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CVM alumnus Mark Peterson named recipient of 2021 AVMA Lifetime Excellence in Research Award

  • Mark Peterson

    CVM alumnus Mark Peterson named recipient of 2021 AVMA Lifetime Excellence in Research Award

Mark Peterson, ’76 DVM, DACVIM, has received one of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) highest honors. Peterson was named the recipient of the 2021 AVMA Lifetime Excellence in Research Award.

The award recognizes a veterinary researcher on the basis of lifetime achievement in basic, applied, or clinical research. Recipients are selected based on the total impact their career has had on the veterinary or biomedical professions.

It is a tremendous honor to announce his selection as this year’s AVMA Lifetime Excellence in Research Award winner.

Dr. Douglas Kratt,

“Dr. Peterson has made extraordinary contributions in veterinary research and in our understanding of how endocrine disorders are diagnosed and treated in animals, resulting in the well-deserved respect and admiration of veterinary professionals throughout the world,” Dr. Douglas Kratt, president of the AVMA, said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to announce his selection as this year’s AVMA Lifetime Excellence in Research Award winner.”

Peterson is the owner and director of the Animal Endocrine Clinic in New York City. Over the course of more than 45 years, Peterson’s clinical and research efforts have advanced the understanding of naturally occurring endocrine disorders of cats and dogs, including hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, calcium disorders, and adrenal diseases. Over the last decade, he has focused his clinical research efforts on various aspects of feline hyperthyroidism, a disease he first reported in 1979.

Peterson currently serves as an adjunct professor of medicine at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, where he teaches and collaborates with several investigators. Prior to joining academia, Peterson served as head of endocrinology and nuclear medicine at The Animal Medical Center in New York City from 1979 to 2009. 

In addition to advancing the practice of internal medicine as a researcher and professor, Peterson is recognized for providing the highest standard of patient care as a clinician. As director and owner of the Animal Endocrine Clinic, he is an active clinician, providing comprehensive endocrine evaluations for his patients while also conducting clinical research studies. During his decades of work as a clinician and instructor at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, Peterson inspired and educated hundreds of interns and residents. His mentorship of these individuals has played a major role in their successful career advancement and helped to create the next generation of clinician scientists. 

My hope is that my legacy will show that it’s possible to be a good practicing clinician who can also conduct valuable clinical research, even in a private practice setting. I’d encourage all veterinarians to keep asking questions about how to improve patient care and to use clinical research to help get the answers we all need.

Mark Peterson

“I’m extremely honored to be the recipient of this year’s AVMA Lifetime Excellence in Research award,” Peterson says. “I’d like to thank the AVMA for this prestigious award and for believing that my research contributions are worthy of this great honor. My hope is that my legacy will show that it’s possible to be a good practicing clinician who can also conduct valuable clinical research, even in a private practice setting. I’d encourage all veterinarians to keep asking questions about how to improve patient care and to use clinical research to help get the answers we all need."

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