UF veterinarian receives international honor

Kenneth Braun, D.V.M., a professor emeritus at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, has won an international award for his contributions to continuing education for bovine practitioners and to the bovine industry.

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners presented Braun with its Award for Excellence and Merit at the association’s annual conference, held Sept. 13 in Vancouver. He received a commemorative plaque and ring. The award is given annually to those whose professional activities have had a consistent influence on the daily actions of veterinarians in bovine practice.

“There have been very few past recipients, placing him among the elite in his profession,” said Eleanor Green, D.V.M., chair of the college’s department of large animal clinical sciences.

Braun came to UF in 1978 and served as chief of the rural animal medicine (RAMS) service after being on the faculty at Cornell University for 13 years. At UF, he developed a field service clinical rotation to teach students about health-care delivery for cattle, sheep, goats and swine. His teaching interests focused on physical diagnosis and preventive medicine programs for dairy cattle. His research interests involved diseases of dairy calves and the applied use of dairy records systems.

In 1984, Braun was appointed chairman of the department of preventive medicine, and in 1988, he became the chairman of the department of large animal sciences and chief of staff of the Large Animal Teaching Hospital. He returned to teaching and clinical service in 1994 and continued on the faculty in this capacity until his retirement in February 2001.

Braun was nominated for the award by the college’s food animal service, formerly known as RAMS, faculty.