Dr. Hannah Galantino-Homer has been appointed senior research investigator of the newly created laminitis research initiative at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She will serve as a leading investigator in Penn Vet’s laminitis research efforts.

“With this appointment of one of our best and brightest, Penn Vet reinforces its commitment to equine disease research,” said Dr. Joan C. Hendricks, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “Dr. Galantino-Homer’s appointment is our first step in focusing and investing more time and funds in answering the fundamental questions of what causes laminitis and how it can be treated. Her expertise and vision will help us develop preventative and therapeutic management strategies for this devastating condition.”

Prior to her new appointment, Galantino-Homer was a lecturer and researcher in the Center for Animal Transgenesis and Germ Cell Research, located at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center.

The new initiative will enhance work currently being done at Penn Vet in the area of equine disease research, which is funded in part by donors to the Laminitis Research Fund. Laminitis, a debilitating and painful condition of the hoof, is a silent killer that affects horses around the globe. Both the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) list laminitis as the priority area for equine research and funding.

The eyes of much of the non-horse-owning American public were opened to laminitis while Barbaro, the winner of the 2006 Kentucky Derby, was being treated at the George…