Love of animals, business prowess earns UF veterinary faculty member endowed professorship

Dr. Martha Mallicote

Dr. Martha Mallicote grew up riding and showing horses, so her decision to study veterinary medicine as a way to manage horses was hardly a surprise to those who know her.

The shock, at least to her, came when she recently was appointed to the Weeks Endowed Professorship in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.

“I was really excited to be recognized by my peers in this way,” said Mallicote, a clinical assistant professor in the department of large animal clinical sciences.

“The Weeks Endowed Professorship is appointed to a faculty member who demonstrates exemplary success as an innovator and scholar in teaching, and who is a role model for collaboration, teamwork and faculty citizenship as a mentor and educational leader,” said Dr. James W. Lloyd, a professor and dean of the college.

As a clinical assistant professor and equine medicine specialist, Mallicote teaches veterinary students in the classroom, the Large Animal Hospital and in the veterinary business curriculum.

After graduating from the College of Charleston’s School of Business and Economics, Mallicote said she planned to go into the business world, but her love of horses pushed her to go back to school and pursue veterinary medicine.

Since joining the faculty at UF nearly nine years ago, she has been able to combine both the business and veterinary worlds in her current work as the director of the Veterinary Business Certificate Program for D.V.M. students. This popular program has grown to include almost a quarter of the D.V.M. cohort, preparing them to own and operate their own veterinary practices.

Mallicote said she finds it interesting to see the intersection between being able to practice medicine and teaching the veterinarians of the future. Though she did not expect that when entering this career field, she thinks it’s fantastic.

“I find that opportunity to be really rewarding because you still are practicing medicine, but you’re teaching at the same time,” she said.

The Robin Weeks Excellence Endowment fund was created in 2009. Members of the Weeks family were cattle ranchers in Glades County, Florida. The family included the UF veterinary college in their estate plans because of their commitment to Florida agriculture as well as their desire to help veterinary students.

“Harriet Weeks and her daughter, Robin Weeks, had worked as school teachers,” said Patricia Wlasuk, director of scholarship giving in the college’s advancement office. “They understood the importance of an education and appreciated the expert veterinary care of our alumnus, Dr. Michael McNulty. The Weekses were inspired to include the college in their will by Dr. McNulty’s own statement that he would give back to the college through his estate plans.”