One of the world’s leading veterinary scholars has joined Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine faculty.

Harley Moon, former director of the National Animal Disease Center in Ames and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to hold ISU’s Frank K. Ramsey Chair in Veterinary Medicine.

The chair was created with more than $1 million in private contributions from 700 donors.

Richard Ross, dean of the college, said endowed chairs are highly respected at ISU.

“They are prestigious positions that enhance a university’s ability to attract and retain the best scholars,” he said. “The endowment provides a perpetual source of revenue to supplement college support for the teaching and research activities of the faculty member who holds the endowed chair.”

Ramsey died in 1992 after serving as a veterinary medicine faculty member for 34 years. He was the head of veterinary pathology from 1957 to 1975, and after retiring as a distinguished professor, he continued to serve the college by raising private funds.

“Dr. Moon knew Dr. Ramsey very well, and they had a great deal of respect for each other,” Ross said. “Dr. Ramsey would be extremely pleased to know someone of Dr. Moon’s stature is assuming the chair that bears his name.”

Ross said Moon, who studies bacterial diseases in livestock and is one of the world’s foremost scientists in the study of E. coli diseases in animals, will have an impact at ISU.

“Having Dr. Moon on the faculty will help us to attract more funds for research on current livestock problems, especially in food safety areas,” he said. “It also will impact our ability to attract outstanding young faculty and graduate students who will want to work with him.”

Moon said he is excited about the opportunity to be the first Ramsey Chair.

“I had the privilege of knowing Dr. Ramsey and I know he’s a guy that had a lot of expectations of his students and the veterinarian medicine profession,” he said.

The position, Moon said, is a “testimony to [Ramsey’s] impact as a teacher.”

Some of his goals for this year include doing more research with E. coli and the problems it causes.

Moon said there is suggestive evidence that E. coli found in beef serves as a biological reservoir. He wants to show evidence that cattle carry E. coli in their digestive tract.

“I would very much like to test the hypothesis that cattle have that biological disposition and find” a way to keep the E. coli out of the meat, he said.

Another goal of Moon’s is to establish a research laboratory with other colleagues and post-doctoral candidates.