UNTHSC appoints new dean of College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences
David Keller, Ph.D., a longtime Fort Worth resident and alumnus of The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, has been named the new dean of the university’s College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, officials announced April 8.
Keller has served since 2014 as associate dean and chair of the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at the University of Texas at Arlington. He will begin his new role at UNTHSC on July 1.
At UTA, Keller led significant growth in faculty recruitment and departmental research activities, helping to expand annual research expenditures from $800,000 in Fiscal Year 2017 to $4.1 million in FY2024. He also supported the successful implementation of multiple degree programs, including a Ph.D. in kinesiology, and played a key role in increasing student enrollment and credit-hour production.
In addition, Keller helped advance biomedical research, serving as a co-investigator on a National Institutes of Health grant designed to prepare undergraduate STEM students for careers in research. He was instrumental in the strategic planning of UTA’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation and led several initiatives, such as the creation of promotion guidelines for clinical faculty and a new department strategic plan. Keller also spearheaded the integration of a faculty evaluation process and played a pivotal role in securing a STEM designation for UTA’s Master of Science in exercise science program.
“I am honored to return to my alma mater,” Keller said. “Going from a student and earning my master’s and doctorate in integrative physiology at what is now the College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences to becoming its dean is a full-circle moment for me. I can’t wait to get started.”
Keller received his bachelor’s in exercise science from UTA and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
“Dr. Keller will bring a wealth of higher education experience with him to UNTHSC,” said Christopher Ray, acting provost of UNTHSC. “His leadership experience, paired with his deep knowledge of our institution, make him the ideal person to help lead this college as it continues to grow and excel.”
He succeeds Dimitrios Karamichos, Ph.D., and most recently, Johnathan Tune, Ph.D., who both served as interim deans for the college. Tune will continue in the role until Keller’s arrival.
Keller and his wife, Christina, were married in downtown Fort Worth and have two teenage children.
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