AAEP Bestows Distinguished Educator Award for Mentorship Upon Dr. Stephen Reed

Stephen Reed, DVM, DACVIM, esteemed equine neurologist at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., received the 2025 Distinguished Educator – Mentor Award from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) for his personal and consequential impact on hundreds of equine veterinarians throughout his nearly 50 years in practice. 

The Distinguished Educator – Mentor Award honors an individual who by her or his actions and commitment has demonstrated a significant impact on the development and training of equine practitioners through mentoring. Dr. Riddle received his award Dec. 9 during the President’s Luncheon at the AAEP’s 71st Annual Convention in Denver, Colo. 

Dr. Reed received his veterinary degree from The Ohio State University in 1976 before completing a residency at Michigan State University. He embarked on his academic teaching career at Washington State University from 1979–1983 before returning to Ohio State, where he served as a professor and mentor in the Equine Medicine department until joining Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital as an internal medicine clinician in 2007.  

Throughout his career, Dr. Reed has actively mentored hundreds of junior faculty in academia and residents in private practice, remaining a mentor and positively influencing careers long after mentees’ early training is completed. His efforts have built a lineage in that many of his mentees have become influential mentors themselves, including his very first mentee and award nominator, Dr. Josie Traub-Dargatz.  

“Dr. Reed was a tremendous mentor to me during my residency,” she said. “He taught me medicine but also how to interact with colleagues to make everyone gain as much as they could from the time spent in clinical practice and while doing research. He was an example to me of how to take optimal care of my patients, our clients and the staff we worked with.” 

In addition to his extensive mentorship, Dr. Reed continues to provide continuing education in neurology to equine practitioners and internal medicine specialists. He has edited four editions of Equine Internal Medicine, a pivotal textbook for equine practitioners pursuing board certification in veterinary internal medicine. Dr. Reed is a former chair of the AAEP’s Educational Programs Committee and served on many other committees. He received induction into the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Hall of Fame in 2022 and currently chairs the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Advisory Committee.  

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.