Sara Langsam, VMD

Committee Assignments

• Board of Directors 12/03/2023 - 12/04/2026
• Racing Committee Chair  11/22/2022 - 12/15/2026
• Racing Committee 11/22/2017 - 11/22/2022
• Racing Rounds Facilitator 12/16/2018 - 12/12/2019
• Professional Conduct & Ethics Committee 12/11/2014 - 11/22/2017
• Public Auction Rounds Facilitator 12/31/2012 - 12/11/2014
• Educational Programs Committee 12/06/2012 - 12/10/2015
• Leadership Development Workshop 04/29/2011 - 05/01/2011

Demographics

• Hospital Internship, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, KY
• Private Thoroughbred Racetrack and Sales Practice, TFB Equine, Medical Director and Shareholder, July 2003 through present
• Certified in Chiropractic Medicine for Veterinarians

Other AAEP and Professional Involvement

• AAEP Forum for Thoroughbred Safety and Injury Prevention, creator and chair, October 2023
• AAEP Wearable Biometric Sensor Study, lead, November 2023 - April 2026
• HISA Horseman’s Advisory Group, member, October 2022 - Present
• Grayson-Jockey Club Research Advisory Committee, April 2018 - January 2022

Additional Involvement and Awards

• AAEP President’s Award, 2024
• Moderator and Speaker for AAEP Annual Convention sessions
• Speaker, Grayson Jockey Club Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, 2024
• Panelist on various AAEP Webinars

What do you see as the most pressing challenges currently facing equine veterinary medicine and how should AAEP evolve to meet that over the next several years?

Our profession is at a vital inflection point. Great strides have been made but more work needs to be done. Passion for what we do isn't the issue, recruitment on that level isn't the problem. Once students get exposed to what we do on a daily basis, they fall in love; but the problem is making the lifestyle and compensation work for them so that they can follow their dreams of equine practice. I am so tired of hearing that they went to small animal because equine just couldn't afford them a high quality of life. Or worse, we get them to come into equine practice and then they leave after their first job isn't the right fit. AAEP has come up with some wonderful resources to help practices evolve their culture in order to nurture their employees, but further support in employment of these changes is what is needed. We need to help the managing veterinarians to recognize their actual weaknesses and support them as they try to evolve. This can help both early and mid- career practitioners find happiness in equine medicine. We can evolve to make this career more attainable and rewarding.

How have you demonstrated commitment to the advancement of the profession?

During my tenure as the chair of AAEP's Racing Committee, I organized the AAEP Forum on Thoroughbred Safety and Injury, which brought together industry-leading veterinarians and from which came the landmark AAEP Wearable Biometric Sensor Study, among other safety recommendations. The sensor study enabled us to show that these devices are able to detect early injury and that further investment and usage would be advantageous in improving the health of the racehorse. In addition, we have created and organized multiple "Vet Student Day at the Races." These days combine presentations and live demonstrations from both attending and regulatory veterinarians and have worked to propel the vet students to pursue externships and careers in equine practice as well as inspire and invigorate the practitioners to keep spreading the word about how rewarding it can be. On the AAEP Board of Directors, I have been committed to representing the needs of the practitioner. Here I have helped advance AAEP's integral mission of offering high-quality, approachable CE. I have also advocated for both support of the younger practitioner as well as the ones mid-career and beyond, along with supporting the key welfare initiatives we are driving as a profession.

What unique perspective or skill set do you bring to the VP role that will benefit the AAEP membership?

I am a very practical person, like most practitioners. We identify a problem, listen to different ideas on how to solve it, converse about how to move forward and then go do. I am willing to take calculated risks in order to get a problem solved or at least move towards a solution. I like to be part of the team that leads and helps drive the solutions. In addition, I am not afraid to share my opinion and debate with respect. As a practitioner, I have honed the art of small talk and how to converse with anyone. I like to hear different perspectives and collaborate. None of us work in a bubble, and we all know that there are multiple ways to come at a problem. AAEP is a big collaboration with a common goal of supporting the horse, the veterinarian and the industry. My skills of listening, openly communicating and proactively moving solutions forward are essential to that mission.

How will you help maintain member engagement and relevance in a changing veterinary landscape?

I will continue to listen to what our membership is asking from us—what is important to their lives and will make their careers more fulfilling and balanced. In addition, how can we help them move the health and welfare of their patients forward. I want to continue AAEP's legacy of being in the forefront of improving the health of the horse, the health of the veterinarian and the health of the profession. Healthy horses need healthy veterinarians.