By American Farriers Journal Staff

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) installed its leaders and recognized its top members at the 61st annual convention in Las Vegas, Nev.

Kathleen Anderson, longtime owner of Equine Veterinary Care PC in Fair Hill, Md., was installed as president of AAEP during the President’s Luncheon.

Raised in Merritt, British Columbia, Anderson was actively involved with horses as an eventing competitor, international competition groom, barn manager and racetrack exercise rider before obtaining her doctorate of veterinary medicine in 1986 from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatchewan.

Following graduation, Anderson entered private practice in South Hamilton, Mass., under United States Equestrian Team veterinarian A. Martin Simensen. Since 1993, she has owned Equine Veterinary Care, a three-doctor ambulatory practice with outpatient clinic facilities that specializes in Thoroughbred race horse and event horse care.

Anderson previously served on the board of directors from 2006-09; as vice chair of the Racing Committee; as a member of the Foundation Advisory Council; and as a member of the Ethics and Professional Conduct, Finance and Audit, Leadership Development, Membership Development and Nominating committees.

In addition, she has presented at the AAEP Annual Convention on issues of practice management and care of race and performance horses.

Margo Macpherson, professor of equine reproduction at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, was installed as vice president.

Macpherson serves as tenured professor at the University of Florida CVM, where she recently stepped down as chief of the reproduction service after 8 years. Before joining the faculty, she worked as a private practitioner in central Kentucky and served as a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her veterinary degree from Michigan State University in 1990 and a master’s degree from Texas A&M University in 1994.

Macpherson considers herself to be a clinician scientist with a strong interest in both clinical medicine and veterinary research. She has devoted a significant portion of her professional career to unraveling the complexities of equine placentitis. Work from her laboratory has helped direct treatment choices for mares with placentitis by providing information about efficacy of commonly used antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory treatments.

Macpherson is a longstanding member of the AAEP’s Educational Programs Committee, where she presently contributes to student programming. She previously served on the association’s board of directors from 2011-14; as Reproduction anchor for the Kester News Hour at the AAEP Annual Convention from 2006-10; and on the Nominating and Reproduction committees. In addition, she served as president of the American College of Theriogenologists in 2005.

Board Of Directors

Amy Grice, who recently retired as managing partner of Rhinebeck Equine in Rhinebeck, N.Y., to open a veterinary consulting practice in Virginia City, Mont., joined the board of directors. Her three-year term expires in 2018.

Upon receiving her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990, Grice joined Rhinebeck Equine as an equine-exclusive ambulatory practitioner. She became a partner in the practice in 1996. In the ensuing years, the practice expanded from a four-doctor ambulatory practice to a 13-doctor referral hospital with an ambulatory division.

Grice earned her MBA from Marist College in 2014. In her new role as president of Amy Grice, VMD, MBA, LLC, she seeks to help veterinarians navigate an increasingly challenging practice environment to lead more satisfying and successful lives.

Grice serves on the Educational Programs Committee and AAEP Foundation Advisory Council. She previously served on the Leadership Development, Nominating and Owner Education committees. In addition, she served the Hudson Valley Veterinary Medical Association board of directors and the Marist College Premedical Advisory Committee.

Daniel P. Keenan, owner of Foundation Equine Wellness and Performance in Crosswicks, N.J., joined the board of directors. His three-year term expires in 2018.

After receiving his veterinary degree from Cornell University in 1984, Keenan joined Walnridge Equine Clinic in Cream Ridge, N.J. He started his own practice in 1988 and in 2004 merged practices with Ron McAlister to form Keenan McAlister Equine, the forerunner of Foundation Equine Wellness and Performance. His current practice is a three-doctor equine-exclusive ambulatory practice serving central New Jersey and lower Bucks County, Pa.

Keenan serves on the Leadership Development Committee. He previously served on both the Educational Programs and Ethics and Professional Conduct committees, as facilitator of the Practice Management Forum and as moderator of the Business Education Rounds.

Keenan’s longtime involvement in organized veterinary medicine and the horse industry within New Jersey includes terms as president of the New Jersey Association of Equine Practitioners and vice president of the New Jersey Horse Council. He also served as founder and president of the state’s Animal Emergency Preparedness Committee, on the board of directors of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association and as a member of the New Jersey Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.

President's Award

Kenton Morgan, a proactive advocate for the AAEP and profession of equine veterinary medicine, received the President’s Award.

The President’s Award, selected by the sitting AAEP president, honors an AAEP member who has demonstrated a dedication to the association during the past year by contributing a significant portion of time and expertise to benefit the health and welfare of the horse.

Morgan is an equine veterinary specialist with Zoetis in Kansas City, Mo., and just concluded a 3-year term on the AAEP’s board of directors. In presenting the award, 2015 AAEP President G. Kent Carter praised Morgan’s selfless dedication to the betterment of the association and his fellow practitioners.

“Kenton Morgan, in this, his last year on the board, has always been there when assistance was needed,” says Carter, “whether it be reviewing compounding guidelines submitted by the FDA and formulating a written response on the behalf of the AAEP members, or writing an AAEP response on the reclassification of ketamine, which could significantly influence everyone in our membership.  

“‘No’ is not in his vocabulary when it comes to the AAEP, and Kenton is a relentless supporter of the practitioner. Kenton spends many voluntary hours on behalf of the AAEP without expectations of rewards or any personal benefit.”

