[KENNETT SQUARE, PENNSYLVANIA] - Acclaimed equine cardiologist and ultrasonography pioneer Virginia B. Reef, DVM, DACVIM, DACVSMR, will help practitioners determine the significance of murmurs and arrhythmias and the resulting ramifications for their treatment and management when she delivers the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture on Monday, Dec. 3 at the
American Association of Equine Practitioners’ 64th Annual Convention in San Francisco, Calif.
During Dr. Reef’s lecture, titled “Straight from the Heart: Untangling the Complexities of the Equine Cardiovascular System,” the etiology of murmurs ausculted and the severity of any regurgitation, shunts or myocardial dysfunction detected will be explained through the use of echocardiographic images and videos. Arrhythmias detected will be interpreted using electrocardiographic images and videos, both at rest and during exercise when indicated, to determine their impact. Treatment and management decisions will be discussed with an emphasis on factors that can be used to determine sale/insurability, future performance capability (from a cardiovascular perspective), longevity and safety.
Dr. Reef is the Mark Whittier and Lila Griswold Allam Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where she has been on faculty for 30 years. A 1979 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Reef completed a rotating internship in large animal medicine and surgery and a residency in large animal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She subsequently became director of the Large Animal Cardiology and Ultrasound Service and was instrumental in establishing the Section of Sports Medicine and Imaging at New Bolton Center, where she served as section chief for over 20 years.
She has trained the majority of academics focusing on equine cardiology and ultrasonography in the United States, as well as many individuals in private practice and overseas. She is a charter diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and a large animal associate member of the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging. In addition to numerous original publications, she is the author and editor of a standard textbook on equine diagnostic imaging, Equine Diagnostic Ultrasound, and was the chair of the ACVIM/ECEIM Consensus statement “Recommendations for Management of Equine Athletes with Cardiovascular Abnormalities.”
Dr. Reef received a Distinguished Alumnus award from The Ohio State University in 2005, the 2013 ACVIM Robert W. Kirk Award, the 2015 AAEP Distinguished Educator – Academic Award, and a doctor “honaris causa” from Ghent University, awarded in 2016.
The convention lecture, sponsored by Platinum Performance, is named for AAEP past president and distinguished life member Dr. Frank J. Milne.
The 64th Annual Convention will be held Dec. 1–5 at the Moscone Center. Registration for the event will open this summer at convention.aaep.org.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its over 9,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.