Professor Rebecca McConnico – Advancing Equine Internal Medicine and Disaster Preparedness

DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM

Professor Rebecca McConnico is a veterinarian and educator whose career sits at the intersection of equine internal medicine, disaster response, and community resilience.

With over two decades of experience in veterinary education, clinical medicine, and public health collaboration, she brings a rare breadth of expertise to the profession – grounded in both academic rigor and real-world impact, making her insights especially valuable for those seeking equine practice CPD for experienced vets.

Currently based at LSU Health Shreveport, Professor McConnico serves as Executive Associate Director of Animal Resources, where her work focuses on animal welfare and laboratory animal medicine.

Prior to this, she was a professor and veterinarian in the School of Agricultural Sciences at Louisiana Tech University, where she also led the continuation of a program that has become one of the most impactful in veterinary disaster response training.

Professor Rebecca McConnico was the founding director of the Veterinary Disaster Response and Training Program at Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, a role she held from 2004 to 2017. Under her leadership, the program became a model for integrating veterinary professionals into broader emergency planning efforts.

She has coordinated training sessions and delivered presentations at veterinary schools and major conferences throughout the U.S. and internationally. This includes the World Association of Disaster and Emergency Medicine, the National Disaster Medical System, and the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

Her clinical and academic interests include infectious disease, biosecurity, equine and large animal internal medicine, wellness, and integrative therapies. She is a board-certified diplomate in large animal internal medicine through the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and holds a PhD in Physiology/Pharmacology from North Carolina State University.

What sets Prof. McConnico apart is her commitment to practical preparedness. She views veterinarians not just as clinicians, but as essential players in building community-wide risk reduction strategies.

Her disaster planning work emphasizes cross-sector coordination – bringing together first responders, veterinary teams, public agencies, and animal owners to design response systems that actually work when they’re needed most.

She has contributed extensively to professional publications on topics such as disaster identification for horses, photosensitization, and practical preparedness for equine owners. Through this body of work, Prof McConnico continues to push for stronger systems and deeper collaboration between human and animal health sectors.

Whether teaching veterinary students, advising national policy committees, or helping a local community plan for the next hurricane season, Professor Rebecca McConnico brings a clear message: veterinarians are vital partners in public safety – and equine practitioners have a unique role to play.

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