Morgan received his veterinary degree from the University of Missouri in 1983 and joined the AAEP 2 years later. In addition to his board duties in 2015, Morgan provided leadership and expertise as a member of the Stem Cell and External Parasite and Vector Control task forces. He previously served as chair of the Biological and Therapeutic Agents Committee and as a member of the Pediatrics and Leadership Development committees.

Distinguished Service Award

The AAEP recognized its longtime director of finance and operations on the verge of his retirement when presenting its 2015 Distinguished Service Award to Brad Mitchell.

The Distinguished Service Award honors exemplary service to the AAEP or a similar organization to the benefit of the horse, horse industry or profession of equine veterinary medicine.

Mitchell has been responsible for the finances of the association; planning and management of the AAEP’s continuing education meetings, including the annual convention; and maintenance and operations of the AAEP’s headquarters building. He will retire from the association during the first quarter of 2016.

His leadership has fostered greater efficiency within AAEP operations for the benefit of its membership, and he has provided wise counsel to seven treasurers during his tenure, according to the AAEP. Most recently, he oversaw construction of the AAEP’s new headquarters building, which opened in February at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Mitchell graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He resides in Paris, Ky., and has three adult daughters.

Distinguished Life Member

The AAEP presented Nathaniel A. White II with the Distinguished Life Member Award for his leadership and substantial volunteerism within the association during his 43 years of membership.

The Distinguished Life Member Award honors an AAEP member who has made outstanding contributions to the association throughout their career.

White, professor emeritus of equine surgery at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine’s Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center and president of the AAEP in 2010, is chair of the AAEP’s National Equine Health Plan Task Force, which is establishing an Equine Disease Communication Center to serve as a national hub for equine disease reporting and communication. Additionally, since 2010, he has served on the management board and as co-U.S. editor of Equine Veterinary Education.

A 1971 graduate of Cornell University, White was instrumental in the establishment and served as longtime chair of the AAEP Foundation, the charitable arm of the AAEP that has distributed more than $3.3 million since 1994 to improve the welfare of the horse. He served two terms on the AAEP board of directors, volunteered with the AAEP On Call program from 1994-2000, delivered the 2006 Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture on the subject of colic and received the AAEP’s Distinguished Service Award in 2004.

White has also volunteered his time and expertise through service on numerous committees and councils, including Abstract Review, Convention Planning, Educational Programs, Finance, Nominating, President’s Advisory, Public Policy, Research, Student Relations, and Trail and Events.

Distinguished Educators

The AAEP presented its 2015 Distinguished Educator – Mentor Award to John W. Lee Jr.

The Distinguished Educator – Mentor Award honors an individual who by his or her actions and commitment has demonstrated a significant impact on the development and training of equine practitioners through mentoring.

A 1974 graduate of Cornell University, Lee founded Unionville Equine Associates in Oxford, Pa., where he practiced from 1983 until relocating to New Mexico in May. During this time, he nurtured the confidence and development of his young team members gradually by presenting challenges in a manner that encouraged independent thinking while honing their craft, according to the AAEP. Lee, who recently retired, also promoted a healthy growth trajectory by helping his team develop professional connections throughout the industry and by presenting opportunities for career advancement, according to the AAEP.

His influence also extended to students through institution of a formal internship/externship program at the practice and his enthusiasm to share his joy of veterinary medicine and serve as a source of advice and support to the many high school, college and veterinary school students who shadowed Lee on ride-alongs, according to the AAEP.

Virginia Reef, director of large animal cardiology and diagnostic ultrasonography at Penn Vet, received the 2015 Distinguished Educator – Academic Award.

The Distinguished Educator – Academic Award honors an individual who by his or her actions and commitment has demonstrated a significant impact on the development and training of equine practitioners.

A pioneer in the diagnostic use of ultrasonographic technology, Reef perfected the technology in her clinical use and then set out to teach the technology to students and practitioners alike. In the ensuing 30-plus years, ultrasonography has contributed to early diagnosis of musculoskeletal injury in the horse, significantly reducing catastrophic athletic-use tendon and ligament injuries.

Many practitioners who use musculoskeletal or cardiovascular ultrasound or who teach its use in an academic setting have been influenced by Reef, whether in the classroom, in the lab or through her hundreds of publications that include more than 50 original research papers, over 50 case reports, approximately 130 abstracts in proceedings, 11 major review articles and 80 book chapters.  

Reef is an invited speaker at domestic and international meetings. Her dedication to expanding ultrasonography technique among her veterinary colleagues is further evident when conducting wet labs, according to the AAEP. Reef seeks out local practitioners to procure live horses with the types of injuries she is teaching, arranges shipping of these horses to the wet lab and coordinates co-instructors and assistants to ensure a first-class learning experience for attendees, according to the AAEP.

Reef earned her DVM in 1979 from The Ohio State University. She completed her internship and residency in large animal medicine in 1982 at Penn Vet, where she has served on the faculty since. She is the Mark Whittier and Lila Griswold Allam Professor of Medicine, as well as section chief of sports medicine and imaging at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center. Among her honors and awards are the Michael Moxon Kate Memorial Distinguished Lecturer Award and The Ohio State University Distinguished Alumnus Award.