Dr. Jeffrey S. Klausner, dean of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine since 1998, was appointed president of the Animal Medical Center in New York. He will assume his new role July 1.

With over 50,000 patient visits per year, the Animal Medical Center is New York City's largest veterinary hospital. Founded in 1910, the nonprofit center has 87 veterinarians on staff.

Under Dr. Klausner's tenure as dean, the U of M veterinary college's budget increased from $44 million to more than $70 million, and research expenditures rose more than 10 percent as a result of substantial increases in funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Agriculture. Also under his guidance, private gift giving more than doubled, enabling the creation of an endowed chair in comparative oncology and increasing the number of student scholarships.

Dr. Klausner joined the faculty at the U of M as an assistant professor in 1977. He received his DVM degree in 1972 from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. His research interests include prostatic neoplasia, immunoabsorptive therapy in canine malignancy, transfusion medicine, and informatics. Dr. Klausner has served on the board of the Minnesota VMA and participated in the AVMA Council on Research.

Dr. Klausner will succeed Dr. Guy L. Pidgeon, a former AVMA Executive Board member, who resigned as AMC director in early 2006. Gleniss Schonholz has served as interim president of AMC while a national search was under way.