David Keller, 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.
David Keller
Since 2014, Keller has served as associate dean and chair of the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at UT Arlington.
He will begin his new role at UNTHSC on July 1.
Keller earned a master’s and doctorate in integrative physiology from UNTHSC.
“I am honored to return to my alma mater,” Keller said in a statement. “Going from a student 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.
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, according to officials.
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.
“Dr. Keller will bring a wealth of higher education experience with him to UNTHSC,” said Christopher Ray, UNTHSC acting provost. “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, who served as interim dean of the college, and most recently, Johnathan Tune, who is currently in the interim role.