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College of Veterinary Medicine

PVM Alumnus and Emeritus Faculty Member Elected to Leadership of the AABP

January 26, 2024

Dr. Hilton leans against a fence post as a herd of cattle walk behind him down a dirt path into the distance

Congratulations are in order for Dr. Mark Hilton (PU DVM ’83), clinical professor emeritus of veterinary clinical sciences, who recently was elected as the next vice president of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP). Dr. Hilton will be seated as the 2024 Vice President later this year at the conclusion of the Annual Business Lunch at the AABP Conference in Columbus, Ohio September 14. He will serve on the Executive Committee for four years and ascend through each office of the committee. The AABP Vice President is the only office elected by the entire AABP membership. 

Dr. Hilton was born and raised on a swine and beef farm in central Indiana and earned both his bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and his DVM degree at Purdue University in 1980 and 1983, respectively. He then joined the DeWitt Veterinary Clinic in Iowa where he spent 15 years as a partner in the predominantly food animal practice. He then returned to the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine and taught beef production medicine for 18 years with a record of effectiveness that reflected his commitment to educating students during food animal ambulatory calls. Dr. Hilton was designated as a professor emeritus when he retired in 2016, at which time he joined the animal health industry as a technical consultant for Elanco Animal Health, assisting beef cattle veterinarians with production medicine support. 

A diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in the beef cattle specialty, Dr. Hilton has actively served the veterinary medical profession in a variety of roles. In addition to his involvement in the AABP, Dr. Hilton is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Academy of Veterinary Consultants, American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, and the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association.  He also is a past president of the Western Veterinary Conference (WVC). Dr. Hilton has received numerous awards and honors, including Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2023, SAVMA’s national teaching award in 2000, WVC’s Continuing Educator of the Year Award in 2009, and the Merial and AABP Excellence in Preventive Medicine Award for Beef in 2012. In addition, he was named by Bovine Veterinarian as one of the 20 Most Influential Bovine Veterinarians in North America in 2013, and in 2021 he received the Mentor of the Year Award, presented jointly by the AABP and Merck Animal Health.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

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