Dr. Ann Dwyer, co-owner of Genesee Valley Equine Clinic in Scottsville, N.Y., was sworn in as president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) during the Dec. 4 President’s Luncheon at the association’s 58th Annual Convention in Anaheim, Calif.
Renowned for her expertise in equine ophthalmology, Dr. Dwyer has been an active advocate for the horse and a steady source of service and leadership since joining the AAEP in 1984.
AAEP - A horse owners best friend
Dr. Ann Dwyer, was sworn in as president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) during the President's Luncheon at their 58th Annual Convention.
A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Dr. Dwyer received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Mount Holyoke College in 1975. Diverting from a brief career in immunology, Dr. Dwyer pursued her passion for horses by working as a groom and exercise rider for trainers at racetracks in New York and Florida. Her racetrack experience cemented her interest in equine health care, which prompted a career move to veterinary medicine.
In 1979, Dr. Dwyer entered Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine with the intent to become a racetrack veterinarian. During veterinary school, she worked as a veterinary assistant at Belmont Park, Gulfstream Park and Finger Lakes Racetrack. She received the Donald D. Delahanty Memorial Prize in Equine Studies the same year she graduated in 1983.
Dr. Dwyer was hired as an associate at Genesee Valley Equine Clinic after graduation and purchased the practice from Dr. Robert Pearson in 1995. She added a full-service equine clinic to the practice in 1997 and brought on practice co-owner Dr. Amy Leibeck in 2001. The five-practitioner hospital serves the general veterinary needs of the area’s pleasure and performance horses.
She is a member of the Veterinary Management Group 7 (Equine Practice) and has delivered many presentations on accounting, practice management and mentorship. Her practice has participated in the AAEP Avenues Internship/Externship Program for more than 10 years.
In 1988, Dr. Dwyer’s interest in the equine eye permitted the opportunity to attend human medical rounds at the University of Rochester Flaum Eye Institute. She has published four book chapters on equine eye disease, including recurrent uveitis and the management of blind horses. Dr. Dwyer chaired the AAEP’s Focus on Ophthalmology meeting in 2009 and was instrumental in the planning of the Focus on Ophthalmology meeting in 2012.
She currently serves as a reviewer for Equine Veterinary Ophthalmology and Equine Veterinary Journal. She was awarded a research grant from the American Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology in 1994 and named an Honorary Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2011.
Dr. Dwyer has served on the AAEP’s Problems Analysis, Nominating and Executive Director Review Committees. She has participated in the Governance Review, Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Bureau, and Educational Summit task forces. She represented District 1 on the board of directors from 2006 to 2008 and joined the Executive Committee in 2010. She was honored by her clients with the AAEP’s “My Vet Matters” recognition in 2005.
In her spare time, Dr. Dwyer enjoys kayaking, local theater and playing the cello in a pair of musical groups.
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, the AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its nearly 10,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.