Equine Faculty Veterinarians
Philip Johnson, BVSc, MS, MRCVS, DACVIM-Large Animal Internal Medicine, DECEIM
Professor, Equine – Internal Medicine
A graduate of The University of Bristol (BVSc[Hons], MRCVS/veterinary degrees) and the University of Illinois (MS), Philip Johnson completed specialty training at the University of Illinois. He joined the MU faculty in 1991. His research interests include equine endocrinology, gastroenterology and laminitis. His clinical interests are equine endocrinology, gastroenterology and neonatology.
Kevin Keegan, DVM, MS, DACVS
Professor, Equine – Surgery
A graduate of the University of Missouri (BS, DVM) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (MS), Kevin G. Keegan completed residency training at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined the MU faculty in 1990. His research interests are development of objective methods of lameness evaluation in horses and methods of wireless transmission of biological signals for health monitoring. His clinical interest is in equine lameness.
Joanne Kramer, DVM, DACVS
Associate Teaching Professor, Equine – Surgery
A graduate of the University of Minnesota (DVM) and the University of St. Catherine (BA), Joanne Kramer completed specialty training at the University of Missouri. She joined the MU faculty in 1997. Her research interests are in veterinary education, lameness and podiatry. Her clinical interests include equine surgery, podiatry and student education.
Alison LaCarrubba, DVM, DABVP-Equine
Associate Teaching Professor, Equine – Ambulatory Medicine
A graduate of Cornell University (BS) and the University of Missouri (DVM), Alison LaCarrubba completed specialty training at MU. She joined the MU faculty in 2003. LaCarrubba works both with the equine ambulatory and internal medicine services. Among her clinical interests are equine dentistry, both routine and referral.
Lynn M. Martin, DVM, MPH, DACVIM-Large Animal Internal Medicine
Post-Doctoral Fellow
A graduate of North Dakota State University (BS) and the University of Missouri (DVM, MPH), Lynn Martin completed an equine private practice internship in San Antonio, Texas before returning to Mizzou for a residency in large animal internal medicine with an equine emphasis. Martin provides veterinary care on the equine internal medicine service and is completing a PhD. Research interests include comparative ophthalmology, equine microbiome and laminitis. Clinical interests include equine ophthalmology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and student education.
Megan McCracken, DVM, MS, DACVS-LA
Assistant Teaching Professor, Equine – Surgery
A graduate of Cornell University (DVM), the University of Florida (BS), and the University of Missouri, Megan McCracken completed residency training in equine surgery at the University of Missouri. She joined the MU faculty in 2019. Her clinical and research interests are in equine lameness and general equine surgery.
Martha Scharf, DVM, DABVP-Equine
Assistant Teaching Professor, Equine – Ambulatory Medicine
Martha Scharf is an equine ambulatory veterinarian at the MU Equine Hospital, traveling to provide routine and emergency veterinary care to the horses of mid-Missouri. She grew up in St. Louis, riding and training hunter-jumpers. Since moving to Columbia for college, she has continued to ride recreationally, with a mix of jumping, eventing and trail riding. She also serves as a faculty advisor for the vet college’s mascot mules, Tim and Terry, who have taught her the basics of driving and the intricacies of mules.
She graduated from the MU College of Veterinary Medicine in 2008 and completed a rotating equine internship during the following year. Since then, she has been working as one of the equine ambulatory veterinarians and instructors. In 2017, she achieved certification as a specialist in equine practice by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. She is completing a veterinary chiropractic course and is already working to provide alternative diagnostic and treatment options for our patients. She particularly enjoys the long-term relationships and the wide variety of disorders that our general practice offers, as well as teaching and learning from the students. In the future, she hopes to continue learning, teaching and practicing equine ambulatory medicine.
Dr. Amanda C Trimble, BVMS, MS, DACVIM-LAIM
Post-Doctoral Fellow
A graduate of Dickinson College (BS), the University of Glasgow (BVMS), and Kansas State University (MS), Amanda Trimble completed an equine internship at MU in 2014/15. She then completed her residency training in large animal internal medicine at Kansas State University before returning to MU in the fall of 2018. Her research interests include equine infectious disease. Her clinical interests are equine infectious disease, gastroenterology, respiratory physiology, and neurology.
David Wilson, DVM, MS, DACVS
Professor, Equine – Surgery
A graduate of Illinois State University (BS) and the University of Illinois (BS, DVM, MS), David A. Wilson completed specialty training at Illinois Equine Center and the University of Illinois. He joined the MU faculty in 1988. His research interests are in wound healing, biomechanics of fracture fixation and equine gait analysis. His clinical interests are orthopedic surgery, upper respiratory surgery and abdominal surgery.
Residents
Jael Pitts, DVM
Jael Pitts grew up in the small town of Follansbee, West Virginia. She attended The Ohio State University for her undergraduate studies in animal science and rural sociology. Pitts graduated from veterinary college at the University of Missouri in 2014. After graduation, she completed an equine surgery internship at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Kentucky. After completing her internship at HEMI, Pitts returned to MU for a rotating equine medicine, ambulatory and surgery internship. She is continuing her training at Mizzou through an equine surgical residency. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her dogs, Roo2 and Big Mac, and riding her off-the-track thoroughbred, Sangria.
Kile Townsend, DVM
Kile Townsend grew up on a small horse farm in Dover, New Hampshire, where she learned to ride and handle horses at a young age. Townsend attended the University of New Hampshire where she received a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science and a minor in music. She then received her DVM in May 2017 from the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island, Canada. While in Atlantic Canada, she learned a lot about the ins and outs of the standard bred racing industry. Townsend has a background in eventing and dressage and has always wanted to work with horses as a career. Following her equine rotating internship, she is staying on for a residency in equine internal medicine.
