Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc,PhD, DSc, FRCVS, Dipl. ACVS,a University Distinguished Professor andBarbara Cox Anthony University Endowed Chair Emeritusat Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences,in Fort Collins, received the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) 2025 Distinguished Educator Academic Award for hisgroundbreaking contributions toorthopedic surgery and joint diseasethat have revolutionized treatment protocolsand influencedimmeasurableequineveterinariansworldwide.The Distinguished Educator Academic Award recognizes an individual who by her or his actions and commitment hasdemonstrateda significant impact on the development and training of equine practitioners. McIlwraithaccepted hisaward Dec.9during the Presidents Luncheon at the AAEPs 71stAnnual Convention inDenver, Colorado.A New Zealand native who received his veterinary degree in 1970 from Massey University, in Palmerston North, McIlwraith has a storied record of achievement and contributions to veterinary orthopedics and translational medicine during his more than 40 years at Colorado State University and in private practice. He pioneered the use of arthroscopic surgery for the treatment of equine joint injuries, and his research interests have focused on equine orthopedic surgery and joint disease, including novel treatments for osteoarthritis and articular cartilage repair, mesenchymal stem cell and gene therapies, and early diagnosis of osteoarthritis and pre-fracture disease using imaging and fluid biomarkers.McIlwraith founded the universitysOrthopaedicResearch Center and is namesake of the Translational Medicine Institute. Hehas authored seven textbooksandmore than 500 scientific publications and textbook chapters,many serving asfoundational resources forveterinarians and students alike.McIlwraith has alsodelivered more than 700 presentations,seminarsand workshops internationally, includingan annual short course at Colorado State to teach basic and advanced equine arthroscopy techniques to colleagues from around the world.From the beginning of his careerto the end, Dr. McIlwraithhas been instrumental in the education and professional development of innumerable veterinarians, residents and graduate students, saidhisco-nominator, Erin Contino, DVM, Dipl. ACVSMR. Reaching far beyond hispersonal graduate students are the hundreds to thousands of veterinarians that he has taught in the equine arthroscopy course, a coursethat he has run every year for 40 years. Additionally, he worked to advance veterinary education and training by starting the minimally invasive fellowship throughtheAmericanCollege ofVeterinarySurgeonsand by creating an entirely new specialty college: the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation.