Athens, Ga. – Three alumni from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine recently were recognized for service to the college and the veterinary profession. The awards, received by Adam C. Eichelberger of Aiken, S.C.; John E. Hayes of Ruckersville, Va.; and Susan Lawson Fubini of Ithaca, N.Y., were presented by the college’s Veterinary Alumni Association during its 50th Annual Veterinary Conference and Alumni Weekend held in Athens.
Eichelberger, a 2003 graduate of the college, was recognized with the Young Achiever Award for 2013. He joined Clemson University in October 2010 as an extension/field veterinarian for Clemson’s livestock poultry health division and the South Carolina State Veterinarian’s Office. His emphasis is on equine and dairy cattle and regulatory issues. He currently is the interim director for Clemson’s Animal Health Programs; and he and his team work directly with the state veterinarian to protect, educate and regulate the livestock and poultry industries of South Carolina.
Eichelberger also is an adjunct professor of animal and veterinary science, a trained foreign animal disease diagnostician, a board member for the South Carolina Horsemen’s Council and a member of the Board of Directors for the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians. He is board-certified by the American College of Theriogenologists.
Hayes, a 1963 graduate of the college, was recognized with a Distinguished Alumnus Award. Hayes is a mixed animal practitioner from the Virginia-Maryland region. He opened Squire Veterinary Clinic in 1966, which for years was known as the largest solo practice in Maryland. After selling Squire, he opened, grew and later sold a second successful practice.
Throughout his career, Hayes has provided low-cost or no-cost veterinary care to animals whose owners could not otherwise afford care. He also has been extremely active in shelter medicine and has worked to raise the standard of care provided at shelters in his region. In 2007, he helped open the Madison-Green Humane Society’s low-cost spay/neuter clinic, where he still works weekly and remains on-call—all at no charge.
Hayes also mentors professional colleagues as well as students who want to become veterinarians. He was instrumental in launching a foundation to provide scholarships and loans to veterinary students. Also active in his local community, Hayes has weekly, for the last 7 years, lent his voice to the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic Program in Albemarle County, Va.
Fubini, a 1980 graduate of the college, received the Distinguished Alumna Award. Fubini is a professor of and section chief for large animal surgery at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. She joined Cornell’s faculty in 1983 following the completion of her large animal surgery residency at the university. Her gift for teaching and service was recognized almost immediately, as the Class of 1983 awarded her the Outstanding House Staff Award. Seven years later, her teaching efforts were recognized with the Norden Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award.
An accomplished writer and researcher, Fubini has co-authored a leading farm animal surgery text, authored or co-authored nine book chapters and been lead author or co-author on 79 published studies. On dozens of occasions, she has accepted invitations to share her expertise at regional, state, national or international conferences. She has served as a reviewer to multiple veterinary journals. And she has been an active member of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, serving on multiple committees.
The Veterinary Alumni Association recognizes a few distinguished alumni each spring. Nominees must have graduated from the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine and made contributions in one or more of the following areas:
• Animal and human health-related public service;
• Professional service;
• Involvement in veterinary educational research and/or service;
• Contributions to the local community, state or nation;
• Involvement in veterinary associations at the local, state or national level; and
• Contributions to the college’s alumni association.
UGA College of Veterinary Medicine
The College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946 at UGA, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, conducting research related to animal and human diseases and providing veterinary services for animals and their owners. Research efforts are aimed at enhancing the quality of life for animals and people, improving the productivity of poultry and livestock and preserving a healthy interface between wildlife and people in the environment they share. The college enrolls 102 students each fall out of more than 800 who apply. For more information, see www.vet.uga.edu.