The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) presented Susan L. White, DVM, MS, DACVIM, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor, Emeritus, at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, the 2020 Distinguished Life Member Award for her legacy of exemplary service to the association during her four decades of volunteer leadership.
The Distinguished Life Member Award honors an AAEP member who has made outstanding contributions to the association throughout his or her career. White was recognized December 9 during the AAEP’s 2020 Annual Convention & Trade Show, which was held virtually.
During a career of meritorious service to the AAEP, White served on the board of directors from 2003–2005, and she has been active as a member or chair of numerous committees, councils and task forces since 1982. She chaired the Educational Programs Committee, Membership Committee and Pediatrics Committee, and she served on the Equine Welfare, Nominating and Scholarship committees, among others. She currently serves on The Foundation for the Horse Advisory Council.
As a member of the Tennessee Walking Horse Task Force, White co-authored the 2008 white paper, “Putting the Horse First: Veterinary Recommendations for Ending the Soring of Tennessee Walking Horses.” In addition, she taught Essential Skills Workshops to AAEP student chapter members at universities across North America.
“Dr. White has served the association and the profession in so many ways it is hard to describe,” said her co-nominators Dr. Reynolds Cowles and Dr. Ben Franklin. “She always brings a scientific and practical voice to any discussion, and her opinions are highly sought.”
White received her veterinary degree from the University of California, Davis, in 1973. She entered a large animal internal medicine residency in 1976 at the University of Georgia, where she joined the faculty in 1980. Among her many accolades are the 2009 Robert W. Kirk Award for Professional Excellence from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the 1989 Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship from the University of Georgia, and the 2006 J.T. Mercer Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association.
About the AAEP
The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its over 9,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.
