D. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD, ACT (Honorary)

Professor, Pathology and Genetics
205 Duck Pond Drive
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA

e-mail: dpsponen@vt.edu
telephone: 1-540-231-4805

Education: BS, Texas A&M University, 1975, DVM, Texas A&M University, 1976, PhD, Cornell University, 1979 positions: educator and college professor, Cornell University 1979-1981; college professor, Virginia Tech, 1981-present

Clinical Service duties included diagnostic histopathology and necropsy. Clinical teaching included the small ruminant elective clerkship in the senior year. Didactic teaching included reproductive and endocrine pathology, domestication and genetic resources, and small ruminant medicine. Service roles have included Director of Student Affairs and Advisor to Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Research interests include pathology and genetics. Genetic work includes single gene diseases in domesticated animals, and color in domesticated animalsm, and conservation of livestock breeds. Active research includes the conservation and history of domesticated animal genetic resources.

Publications include sixteen books ( Horse Color, A Handbook for Conservation Breeders, Equine Color Genetics (two editions), Taking Stock, A Rare Breeds Album of American Livestock), Managing Breeds for a Secure Future, Practical Color Genetics for Livestock Breeders. Also many chapters of books (including some on pathology, others on genetics), over 100 refereed journal publications, many invited papers, and over 400 publications in the lay press about genetics, and the history and conservation of rare breeds of livestock.

Service roles include coordinator for technical programs for the The Livestock Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization working to conserve genetic resources of livestock species in North America. This work involves the identification of livestock genetic resources, as well as their phenotypic and historic characterization. Work includes the development of conservation strategies for those breeds that are rare.

Interests include the management and conservation breeding of a personal herd of Tennessee Fainting Goats, and a few horses of the Choctaw strain of Spanish Colonial horses. In the past helped to manage a conservation herd of Yates line Texas Longhorns.