Merck Animal Health Honors OSU Veterinarian with Lifetime Achievement Award

Margaret Masterson, D.V.M., has been named the 2026 Mentor of the Year by Merck Animal Health and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. The award recognizes her nearly four-decade career at The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Veterinary Medicine, where she taught thousands of veterinary students through required clinical rotations and hands-on learning experiences.

Masterson's teaching emphasized real-world, field-based veterinary medicine across bovine practice, dairy medicine, small ruminants, and other large animal species. Her practical approach, high expectations, and deep investment in students have helped shape confident, capable veterinarians who are prepared to serve livestock producers and the profession.

'Merck Animal Health is proud to recognize Dr. Masterson for her extraordinary commitment to mentorship and to the future of bovine veterinary medicine,' said Dave Sjeklocha, D.V.M., technical services manager at Merck Animal Health and past president of the AABP Board of Directors.