[August 25, 2015; Kennett Square, PA] – Dr. Brian MacNamara, who has expertise in treating race and sport horses, has joined the Equine Field Service team at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center, which provides routine and emergency health care for equine clients within a 30-mile radius of the hospital. He also has joined the Penn Vet faculty, as Assistant Professor of Equine Field Service in the Department of Clinical Studies.
MacNamara joins a team of equine Field Service specialists consisting of Drs. Liz Arbittier, Ashley Boyle, and Meagan Smith, in providing preventative health care, reproductive services, evaluation and treatment of lameness and medical and surgical disorders, and on-farm diagnostic services.
MacNamara received his DVM degree from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1980, after receiving his BS in Animal Physiology from Cornell in 1976.
Beginning in 1985, MacNamara was a clinician and surgeon at the practice he founded, the Warwick Equine Clinic in Warwick, NY.
He is a licensed veterinarian in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. In addition, he is an Accredited Treating Veterinarian for FEI, the Fédération Equestre Internationale, the controlling authority for international events, such as the Olympic Games, including dressage, jumping, eventing, driving, endurance, vaulting, and reining.
“Brian has a vast amount of experience in high-level equine ambulatory practice, and he has managed and owned his own practice in New York,” said Dr. Barbara Dallap Schaer, Medical Director of New Bolton Center.
“He has a unique background, including a law degree and didactic teaching at a university,” she continued. “In addition to his vast veterinary experience, we are looking forward to his input on growing our Field Service business.”
In his new role, MacNamara said he would like to increase the client base in the sport horse world and treat horses that are actively competing. He has a special interest in lameness and causes of poor performance in the equine athlete.
MacNamara has worked extensively with racehorses, having served as the attending track veterinarian at Yonkers Raceway in New York. He also owned the veterinary hospital practice on the backstretch of the Meadowlands Raceway, until the stables and the veterinary practices were removed two years ago.
In addition, he is a licensed driver who has raced Standardbreds. Although he no longer races, he does compete in novice and training level eventing as well as show jumping.
MacNamara also has practiced law, receiving his degree from the Pace University School of Law in 2000. Until 2008, he practiced criminal law, and was an assistant professor of law at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the City University of New York’s Department of Law and Police Science.
One of the reasons MacNamara decided to join Penn Vet was for additional teaching experience, along with the promise of being challenged by veterinary medicine at a university research hospital. “I enjoy teaching,” he said. “It is very appealing to be in an academic environment.”
MacNamara grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his two professor parents. Although a city boy, he rode horses, primarily hunter-jumper and eventing, during summers in Orange County, NY, and on a cousin’s farm in Ireland.
“From a very young age, I was always interested in horses, and in veterinary medicine,” he said.
MacNamara still owns several horses, dogs, cats, and even macaws. He and his wife, Laura, who is a riding instructor, have two sons, Sean and Brendan.
About Penn Vet
Penn Vet is a global leader in veterinary education, research, and clinical care. Founded in 1884, Penn Vet is the only veterinary school developed in association with a medical school. The school is a proud member of the One Health Initiative, linking human, animal, and environmental health.
Penn Vet serves a diverse population of animals at its two campuses, which include extensive diagnostic and research laboratories. Ryan Hospital in Philadelphia provides care for dogs, cats, and other domestic/companion animals, handling more than 30,000 patient visits a year. New Bolton Center, Penn Vet’s large-animal hospital on nearly 700 acres in rural Kennett Square, PA, cares for horses and livestock/farm animals. The hospital handles more than 4,000 patient visits a year, while the Field Service treats nearly 37,000 patients at local farms. In addition, New Bolton Center’s campus includes a swine center, working dairy, and poultry unit that provide valuable research for the agriculture industry.