Maryland Agriculture Secretary Appoints Dr. Michael Odian As State Veterinarian

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Secretary of Agriculture has appointed Dr. Michael Odian as the new state veterinarian. This position has remained vacant since Dr. Michael Radebaugh retired from his post less than a year ago.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Odian join the department and lead our Animal Health Program,” said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Joseph Bartenfelder. “His experience in the veterinary field and extensive knowledge of equine medicine will be a huge asset to the program and the State of Maryland.”

Dr. Odian, who has been practicing veterinary medicine for nearly 25 years, owns and operates a general equine practice focusing on sport horse medicine in Carroll County. His clients include many of the top competition horses in the state, from Grand Prix jumpers and Circuit Show hunters to World Champion Western reining horses. He also breeds, raises, and shows Percheron draft horses.

Additionally, Dr. Odian has served as a testing veterinarian for the National Steeplechase Association; a sale veterinarian for the Pennsylvania Draft Horse Sale/Keystone Draft Horse Sale; and a staff veterinarian for the Horse World Expo. He was president of the Maryland Draft Horse and Mule Association and is a current member of the Maryland Horse Industry Board, the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the International Society of Equine Locomotive Pathology, and the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Odian received his Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Cornell University and earned his veterinary degree at the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada. He formerly served as the track veterinarian for the Thistledown Thoroughbred track and the Northfields Park Standardbred track in Ohio before moving to Maryland in 2003.

“I sincerely thank Dr. Nancy Jo Chapman, assistant state veterinarian, for the outstanding job she has done serving the department as acting state veterinarian during this transition period,” said Secretary Bartenfelder. “Dr. Chapman’s willingness to step up and lead the Animal Health Program during an extremely busy year is a tribute to her dedication to the department and her passion for the health of Maryland’s animals.”

The department’s Animal Health Program works to prevent and control infectious and contagious diseases in Maryland livestock and poultry with particular emphasis on those diseases that threaten public health, endanger food supplies, or threaten the economic security of the animal industries. In addition to a sizable field staff, the section has two veterinary diagnostic laboratories in Salisbury and Frederick.

For more information, please visit the department’s website. For questions, contact the department’s Animal Health Program at (410) 841- 5810 or animalhealth.mda@maryland.gov.

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