Dr. Sam Jones Named Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies

After nearly two decades at the helm of critical trainee programs at the NC State College Veterinary Medicine including the comparative biomedical sciences graduate program, the combined DVM/Ph.D. program and the Veterinary Scholars Program, Herbert Benjamin Distinguished Professor Sam Jones has been appointed as the college’s inaugural assistant dean for graduate studies.

In the new position, Jones will focus on growing and expanding the college’s training programs and implementing a strategic vision for the future of CVM graduate education.

“I am incredibly honored to be the inaugural College of Veterinary Medicine’s assistant dean for graduate studies,” Jones said. “This position is a testament to the commitment of the college and NC State to improve animal and human health by developing innovative training programs that enable talented trainees to pursue biomedical research careers. My goal is to continue to support our incredible trainees, faculty and staff and create new opportunities and resources to support this mission.”

Jones joined the CVM in 1998 after serving as a research associate at Washington University. His research focus involves equine gastrointestinal diseases, sepsis and endotoxemia, and infectious and inflammatory diseases.   

In 2007, he became the director of both the comparative biomedical sciences program and the combined DVM/Ph.D. program. He has also been co-director of the college’s Veterinary Scholars Program, which offers DVM students with little lab experience a paid opportunity to pursue their research interests under faculty mentorship.

Dr. Liara Gonzalez, associate professor of gastroenterology and equine surgery, will step into the role of director of the comparative biomedical sciences graduate program. An innovative and groundbreaking intestinal disease clinician-researcher, Gonzalez also has extensive experience teaching and mentoring graduate students.

“My goal is to continue to support our graduate students and our faculty mentors to the greatest extent possible,” said Gonzalez, who earned a Ph.D. in comparative biomedical sciences from NC State. “Mentorship and guidance are needed on multiple levels in order to ensure a successful graduate program experience. Dr. Jones has achieved this over the many years that he has been the director of graduate programs, and I aspire to continue building on the success of our CBS program in the years to come.”

Gonzalez’s research uses large animal models to translate laboratory findings into clinical treatments for humans and animals. Gonzalez and her Intestinal Regenerative Medicine lab team were the first to develop a large animal pig model to study intestinal stem cells. Her lab was also the first to identify these cells in horses and the first to grow and expand intestinal stem cells into 3D structures derived from both pigs and horses. She recently received a $3.5 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health to launch a five-year study testing normothermic machine perfusion’s potential clinical use in small intestine transplantation.

Gonzalez also serves as co-director of the Center For Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease and as director of college support and external relations, supervising the college’s IT team, the site management office and organizing outreach activities. 

“I am committed to continue to contribute to the success of the CVM through these new opportunities,” she said. “I have benefitted from this college community since I stepped onto the campus in 2007. I have received amazing mentorship, guidance and support over the many years that I have been here. Through these new leadership positions, I hope to have a broader impact on our community and to give back in ways that I have benefitted from. I also hope to use my experiences and unique perspectives to help our college continue to grow.”