Kenneth W. Simpson, BVM&S, PhD, D-ACVIM, D-ECVIM

Dr. Kenneth W. Simpson is an accomplished clinician-scientist, with clinical specialization in Small Animal Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Interested in gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology across species, Dr. Simpson’s research is focused on inflammatory diseases of the GI tract and host-bacterial interactions. His research has evolved from studying pancreatic function and cobalamin absorption in dogs and cats, to a sustained emphasis on interactions between the enteric microenvironment and the GI tract in health and disease (e.g., inflammation and inflammatory bowel disease, IBD). More recently, his laboratory explored the role of the resident enteric microflora in IBD across species, which led to the discovery of an adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC) and its role in granulomatous colitis (a severe form of IBD) of Boxers and French bulldogs. These findings spurred studies that implicate AIEC metabolism as a target for therapeutic intervention in people with Crohn’s disease and dogs with granulomatous colitis. Dr. Simpson is a Professor of Small Animal Medicine at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and has an adjunct appointment at the Weill Cornell Medical College (Professor of Veterinary Medicine in Medicine). He graduated from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh University before earning a PhD in gastroenterology at the University of Leicester. Following an internship at the University of Pennsylvania, a residency in small animal medicine at the Ohio State University, and lectureship at the Royal Veterinary College in London, Dr. Simpson joined the Faculty of Small Animal Internal Medicine at Cornell University. He is a Diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Internal Medicine and is a past president of the Comparative Gastroenterology Society. In 2022, Dr. Simpson received the World Small Animal Association (WSAVA) Award for Scientific Achievement in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of small animal medicine, particularly in the areas of internal medicine and veterinary gastroenterology.