Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) President B. James Dawson has named Dr. Jason Johnson as vice president and dean of the LMU-College of Veterinary Medicine (LMU-CVM).
“Dr. Jason Johnson has been an integral part of the foundation of the LMU-College of Veterinary Medicine, so it is fitting that the torch is passing to him,” Dawson said. “Wise and experienced well beyond his years, Jason has been recognized throughout the veterinary profession as a rising star with a firm handle on what the future of veterinary medicine education could look like. I am confident that under his leadership, the CVM will continue to thrive and LMU-trained veterinarians will improve animal and human health in Appalachia and beyond.”
Johnson will step into the role currently held by Dr. Glen Hoffsis, LMU-CVM’s founding dean. Hoffsis will continue working to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. He has also been tasked with working on fundraising and assisting with special projects. Hoffsis shaped LMU-CVM from its infancy, creating numerous innovative approaches to veterinary education, including a formal affiliation agreement with the University of Kentucky. Hoffsis instituted a hybrid distributive model of clinical education, developed a state of the art clinical skills campus including an innovative spay and neuter program and assembled a talented faculty and staff. Provisionally accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA COE), LMU has two enrolled classes of veterinary students and will welcome a third in August.
“LMU was very fortunate that Dr. Glen Hoffsis brought his vision for changing veterinary education to Harrogate, Tennessee and Ewing, Virginia,” Dawson said. “As the nation’s only three time veterinary dean having served over 21 years, three and half of them here at LMU, he had a mountain of experience to draw on. Under his dynamic leadership LMU achieved many things that so many cautioned would never happen. Glen would probably argue with me and say that a college is never truly established, but this college is now on a solid foundation. It has provisional accreditation by the AVMA, a strong enrollment and facilities that rival virtually any other college of veterinary medicine. All of those things would not be possible without the contributions of Dr. Hoffsis.”
A founding faculty member, Johnson was promoted to associate dean of clinical sciences in October 2015. He also has served as an associate professor of theriogenology as well as the medical director of the DeBusk Veterinary Teaching Center (DVTC). While at LMU-CVM, Johnson developed a clinical skills course that is incorporated into every semester of the curriculum and is evaluated in high stakes, competency-based objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). He led the development, design, capital campaign, technology implementation and construction of over 100,000 square feet of facilities at the DVTC, as well as developed a grant acquisition plan procuring approximately six million dollars in construction and equipment grant funding for LMU-CVM. He has been responsible for all clinical faculty, technical and managerial staff, teaching equipment and animals. Johnson also serves as the executive director of the Center for Animal Health in Appalachia (CAHA), which he founded. CAHA has a mission in economic research, animal and public health research, education, advocacy and promotion of veterinary practices in underserved areas.
Prior to joining the faculty at LMU, Johnson worked in private practice and served on the faculty of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2012, he was one of 10 veterinarians nationwide to be selected for the AVMA’s Future Leaders Program and was named to Veterinary Practice News’ “25 Vets to Watch in our 25th Year.” He serves in numerous leadership capacities within organized veterinary medicine including the AVMA House of Delegates, Legislative Advisory Committee, AVMA Food Safety Advisory Committee and is a board member of the Theriogenology Foundation.
A native of Luverne, Alabama, Johnson is a 2003 graduate of the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine and a diplomate in the American College of Theriogenologists (the branch of veterinary medicine concerned with reproduction). Johnson completed a three-year residency at Auburn University in food animal theriogenology, earning a master’s degree. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Troy State University. Johnson and his wife, Dr. Jennifer T. Johnson, reside in Tazewell with their son Elijah.
Lincoln Memorial University, a private nonprofit, independent university with Level IX accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, is located on the LMU main campus in Harrogate, adjacent to the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. LMU’s College of Veterinary Medicine delivers curriculum on the main campus and in additional academic facilities in nearby Lee County, Virginia. LMU-CVM provides real-world, community-based education in a collaborative learning environment. For more information about LMU-CVM, call 1-800-325-0900, ext. 7150 or visit us online at vetmed.LMUnet.edu.