Anatomy and Physiology
We are a multi-disciplinary department with responsibilities in instruction, research and continuing education in the disciplines of gross and microscopic anatomy, cell and systemic physiology, pharmacology, neuroscience and animal behavior and welfare.
WHO WE ARE
Our mission: Cultivate an environment that fosters ingenuity, leadership and excellence in teaching, research and service.
Our vision: Build the finest veterinary biomedical science department.
Our Instagram: K-State Anatomy & Physiology (@ksudap) • Instagram photos and videos
Our Twitter: Department of Anatomy & Physiology (@KSUDAP) / Twitter
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Successful doctoral defenses
Anatomy & Physiology grad students Mikaela Weeder (second from left) and Bailey Fritz (third from left) successfully defended in late August to earn their doctoral degrees. Also pictured are their mentors, Dr. Hans Coetzee (far left) and Dr. Mike Kleinhenz.
Malreddy, Fritz among award winners
Drs. Mike Apley and Eduarda Bortoluzzi, researchers in Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine's Department of Anatomy & Physiology, are leading a new, FDA-sponsored Animal and Veterinary Innovation Center to develop approaches to better support animal health and veterinary interventions.
Center to focus on animal pain relief
Kansas State University has been identified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine as one of four Animal and Veterinary Innovation Centers that will receive funding for work for advancing regulatory science and further developing innovative products and approaches to better support animal health and veterinary interventions.
While there are three areas of concentration for the innovation centers, K-State’s center was identified for its efforts to develop models that reliably and consistently evaluate the efficacy of analgesics in food animals in support of new drug approvals. This work specifically supports pain relief in pigs, goats and cattle for painful diseases or surgical pain.
Mike Apley, professor of clinical pharmacology and head of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, is one of the principal investigators and project leaders at K-State. He is joined by Eduarda Bortoluzzi, assistant professor of animal welfare. Hans Coetzee, K-State's interim vice president of research, is a collaborator due to his expertise in animal welfare and pain relief studies.
Co-investigators include Raghavendra Amachawadi, associate professor of food animal therapeutics, and Emily Reppert, associate professor of large animal medicine. College of Veterinary Medicine staff members Misty Bear and Mikaela Weeder were also instrumental.
“This grant was a true team effort to prepare, relying on the expertise of the animal welfare team which Dr. Coetzee has been instrumental in assembling,” Apley said. “It consists of nine studies at Kansas State University and two studies at North Carolina State University over five years of the cooperative agreement. The specific objective of this proposal is to develop models which reliably and consistently evaluate the efficacy of analgesics in food animals in support of new drug approvals.”
More information is available at the FDA's website.
OUR LEADERSHIP
Dr. Apley earns lifetime achievement award
Dr. Mike Apley, department head for Anatomy & Physiology, is the winner of the 2025 Lloyd E. Davis Memorial Award. This award is presented at the Biennial Symposium of the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics to recognize outstanding lifetime achievements in research, teaching and professional service.
He was also recently named Consultant of the Year for 2024 by the Academy of Veterinary Consultants. The award, sponsored by Zoetis, recognizes outstanding achievements in beef-cattle medicine.
As the E.J. Frick Professor in Veterinary Medicine, Apley teaches pharmacology and food animal courses and coordinates advanced feedlot production medicine.
Apley received a bachelor's degree in 1981, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1987 and a doctorate in clinical pharmacology in 1992, all from K-State. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology.
He started his career in veterinary medicine with a general practice in central Kansas, then moved to a feedlot consulting/contract research practice in Colorado. Before becoming a professor at K-State in 2005, he was a faculty member at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. His research efforts include food animal therapeutics, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of veterinary drugs, and antimicrobial resistance.
OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Dr. Coetzee selected for prestigious prizes
Dr. Hans Coetzee, animal welfare and pain management specialist, has been selected as the National Academy of Sciences prize-winner in Food and Agriculture Sciences.
Coetzee, who became Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs in 2023 and has been appointed Vice President for Research at KSU, won the award for his transformative research into safe and cost-effective pain relief solutions for livestock.
Coetzee was also recently awarded a prestigious fellowship by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. This recognition honors Coetzee's exceptional contributions to the field of veterinary science, particularly in advancing animal health and welfare. The distinction recognizes Coetzee's innovative research and educational efforts, which have significantly influenced veterinary practices around the world.
He is also a recipient of a 2025 Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Award.
Coetzee's work has been instrumental in enhancing global understanding of pain management in farm animals and improving veterinary care standards worldwide.