Karriker Named Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine Department Chair and Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Executive Director

Dr. Locke Karriker, Morrill Professor and the Dr. Douglas and Ann Gustafson Professor for Teaching Excellence in Veterinary Medicine, has been named the chair of the Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine and the executive director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Iowa State University. His appointment is effective May 12, 2025.

A faculty member in the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine since 2003, Karriker is the director and founder of the Swine Medicine Education Center (SMEC), the only such center in the country dedicated to providing veterinary students and practicing veterinarians from across the world with extensive hands-on experiences and education in swine health and production.

Karriker has held the Gustafson Professorship of Excellence in Veterinary Education since 2014. He was named a Morrill Professor in 2021. Karriker was a member of the U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria during 2019-2023. He served as the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) District 6 Director from 2015 to 2021 and is currently the AASV President.  

Karriker has received numerous awards. In addition to the Morrill Professor and Gustafson Professorship, he is the recipient of several Iowa State University awards for teaching excellence. These include the ISU Excellence in Remote Instruction Award, the ISU Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching, and the CVM Faculty Member of the Year. Karriker also received the AASV Howard Dunne Memorial Award in 2014. He was named the Alumnus of the Year for Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

Karriker replaces Dr. Patrick Halbur in these positions. Halbur is retiring after 35 years of service to the College of Veterinary Medicine in a variety of positions, including interim dean.