Burba Named Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department Head

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences is pleased to announce that after serving as the interim for the past two years, Daniel Burba, DVM, Dip. ACVS, has been appointed head of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

“I look forward to working with Dr. Burba, as does our entire leadership team,” said Dr. Carlos Risco, dean of the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. “Dan is a dedicated faculty member in our college who will work tirelessly to advance research, teaching, and service in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences.”

An equine surgeon by trade, servant leadership is what attracted Burba to this administrative position.

“Throughout my life and career it seemed I was moving in a direction and that was leadership,” said Burba. “I like moving people forward. I feel if I help the faculty, the house officers, and the staff move forward, the program will follow.”

Burba oversees the clinical faculty who supervise the veterinary medical services provided at the Center’s Veterinary Medical Hospital, train tomorrow’s veterinarians, and engage in cutting-edge research that benefits animals and humans.

“I think my primary responsibility as a department head is to inspire,” he continued. “It is important for me to help faculty achieve their goals and to make sure their goals align with the mission of the department as well as the college. Also, I think it is important to help the dean achieve the goals that he hopes to accomplish at the college.”

As is true with most jobs, there are challenges to overcome.

“As a department head, the challenge I think is foremost is providing the resources that will allow faculty to do their job,” added Burba. “I’ll know I am a successful department head when we have collegiality, cooperation, and teamwork among all incorporated in every bit of the fabric of everything that we do in our daily work here. Whether it’s research, teaching or working in the clinics, all the team players will be working effectively together. I want to make this the place where everybody wants to come to work. I want to be able to walk down the hallways and see a smile on everybody’s face.”

Originally from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Burba earned his DVM degree from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He completed a large animal internship and equine surgical residency at Oklahoma State University. He spent the next 24 years working at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine before joining OSU in 2015. Burba is a professor of equine surgery and holds the McCasland Professorship in Biomedical Laser Surgery. His research focuses on orthopedics and laser surgery, specifically cribbing in horses.