first published in the October 2024 Equiery
James Lewis, DVM, was named the July honoree of the Good Works for Horses campaign by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). Good Works for Horses is a volunteer effort to help give second chances to rescue horses. Sponsored by AAEP Educational Partner Zoetis, the program honors AAEP-member practitioners whose volunteer efforts are having a positive impact on the equine community.
Dr. Lewis is a member of Damascus Equine Associates in Mt. Airy. He currently volunteers his services to MHC Industry Professional member Safe Haven Equine Warriors in Sykesville. Safe Haven was established in 2017 as a nonprofit focused on rescue, rehabilitation, retraining, and rehoming horses. Dr. Lewis serves on the advisory council and supports the rescue’s mission in many ways including overseeing the herd’s health program and teaching local youth on equine veterinary topics.
“Just recently, he came to our summer students’ program with his ‘bones’ and taught them all about teeth, jaws, skulls, legs and hooves with real bones they could touch,” said Dr. Lewis’s nominator Tina Snyder, founder of Safe Haven Equine Warriors. “The volunteers and interns were fascinated and so excited. Questions went on for almost an extra hour! I’d bet a veterinary career was born that day!”
Dr. Lewis’s indomitable spirit of volunteerism dates back over four decades. After graduating from the University of Turin School of Veterinary Medicine in Italy in 1981, Dr. Lewis spent much of the next 10 years providing veterinary services in developing countries through volunteer organizations such as the Peace Corps and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance. Dr. Lewis worked extensively in Central America, North Africa and Southeast Asia. After a year in Cambodia, he returned to Maryland in 1992 and joined Damascus Equine Associates the following year
