Rate My Professor Otto Lanz

Professor Otto Lanz serves as Professor of Small Animal Surgery in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, contributing to the Agricultural and Veterinary Science discipline. He obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1992 from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University. Following graduation, Lanz engaged in private practice from 1992 to 1994, then completed a small animal internship at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine from 1994 to 1995. He pursued a residency in small animal surgery at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine from 1995 to 1998, achieving board certification by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1999. At Virginia Tech, he began as Assistant Professor from 1998 to 2004, progressed to Associate Professor from 2004 to 2016, and has held the position of full Professor since 2016.

Lanz's academic interests focus on reconstructive surgery and neurosurgery. His scholarly output includes key publications such as "Plating and double‐loop cerclage wiring improve the mechanical performance of the femoral stem after Zurich cementless total hip replacement in cats" (2026), "Characterization of spatiotemporal and kinetic gait variables in dogs with hindlimb ataxia and bilateral hindlimb lameness" (2024), "Use of Spatiotemporal and Kinetic Gait Variables for the Differentiation of Hindlimb Ataxia and Bilateral Hindlimb Lameness in Dogs" (2024), "Bead size has a greater effect on in vitro elution from antimicrobial-impregnated calcium sulfate beads than drug concentration" (2023), "Titanium-Alloy Anchoring System as a Suitable Method of Extracapsular Repair" (2020), and "Biomechanical Comparison of Three Crural Fascia Repair Techniques for Tibial Tuberosity Advancement Surgery" (2019). Notable honors include the Bayer Animal Health Faculty Recognition Award received in 2007 and designation as a founding fellow of the joint replacement surgery subspecialty by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. In 2023, he collaborated with veterinary surgeons in Japan, performing approximately 70 mini total hip replacements on small dogs and cats. Lanz is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, American College of Veterinary Surgeons, American Association of Veterinary Clinicians, and Veterinary Wound Healing Association.