Stephanie Valberg, the Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine, is professor and director of the Neuromuscular Diagnostic Laboratory. She received her DVM from the University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College and her PhD in equine exercise physiology from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. She is board certified in large animal internal medicine and veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation. Valberg is an international leader in understanding and managing equine neuromuscular disorders.

The overarching goal of Valberg’s research and clinical work is to define the basis for neuromuscular disorders in horses, develop accurate, minimally invasive diagnostic tests, and produce optimal methods for preventing or managing performance limiting diseases. Valberg’s work in equine muscle disease has transformed equine clinical practice. Her research has led to the discovery of previously unknown muscle disorders, identification of their genetic basis, and development of nutritional strategies to minimize muscle pain.

Valberg is widely published, and has mentored graduate students, interns, residents, and post-doctoral students and is a recipient of numerous awards such as the 2014 Richard Hartley Clinical Award from the British Equine Veterinary Association for her research linking seasonal pasture myopathy to box elder tree seeds. In 2012, Valberg became the first woman to be inducted into the Equine Research Hall of Fame. She has twice received the Pfizer Research Excellence Award, and in 1998 received the EquiSci International Award, an honor presented every four years to the individual whose work most significantly impacts equine exercise physiology research.