunity to foster potential academic administration talent through fellowships that help prepare faculty leaders for further positions and careers in executive service.
“Dr. Vemulapalli has been an influential leader within the VMBS for many years, and as executive associate dean, he plays an integral role in ensuring and promoting excellence among the VMBS’ world-class faculty,” said Dr. John R. August, Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine at the VMBS. “We are delighted that Ramesh is one of Texas A&M’s representatives in this important program and we look forward to seeing how he applies what he learns during this fellowship to his leadership within our school.”
The ALDP launched in 2007, and Texas A&M has appointed four fellows each year since joining the SEC in 2012. Program alumni have advanced to serve the university as deans, vice provosts, and in other senior administrator roles.
The ALDP also offers participants a unique environment to continue developing leadership skills in partnership with other emerging and talented leaders from across the SEC. Fellows participate in a university-level development program designed by each institution along with two SEC-wide, three-day workshops for all program participants.
Vemulapalli holds the second-highest administrative position at the VMBS and is responsible for helping support the school’s teaching, research, and service missions. One of his priorities is developing and implementing the best administrative and management practices that promote the career success of faculty and enhance the academic excellence of the school.
In addition to his administrative duties, Vemulapalli teaches immunology and infectious diseases to veterinary and undergraduate students and conducts research on infectious diseases. His primary research focus is on the development of vaccines and diagnostic assays for infectious diseases, including brucellosis, and his projects have been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the United States Department of Agriculture.
His international activities included advising the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, on their Network Project on Brucellosis; providing hands-on molecular diagnostics workshops to veterinarians in Kabul, Afghanistan; and serving as an expert consultant to the Animal Health Division of the International Atomic Energy Agency on irradiated brucellosis vaccines.
Vemulapalli received his veterinary training in India and later earned a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.
He held faculty and administrative positions at Purdue University for 15 years before moving to Texas A&M in 2016. Prior to assuming his current role in 2022, he served as head of the VMBS’ Department of Veterinary Pathobiology for six years.
This year’s fellowship class also includes Dr. Tamika Gilreath, a professor and associate dean for faculty affairs in the School of Public Health; Dr. Phil Lewis, a professor and interim head of the Department of Construction Science; and Dr. Simon W. North, a professor and executive associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences.
###
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
