Cornell University: Touching a nerve in equine medicine

A passion for horses is foundational for the veterinarians at the Cornell Equine Hospital. It has led to groundbreaking procedures, state-of-the-art techniques and an impressive wealth of knowledge that has saved and improved the quality of life of many animals. Up-and-coming experts are already making waves in the fields that Cornell legends pioneered, fostering an equine surgery frontier that is exciting both for the outlook of horses and the veterinarians who care for them.

Jonathan Cheetham, Ph.D. ’08, associate professor in the large animal surgery section, is making important forays into equine airway research, with a clinical interest in upper airway surgery and equine sports medicine. After receiving his bachelor of veterinary medicine and master’s degrees from Cambridge University, Cheetham worked in first-opinion and referral equine practices in the United Kingdom for several years. He then came to Cornell for a residency in large animal surgery and completed his Ph.D. in 2008 under the tutelage of equine airway pioneer Dr. Norm Ducharme, the James Law Professor of Surgery Emeritus. He joined the Department of Clinical Sciences as the Harry M. Zweig Research Scientist in 2012, followed by his appointment to associate professor in 2016.

“His research is really top-shelf,” says Ducharme. “The work he’s doing will have made an amazing difference even five, 10 years from now. It’s promising and exciting.”