Sherry A. Johnson, DVM, MS, DACVSMR, a Ph.D. student at Colorado State University, received the EQUUS Foundation Research Fellow for her research into new approaches to tendon injury rehabilitation in horses.

The $5,000 grant is awarded annually to a doctoral or residency student who has made significant progress in the field of equine health care research. In addition to the financial reward, Dr. Johnson also received a $500 stipend to support her travel to the AAEP’s 65th Annual Convention in Denver, Colo., where on Dec. 9 she was presented with her award prior to the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture.

“As a first year Ph.D. student, my time and resources have been dedicated to investigating rehabilitation modalities novel to horses, specifically blood flow restriction training,” said Dr. Johnson. “I aim to develop tendon-sparing exercise prescriptions that may eventually be extrapolated to equine and human patients. The shared, inter-species complexities of injury diagnosis, longitudinal monitoring and successful treatment offer me an avenue through which my basic and applied science can be used to improve human and animal health.”

Dr. Johnson graduated in the top of her class from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, completed a residency in Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation at Colorado State University, and became a diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2019. She is currently a PhD candidate at Colorado State University with research focus on novel rehabilitation modalities related to tendon healing. She received the American Quarter Horse Foundation Young Investigator Award in 2018 and is working toward three publications describing longitudinal tendinopathic imaging characteristics and the role of exercise in tendon healing. These publications will join Dr. Johnson’s other accepted manuscripts to Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound (2018) and Operative Techniques in Orthopaedics (2016).

“The health and welfare of America’s horses is core to the mission of the EQUUS Foundation. We are honored to partner with The Foundation for the Horse through the EQUUS Foundation Research Fellowship to support veterinarians who are dedicating their careers to equine research,” said Jenny Belknap Kees, EQUUS Foundation chairman.

For more information about this program and other scholarships offered through The Foundation for the Horse, visit foundationforthehorse.org.

About the EQUUS Foundation
The EQUUS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2002, is the only national charity in the United States 100% dedicated to protecting America's horses and strengthening the bond between horses and people.

About The Foundation for the Horse
The Foundation for the Horse, a 501(c)(3) organization established in 1994 formerly known as the AAEP Foundation, serves as the charitable arm of the American Association of Equine Practitioners to improve the welfare of horses. Since its inception, the Foundation has disbursed more than $6 million to fulfill its vital mission. For more information about The Foundation for the Horse, visit foundationforthehorse.org.