UF Veterinary College names 2008 distinguished award winners

A South Florida equine practitioner, a professor emeritus of small animal neurology, a small animal surgeon and the director of the University of Florida’s mobile equine diagnostic service have been honored for their career accomplishments by the UF College of Veterinary Medicine.

Four awards were given through the 2008 Distinguished Award program, which is sponsored by the college’s alumni council and offers recognition to deserving alumni, faculty and others who have contributed meaningfully to UF and/or to the veterinary profession.

Dr. Robert Boswell of Wellington, a 1985 graduate of the UF veterinary college and owner of Palm Beach Equine Clinic, received the Alumni Achievement Award. Boswell also serves as director of imaging at the clinic, and is a founding member of the Florida Association of Equine Practitioners, an organization that provides continuing education and gives a voice to equine clinicians from all over the state. He served as president of FAEP from 2004-05.

Boswell specializes in sport horse lameness and diagnostic imaging. His clientele includes Olympic-caliber riders in the fields of dressage and jumping.

The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award was given to Dr. Michael Porter, a clinical assistant professor at the UF veterinary college. Porter received his D.V.M. and Ph.D. degrees from the UF veterinary college in 1998 and 2001, respectively. He also completed a residency in large animal medicine at UF in 2004.

As director of the college’s Mobile Equine Diagnostic Service, Porter takes state-of-the-art imaging technology on the road to be more widely available to horse owners and veterinarians.

Dr. Cheryl Chrisman, a longtime faculty member and a professor of small animal neurology at UF until her retirement in 2007, has received the college’s Distinguished Service Award. She has received multiple Teacher of the Year awards from UF veterinary students and has a long list of both clinical and research accomplishments.

A board-certified veterinary neurologist, Chrisman served as the small animal neurology service chief for many years and has written two textbooks as well as many articles in prestigious journals in her field. Chrisman has mentored countless students as well as residents in small animal neurology during her academic career at UF and also has been active in organized veterinary medicine. She served as president of the American College of Veterinary Neurologists and has chaired the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine’s board of regents.

She also holds certification in veterinary acupuncture and continues to serve as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine.

The award for special service to the veterinary profession went to Dr. Gary Ellison, a professor and chief of small animal surgery at UF. A UF faculty member since 1983, Ellison is a highly respected and internationally recognized authority in soft tissue surgery. Through his leadership, the UF veterinary surgery team has progressed into the microsurgery and renal transplantation arena.

Ellison is also a very popular and successful continuing education speaker, having given more than 120 presentations to various groups seeking to enhance their awareness of small animal surgery.

The awards were presented May 24 at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts during college commencement exercises.