Michael Erskine, of Woodbine, Maryland, who has served as director of Virginia Tech’s Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg since 2013, was recently named the Jean Ellen Shehan Professor and Director of the center by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The Jean Ellen Shehan Professor and Directorship was established in 1996 through a gift to the Virginia Tech Foundation from Jean Ellen Shehan, a lifelong horsewoman of international stature. Shehan chaired the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center advisory board for many years and is a niece of the center’s namesake, the late Marion duPont Scott. She died in 2011 at the age of 88.

Under Erskine’s leadership, the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, which is part of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, has implemented a plan that has strengthened the center’s business operation to meet the clinical service, educational, and research needs at the veterinary college.

He achieved Diplomate certification by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (equine practice) in 1996. Erskine has been a veterinary practitioner and practice owner for more than 25 years and has been a strong supporter of the equine medical center as both a referring clinician and a member of the center’s advisory council.

Erskine was elected president of the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association in 2000, becoming the first alumnus of the college to be chosen by his peers as head of a state association. He has also served as chair of the Maryland Veterinary Foundation.

Erskine studied biology at Virginia Tech before receiving his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the veterinary college in 1988.

He is board-certified in equine practice by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. He also is past president of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association, and the Maryland Horse Council, as well as chair of the Maryland Veterinary Foundation.

Before coming to Virginia Tech, Erskine practiced with Damascus Equine Associates in Mount Airy, Maryland, a group of private ambulatory equine practitioners who serve a wide variety of clients and their horses in Maryland and the surrounding area. He has a special interest in sport and pleasure horses.

A full-service equine hospital, the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, part of the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, offers advanced specialty care, 24-hour emergency treatment, and diagnostic services for all ages and breeds of horses. Just a short drive from the major stables, courses, and tracks in both Virginia and Maryland, the facility also offers cutting-edge research for the advancement of the equine industry and specialized training for veterinary students.

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