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Dr. Zimmel was appointed Dean of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine in June 2021, after having served as interim dean since December 2019.

She previously was lead administrator of the UF Veterinary Hospitals, serving as associate dean for clinical services since 2015, and before that, for five years as chief of staff and chief medical officer for the clinical enterprise. Under her leadership, hospital caseload grew from 20,542 patients in fiscal year 2011 to 41,811 patients seen in fiscal year 2019, with another 6,578 animals treated at the UF Pet Emergency Treatment Services clinic in Ocala. In 2012, Dr. Zimmel spearheaded the effort to create UF PETS, which has evolved as a hugely successful collaboration with Marion County-area veterinarians. The UF Small Animal Hospital gained accreditation through the American Animal Hospital Association in 2015, under Dr. Zimmel’s leadership, and is now a Level 1-certified facility as designated by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society.

A 1995 alumna of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Zimmel subsequently performed an internship in equine field services at North Carolina State University, where she also completed a residency in large animal internal medicine and equine practice. She worked in private practice in Ocala, Florida, before returning to academia at the University of Georgia, where she taught for two years before joining the UF faculty in 2002 as an assistant professor of equine extension, later moving into the large animal medicine service and into administrative roles.