Dr. Katrin Hinrichs arrived at Penn Vet in March 2020, after 22 years at Texas A&M. Between the pandemic and a building renovation, she didn’t fully settle into her New Bolton Center office until earlier this year. When it was time to decorate, out of boxes came photos, art, gifts and mementos, books, and awards — many, many awards and honors earned during an illustrious career.
Chair of the Department of Clinical Studies at New Bolton Center and the Harry Werner Endowed Professor of Equine Medicine, Hinrichs is an international leader in equine reproductive health and reproductive biology and a pioneer in equine assisted reproduction. Her long list of achievements includes the first cloning of a horse in North America and developing the medical standard for effective intracytoplasmic sperm injection and in vitro culture for embryo production in horses. Hinrichs has authored or contributed to more than 325 research publications and mentored or trained more than 135 graduate students, residents, interns, and visiting scholars.
Hinrichs's Penn Vet appointment is a homecoming — she began her career at New Bolton Center’s Hofmann Center for Animal Reproduction as a resident and lecturer and then earned her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania.
1, 2, 3, 4. A select few of many. [1] For giving a keynote at the European Society for Domestic Animal Reproduction (ESDAR) Conference in 2018 — the horse illustration always makes me happy. [2] The 2016 Simmet Prize for Assisted Reproduction — our field’s highest honor, awarded by the International Congress on Animal Reproduction. [3] The 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners Research Award. [4] From the board of Governors of the International Embryo Technology Society for serving on the Board. This is a depiction of an early embryo. The piece was designed by Lois Etherington Betteridge, the wife of my colleague and friend Keith Betteridge – he is widely considered one of the fathers of equine embryology, and Lois was an acclaimed artist.
I am proud to have received so many accolades. I started my career when few women were in equine medicine and these honors are meaningful for many reasons — they also hold memories of great times and travels with colleagues around the world.
5. Dodger. This is Dodger, one of our family dogs. My daughter Bailey painted the watercolor for me. He was a great dog — half Australian Shepherd and Half Whippet — who died years ago in an accident. I still think of him often.
6. Philodendron & Orchid. One of my technicians gave me the philodendron when she left to take another job. It was 1992, and I was teaching at Tufts. I understand this plant very well — although I did almost kill it once when I unknowingly gave it regular tap water instead of distilled water, which it prefers. The orchid was an anniversary gift from my husband in 2002. It didn't have much light the first year after we moved back to Penn — I'm working to make it happy again.
7. Piper Painting. My daughter Piper painted these joyful flowers in school when she was about six years old. She’s 28 today.