University of California, Davis, doctoral candidate Carrie J. Finno, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, has received the 2010 American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation Past Presidents' Research Fellow for her contributions to advancing equine research.

Finno was recognized during the Dec. 6 Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture at the AAEP's 56^th Annual Convention in Baltimore, Md. The $5,000 research grant is awarded each year to a doctoral or residency student who has excelled in the field of equine research. Finno's doctoral thesis involves investigating the genetic basis for neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (NAD/EDM) in horses. The disease affects multiple breeds of horses and appears with clinical signs similar to cervical vertebral malformation. Through her study, Finno and her collaborators' objective is to perform a mapping study in order to determine a candidate region that might contain a genetic mutation causative for NAD/EDM in all breeds of horses. The ultimate goal is to develop a genetic test that will allow horse breeders to make informed decisions and avoid a devastating neurologic disease while aiding equine clinicians in diagnosing NAD/EDM antemortem.

Finno received a bachelor's of science degree in biology from Emory University in 1999. She earned her veterinary degree from the University of Minnesota in 2004.

The AAEP Foundation established the Past Presidents' Research Fellow in 2006. The award is made possible through the monetary contributions of AAEP past presidents