Rate My Professor Amanda Fales -Williams

Dr. Amanda Fales-Williams is Professor and Chair of the Department of Veterinary Pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University, a position she has held since November 2019 following her service as interim chair. She joined the faculty in 1995 and is the inaugural holder of the Tyrone D. Artz, M.D. Chair for Teaching Excellence in Veterinary Medicine, appointed in 2018. In 2022, she was named a Morrill Professor, recognizing her outstanding success in teaching and learning with a national reputation. Fales-Williams earned a BS in zoology from the University of Kentucky in 1991, a DVM from the University of Missouri in 1995, and a PhD in veterinary pathology from Iowa State University in 2000. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. Throughout her career, she has served as chair of the College of Veterinary Medicine Governance Council and as past president of the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association.

A leader in veterinary anatomic pathology and veterinary medical education, Fales-Williams is instructor-in-charge of two core courses in the Department of Veterinary Pathology, coordinates the department's anatomic pathology residency program, and teaches foundational pathology to first-year veterinary students while guiding fourth-year students in necropsy rotations to integrate concepts into practice. Her dedication to innovative teaching has garnered numerous accolades, including the 2025 College of Veterinary Medicine recipient of the AAVMC Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award (eligible for national recognition in 2026), 2021 ISU Early Achievement in Departmental Leadership Award, 2019 ISU Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching, 2013 Presidential Award from the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, and multiple college-level teaching and advising awards. Key publications encompass 'Replacing the enzyme α-L-iduronidase at birth ameliorates symptoms in the brain and periphery of dogs with mucopolysaccharidosis type I' (2010), 'Fibrosing gastrointestinal leiomyositis as a cause of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction in an 8-month-old dog' (2007), 'Predictors of employer satisfaction: technical and non-technical skills' (2012), 'Hypernatremia associated with intracranial B-cell lymphoma in a cat' (2006), and 'Idiopathic arterial medial calcification of the thoracic arteries in an adult horse' (2008). Her scholarly contributions and leadership have profoundly influenced pathology training, student learning outcomes, and professional development in veterinary medicine.