Dr. David E. Granstrom - DVM 1978
North American Veterinary Conference 2009
Dr. David E. Granstrom, Schaumburg, Ill., was selected by the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and its Veterinary Medical Alumni Association to receive a 2009 Alumni Recognition Award. The award was presented at the annual North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 18, 2009. Dean Ralph Richardson presented the award on behalf of the K-State Veterinary Medical Alumni Association.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award from the college and alumni association,” Dr. Granstrom said. “I will never forget the giants of veterinary medicine that instilled a deep, abiding sense of responsibility and commitment to the profession in so many of us. I am here today because of Drs. Frey, Noordsy, Upson, Mosier, Ridley and an incredible array of outstanding role models and mentors at K-State that shaped my professional career. It’s not possible to thank them enough.”
“Dr. Granstrom represents the best of both veterinary practice and education,” Dean Richardson said. “He has been a practitioner and an educator, and now utilizes that experience to help mold veterinary education. K-State takes great pride in his accomplishments and what he represents to our students as an alumnus and professional leader.”
Dr. Granstrom is director of the Education and Research Division, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Schaumburg, Illinois. He received his DVM and Ph.D. degrees from the K-State in 1978 and 1988 respectively.
Dr. Granstrom directs the activities of the division and provides professional staff support to the AVMA Council on Education, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the official accrediting body for the 28 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States. The council also accredits the five Canadian veterinary colleges as well as colleges in Europe (5), Australia (3) and New Zealand (1).
From 2001 to 2008, Dr. Granstrom was associate director of the Animal and Natural Resources Institute, USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville, Md., where research is conducted in animal health, animal production, food safety, sustainable agriculture, air quality and watershed management.
From 1997 to 2001, Dr. Granstrom was assistant director of the Education and Research Division at the AVMA, where he provided professional staff support for several AVMA Councils and Committees. Dr. Granstrom was an assistant and associate professor of veterinary parasitology in the Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, from 1988-1997. His primary area of research was equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), a debilitating neurologic disease of the horse. He is recognized as an international authority on EPM and has given numerous invited presentations at national and international meetings. His research resulted in development of the first effective diagnostic test; identification of the method of disease transmission; development of the first FDA approved treatment; and development of effective guidelines for the prevention of EPM. Two patents, a successful university-start-up company, and more than 70 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and books have resulted from his work.
Dr. Granstrom joined the Air National Guard while attending graduate school at K-State and served 21 years as a Public Health Officer in Air Guard units in Kansas and Kentucky. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2005. Early in his career, Dr. Granstrom built a successful solo mixed practice in Laurie, Mo.
Dr. Granstrom is a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists, EPM Society, AVMA, Illinois Veterinary Medical Association and the National Guard Association of the United States.