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Professor emeritus honored by national equine group

Dr. Dennis Brooks is shown accepting his Distinguished Educator Award during the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ annual meeting on Dec. 6. (Photo courtesy of AAEP)

Dr. Dennis Brooks, a professor emeritus at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, has received the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ 2016 Distinguished Educator Award for his outstanding contributions to equine ophthalmology.

Brooks was honored Dec. 6 during the AAEP’s annual convention in Orlando.

Throughout his career, Brooks trained 31 equine ophthalmology residents, educated more than 3,400 veterinary students, and mentored 76 visiting veterinarians at UF. His research is published in 74 refereed publications and 82 nonrefereed publications and book chapters. He continues to lecture around the country in his quest to improve the level of ophthalmic care administered by veterinarians.

Brooks earned his D.V.M. degree from the University of Illinois in 1980. He completed his ophthalmology residency in 1984 at UF, where he also earned his Ph.D. in 1987. In 1990, he joined the university as an associate professor and ophthalmology service chief, achieving tenure in 1994 and full professor status in 1998. Brooks retired from UF in July 2015 and still serves the institution as a professor emeritus. He established BrooksEyes LLC, his equine ophthalmology consulting firm, in 2016.

Among his numerous honors and awards are the 2007 and 2015 Western Veterinary Conference Continuing Educator of the Year-Equine; the 2007 British Veterinary Association Sir Frederick Smith Memorial Lecture and Medal Recipient; and the 2010 AAEP Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture. Additionally, Brooks is a founding member of the International Equine Ophthalmology Consortium and served as its president from 2011-2012.