Giving to the Center

In 1981, Mrs. Marion duPont Scott made a $4 million gift to Virginia Tech to create the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center. In addition to Mrs. Scott’s gift, the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation donated 200 acres of land at Morven Park, and several members of the equine community, including the late Mr. Paul Mellon, made generous gifts that allowed the center to make its initial equipment purchases. These gifts were only the beginning in a history of generosity that has allowed the Equine Medical Center to offer the best in diagnostic, medical, and surgical services to the nation’s horses.

Since the doors opened in 1984, the private sector has played a critical role in advancing the center by generously supporting its people and programs. Highlights include:

Named Endowments

Jean Ellen Shehan Professor and Director
Adelaide C. Riggs Chair in Internal Medicine
Theodora Ayer Randolph Professor of Surgery
Michele L. Duke Chair in Emergency and Critical Care
White/Henderson Endowment for Staff Support

New Services Made Possible through Private Support

Diagnostic Treadmill Services for Respiratory and Lameness Evaluation
Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein (IRAP) Therapy for Treating Lameness Associated with Cartilage Damage
Gait Analysis & High Speed Digital Imaging for Analyzing Gait and Hoof Balance while the Horse is in Motion
Ambulance Services for Virginia Steeplechase Races and Other Events
Acupuncture

Clinical Equipment

A New Nuclear Scintigraphy Unit
A Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) which Stores all the Digital Images from Radiographs, MRI, Scintigraphy, and Ultrasound, and Allows Image Enhancement to Facilitate Diagnosis, Teaching, and Sharing Images on the Web or via E-mail with Referring Veterinarians and Colleagues
A Color-Flow Doppler Ultrasound Unit that Provides Extra Depth for Examinations of the Heart and Abdomen, with a High Frequency Ultrasound Head that Gives Exquisite Resolution for Examining Tendons and Ligaments
Computed Radiography
A Gas Analyzer which determines the amount of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and anesthetic gas that the horse is exhaling while undergoing surgical procedures under general anesthesia. The anesthetist can adjust the machine to deliver the exact amount of anesthetic and make sure that the horse’s lungs are working properly.
A Hoist to Help Transfer Surgical Patients from the Operating Table to the Recovery Room, Increasing Safety for Both Horses and Personnel
A New Equine Sling
Electroacupuncture Unit
Large Fragment Internal Fixation System
An Arthroscopic Camera System which Provides Superb Pictures During Surgery with Simultaneous Digital Photos and Movies for Teaching
A Fluoroscope which Enables Safe and Accurate Fluoroscopy for Fracture Fixation and Vascular Surgery
An Endoscopic System with Video Capture that Creates Digital Images and Real-Time Video for Teaching Purposes and the Horse’s Medical Record