The Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected Dr. David Anderson, professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM), to the rank of AAAS Fellow.
Each year, the Council elects members whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science, or its applications, are scientifically or socially distinguished.” The Council elects Fellows deliberately and carefully to preserve the honor attached to this recognition.
AAAS is honoring him for his distinguished contributions in resident and student mentoring, as well as advancements in biomedical research and technology, especially in surgical diseases and biomaterial composites for tissue regeneration and drug delivery. The tissue regeneration laboratory at UTCVM is focused on the development of novel biomaterial platforms for guided regeneration of damaged tissues.
Anderson joined UTCVM in 2012 as department head of the college’s Large Animal Clinical Sciences before being named associate research dean. During that time, he has reinvigorated research efforts in the department and continues to foster an excitement for discovery in veterinary medicine. Over the course of a 32-year career, he has mentored more than 40 (Ph.D. and MS) graduate students and 30 residents and interns, and has been first author, co-author, or mentoring author for over 195 peer-reviewed journal publications, eleven books, and seventy-five book chapters.
Anderson says being elected to the rank of AAAS Fellow is a singular honor. “I am humbled to join one of the most distinguished groups of scientists, engineers, and innovators in the world. The many discoveries, achieved by our teams over the last three decades, serve as a testament to the incredible people from whom I have learned so much. I am grateful for all of the collaborators, students, and staff who continue to make advances in science and, ultimately, translate those into practice.”
Anderson was instrumental in the creation of the UT Institute of Agriculture Genomics Center for Advancement of Agriculture, a center committed to the advancement of agriculture by developing new strategies for the improvement of productivity and sustainability of food production systems.
Anderson is one of two UTIA faculty members elected as AAAS Fellows in 2021, alongside Carl Sams, Institute Professor within the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and Austin Distinguished professor in the UT Department of Plant Sciences in the Department of Plant Sciences. Six faculty at University of Tennessee, Knoxville were elected 2021 Fellows
