AVMA Presents Meritorious Service Award to Purdue alumnus John Scamahorn

August 12, 2022

An Indiana veterinarian and loyal Purdue Veterinary Medicine graduate, Dr. John Scamahorn (PU DVM ’72), received a major award from the American Veterinary Medical Association during the AVMA Convention 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania July 30. Dr. Scamahorn, who is a past chair of the AVMA Board of Directors and a past president of the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association, accepted the AVMA Meritorious Service Award during the convention keynote.

Established in 2001, the Meritorious Service Award recognizes a veterinarian who has brought honor and distinction to the veterinary profession through personal, professional or community service activities that are conducted outside the scope of organized veterinary medicine or research. The AVMA Board of Directors selects the recipient.

A mixed animal practitioner who owns the Animal Medical Clinic in Greencastle, Indiana, Dr. Scamahorn has worked to support veterinarians and the veterinary profession at the local, state, and national level throughout his career, which began after he earned his Purdue DVM degree in 1972. “Dr. Scamahorn’s influence and contributions to veterinary medicine over his decades of volunteer leadership have been invaluable to the profession,” said Dr. Jose Arce, president of the AVMA. “Throughout his career, he has epitomized everything that the AVMA Meritorious Service Award represents and proven himself more than qualified for this distinguished honor.”

At the state level, Dr. Scamahorn has filled a number of roles with the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association (IVMA), including board of directors district representative from 1986-1989, board chairman from 1988-1989, vice president from 1989-1990, and then one year terms as president-elect and president between 1990 and 1992. Since then he has continued to contribute to organized veterinary medicine in Indiana, serving as chair of the IVMA Legislative Committee and participating on a number of IVMA task forces addressing membership redesign, practice act review, and increasing IVMA member involvement. He also served 12 years as a gubernatorial appointee to the Controlled Substances Advisory Committee of the Indiana Board of Pharmacy.

Additionally, Dr. Scamahorn is one of the founding members of the Indiana Animal Health Foundation (IAHF) and currently serves as its board president. Over the last 25 years, the IAHF has raised more than $600,000 for programs to support scholarships, service animals, and other areas of veterinary medicine and animal care.

IVMA Executive Director Lisa Perius wrote in a letter of support for Dr. Scamahorn, “I believe there are not many volunteers in organized veterinary medicine that rise to the level of Dr. Scamahorn’s commitment and involvement. His collegial spirit and calm demeanor serve him as an incredible leader, volunteer and human being.”

Dr. Scamahorn also has served at the national level as an active participant in AVMA leadership. He served in the AVMA House of Delegates as Indiana’s delegate or alternate from 1993-2004. Then, from 2005-2011, he represented Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin on the AVMA Executive Board, now called the AVMA Board of Directors, including serving one year as board chair. He also has served on a number of AVMA councils and committees, including the Member Services Committee, Council on Veterinary Services, Judicial Council, and the Committee on Environmental Issues. In addition he served as chair of the State Advocacy Committee, the Legislative Advocacy Committee and the Task Force on AVMA Model Practice Act Review. He also has served as a member of the AVMA Council on Education, which accredits veterinary colleges, and has gone on accreditation site visits for both the AVMA Council on Education and the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities, which accredits veterinary technology programs.

Previously, Dr. Scamahorn was recognized as the IVMA Veterinarian of the Year in 1994 and received the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2001. In addition, Dr. Scamahorn is a past president of the Purdue Veterinary Alumni Association. Click here to view a complete news release, including Dr. Scamahorn’s recorded message regarding his acceptance of the award.

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