The Alumni Award of Merit was presented to Dr. Brenda Stewart, V’70, and Dr. Lori Spencer Mann, V’95. The award is presented annually to alumni who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to Penn Vet, excellence in the veterinary profession, and community involvement.
Stewart has shown an impressive, sustained devotion to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, its students, and alumni. She served on the V.M.A.S. Board for more than 20 years. Stewart also served as a founding member of the Opportunity Scholarship program. Since 1998, she and her husband, Jim, have funded seven term Opportunity Scholarships; they also created the first fully endowed Opportunity Scholarship in the program—which is now committed to developing a fully funded endowment program.
Stewart was a charter member of the Dean’s Alumni Council and has been an active participant with the Council since its inception. She has supported the SCAVMA Auction for several years with annual auction item donations. She also worked on the planning and production of two very large and successful Alumni Days at New Bolton Center. Over the years, Stewart has provided housing, hospitality, and experienced mentoring to many veterinary students.
In her community work, Stewart was the founder and three-time President of The Concerned Citizens of Western Howard County, a group devoted to preserving, protecting, and conserving the rural nature of Western Howard County in Maryland. She served as President of the Maryland Simmental Cattle Association and was the only woman to serve in that capacity among Maryland Cattlemen’s Associations.
She also was a Director of the American Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club and served twice as the Chair of their National Show Specialty. She serves as a mentor in the Judge, Breeder, and Education program.
Dean Hendricks noted, “Dr. Stewart has demonstrated outstanding dedication to her University, commitment to supporting rural communities, and support of local agriculture. She is a credit to our profession and a terrific ambassador for the University of Pennsylvania.”
Mann was nominated by the Penn Vet Admissions Department. The staff noted, “Dr. Mann is by far the most engaged alumna with Admissions. She came on board as a committee member in 2003 for a two-year term and then allowed us to retain her for another two years. She has been with us so much that she is accepted by faculty as a vital member of the Admissions Committee.”
Mann’s interest in animals goes back to her youth in Florida, where she grew up competing in horse shows in the southeastern United States. She put a dream of becoming an equine veterinarian on hold while she explored other career options. Ultimately, realizing she wanted to pursue her veterinary degree, she set her sights on Penn. And thus began her long association with Associate Dean for Admissions Mac Keiter and the Admissions Committee—first as a student member, and later as an alumna.
After a literal run-in with the late Dr. Charlie Reid near New Bolton Center—she was jogging, he was driving—the idea of becoming a full-time relief veterinarian was born. She incorporated her business in 1996 and has remained in this same line of work since, balancing her career with raising her boys and volunteer activities.
Following graduation, Mann won the Faculty/SCAVMA award and went on to work as an adjunct faculty member at Manor College in their vet tech program. She was a member of the Laminitis Committee headed by Dr. James Orsini and presented at one of their annual meetings held in Florida. She was also an Executive Board Member of the United Way, Southern Chester County; a member of the Board of Tick Tock Early Learning Center in Avondale, Pennsylvania; the contributing writer for the Avon Grove Sun Pet Vet series; and the on-call vet for WILM AM radio in Wilmington, Delaware.
In its second year, the Penn Vet Alumni Achievement Award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to the veterinary profession through their veterinary work, research, or in a volunteer capacity in their community. The Alumni Achievement Award recipients for 2015 are Dr. Tony DeCarlo, V’82, and Dr. Patricia Hogan, V’92.
DeCarlo is the co-founder and co-owner of Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, one of the country’s premier, privately owned veterinary hospitals. Along with Dr. Thomas Trotter, DeCarlo founded the hospital in 1986 on three principles that remain the guiding philosophy today: provide the best veterinary medicine and customer service; do what is in the best interest of the patient and client; and give employees the tools they need to excel in their work. The two-doctor practice has become a unique and highly successful veterinary healthcare network of hospitals with approximately 450 employees.
After earning his degree and completing a residency at Penn Vet in neurology, DeCarlo became a pioneer in performing MRIs on small animals. He believed in making 24-hour emergency care available to pet owners and later became instrumental in expanding the availability of specialty services. Today, he has assembled one of the most comprehensive groups of veterinary specialists available to pet owners in a single location. His vision, philosophy, and commitment to providing pet owners with medical options led to a further expansion of referral services to include 24-hour emergency and specialty care hospitals in Cherry Hill, Hillsborough, and Linwood, New Jersey, as well as a physical rehabilitation and medical boarding facility in Red Bank, New Jersey.
The hospital is a proud supporter of many local charities that aim to improve the lives of both animals and children. DeCarlo is active in the veterinary community and serves as President of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association and as a Trustee for The Seeing Eye. He is a member of the Ronald McDonald Cancer Camp’s Executive Board and is also a volunteer and supporter of the Ronald McDonald Cancer Camp for Children and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth County.
Hogan performed her internship at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital and completed a residency in large animal surgery at Texas A&M University. Following her residency program, she joined the professional staff of the New Jersey Equine Clinic. She is certified as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and has received international recognition for her work in the treatment of equine sports injuries, arthroscopy, and internal fixation of fractures.
Hogan was the recipient of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2005 President’s Award for her treatment of Smarty Jones—winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes—as an example of extraordinary commitment to animal health and welfare. She has published numerous scientific papers, contributed to book chapters in veterinary textbooks, and presented scientific and educational topics at major veterinary conventions throughout North America.
As a recognized authority on equine orthopedics, Hogan was named to the faculty of the Association for the Study of Internal Fixation of Fractures’ Equine Principles of Fracture Management Course, held annually at The Ohio State University. This course offers veterinarians the most current information on the art and science of equine fracture repair.
Hogan also plays a key role in the On Call program of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. This program provides veterinary expertise for live media coverage of major equine sporting events. Hogan is most often “on call” for harness racing at the Meadowlands Racetrack. She has served as a member of the broadcast team for CBS Sports, ESPN, and the Fox Network.
We proudly honor the accomplishments of our 2015 award recipients. Alumni are invited to submit nominations for the 2016 awards online. Visit www.vet.upenn.edu/ people/alumni and click on Reunions, News & Awards.