Interview with Carl A. Osborne

Abstract

Dr. Carl Osborne begins with his upbringing, educational background, and childhood relationships with animals. He earned his DVM at Purdue University and took a tenure-track position at the University of Minnesota while he pursued his PhD with a research focus in the urinary tract. He discusses his early years in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, including W. T. S. Thorp’s tenure as dean. He also recounts the relationship of the department to the state legislature in working with large animals and the political influence of the rural population of the state. He describes the potential for retrenchment of the Vet School that occurred in 1988. In reflecting on his time as a researcher, clinician, and teacher, Dr. Osborne shares his philosophies on life, teaching, and veterinary medicine. He describes the leadership changes within and the politics of the school, exploring some of the conflicts that arose over the course of his career. In discussing changing leadership, Dr. Osborne also comments on his own leadership roles. He then describes the internal and external relationships of the vet school, in aligning itself with the Academic Health Center and establishing reciprocity with the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Osborne returns to discussions of leadership within the school in describing the tenures of deans Sidney Ewing, David Thawley, and Bob Dunlop. In returning to his role within the department as clinician, researcher, and teacher, Dr. Osborne again shares his philosophy of veterinary medicine.