Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) today announced the merger of the Department of Biomedical Sciences (BMS) and the Department of Molecular Medicine (MM) to form the Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences (BTS). The new department aligns foundational biological discovery with disease-focused translational research, while strengthening D.V.M., graduate and undergraduate education and streamlining operations. Dr. Praveen Sethupathy, ’03, former chair of BMS, will lead the new department.

“This merger brings together two highly successful and complementary communities,” said Lorin D. Warnick, D.V.M., Ph.D.’94, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “I am grateful that Dr. Sethupathy has accepted the important role of overseeing this new department and I thank him and Molecular Medicine interim chair Toshi Kawate for leading the planning efforts. I am looking forward to the collaborations that will emerge from the new department’s strengths in both cell and molecular biology and physiology and animal models of disease.” 

A multi-step merger

Sethupathy and Kawate led a rigorous, multi-step process in joining their two departments. During the 2024 calendar year, “We held numerous brainstorming sessions, conducted community surveys, and led conversations with our faculty and staff to outline the rationale, review the potential benefits and concerns, and provide open forums for discussion,” said Sethupathy. “It was very important to us to make sure that everyone’s voice was heard and carefully considered.” By early 2025, the idea was approved at the college to move forward with a formal proposal to the university leadership, including detailed planning for both academic and administrative integration of the two departments. Kawate said, “The merged department has several clear goals around research synergy and educational streamlining.”

A strategic alignment of scientific strengths

The new department has 45 faculty members, including 28 tenure-track and 17 research, teaching and extension faculty. The merger brings together long shared overlapping areas of scientific inquiry, particularly in genetics and genomics, cell and developmental biology, and cancer biology. Kawate said the merger “Dissolves artificial boundaries and fosters greater capacity for discovery,” including the potential development of interdisciplinary teams to pursue ambitious and innovative projects. Veterinarians in the Center for Animal Resources and Education (CARE), who were adjunct faculty in the former Biomedical Sciences department, will continue in that capacity in the new department.

Enhancing the educational mission

With the merger, BTS will oversee the first three Foundation Courses in the D.V.M. curriculum, thus streamlining operations. “Bringing these foundation courses under one administrative umbrella provides the opportunity to enhance coordination among course leaders,” said Sethupathy. “The merged department will also offer strength in numbers and expertise to develop and implement new undergraduate courses that fill important instructional gaps, notably in cancer biology.”

“With its official launch, the BTS Department is well-poised to hit the ground running,” said Warnick. He added the new department will continue to foster strong collaborations with colleagues across the Ithaca campus and with Weill Cornell Medicine. Sethupathy added, “I am excited for this united community of faculty, staff and trainees to help advance the research and educational missions of the college. I am particularly grateful for the members of the administrative team, university colleagues, and the faculty, staff and students who provided input that has been crucial to the merger preparations. This work provides an excellent foundation for the future success of Biomedical and Translational Sciences.”

Written by Lauren Cahoon Roberts