Dr. Kimberly Carney serves as the founding Dean of the Lincoln Memorial University–College of Veterinary Medicine at Orange Park (LMU-OPCVM). A veterinarian and higher-education leader, she previously served as Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions and as Program Director and Principal Researcher at LMU’s Center for Animal and Human Health in Appalachia. Prior to LMU, Dr. Carney worked over four years in Bolivia providing veterinary education and rural development service, preceded by 13 years as owner of a mixed-animal practice in Harrogate, Tennessee. She holds her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia and a Master of Public Health from East Tennessee State University. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine and a Certified Health Education Specialist. Currently, Dr. Carney is completing a PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Tennessee.
Rooted in a passion for community, Dr. Carney links scholarship and practice to advance preventive approaches and reduce barriers to care. Her work on well-being, workforce sustainability and One Health pairs with a hands-on commitment to connecting people and communities with resources, education, and professional development opportunities.
Dr. Greg Brennan serves as Associate Dean of Research and Basic Sciences at LMU-OPCVM. A molecular virologist, he has held research and faculty appointments at the University of California, Davis and Western University of Health Sciences, following a postdoctoral fellowship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. His portfolio includes federally supported projects, leadership of multidisciplinary teams, and sustained mentorship of DVM, PhD, and undergraduate trainees. Dr. Brennan earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University and a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Washington.
Grounded in a One Health perspective, Dr. Brennan’s mission is to illuminate how viruses adapt and cross species boundaries—and to translate that knowledge into tools, training, and collaborations that strengthen animal and public health. His research centers on host–virus interactions, viral evolution and pathogenesis, and the use of genomic and other “-omics” approaches to inform clinical and population-health questions. He is passionate about rigorous, reproducible science; building collaborative research environments; and expanding opportunities for students and early-career scientists through intentional mentoring and community-engaged scholarship.
Dr. Christopher Kelly serves as Associate Dean of Clinical Sciences at the Lincoln Memorial University–College of Veterinary Medicine at Orange Park (LMU-OPCVM). He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University and completed a residency in veterinary anesthesia at Kansas State University. Before veterinary school, he trained as a paramedic through the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, gaining extensive experience in emergency and critical care and has worked in rural and urban 911 systems as a paramedic and paramedic educator. His leadership experience includes service as Medical Director of the DeBusk Veterinary Teaching Center, where he oversaw operations, advanced patient‑care standards, and supported student professional development; during this time he also completed a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Dr. Kelly’s clinical and academic interests lie at the intersection of human and veterinary medicine within the One Health framework and the unified health of all species. He is deeply committed to collaborative approaches to perioperative patient care and risk reduction as well as the advancement of educational methodologies. Throughout his career that bridges human and animal health care, Dr. Kelly remains committed to advancing the field of veterinary medical education while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to improve outcomes across species.
Dr. Fortune Sithole serves as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the Lincoln Memorial University–College of Veterinary Medicine at Orange Park (LMU-OPCVM). A veterinary epidemiologist by training, he earned his veterinary degree from the University of Zimbabwe (1997), completed a swine-health residency there, and obtained a Master of Science in Epidemiology and Animal Health Economics from the University of Utrecht (Netherlands). He completed a PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology in 2005 at the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island (Canada), and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine in 2010. His career includes postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Sydney and the University of Alberta School of Public Health; service as an epidemiologist for the Government of British Columbia supporting food protection and public‑health policy. He has taught veterinary public health and epidemiology at the University of Pretoria and worked as a veterinary epidemiologist for the Government of Alberta. Dr. Sithole has been an associate professor and served in a variety of academic leadership roles as an Associate Dean at the colleges of veterinary medicine at Ross University, Long Island University, and Midwestern University.
Dr. Sithole brings a sustained, career-long passion for population medicine, evidence‑informed decision‑making, and One Health. His academic interests include surveillance and risk assessment, preventive medicine, and translating data into practical policies that protect public and animal health. He is committed to mentoring students and faculty in rigorous, practice‑relevant scholarship and to designing curricula that cultivate analytical skills, professional ethics, and service to communities and industry partners.