From Equine Safety to Drug Testing – Dr. Mary Scollay Shares her Expertise
Tucson, AZ — On February 7th, the Race Track Industry Program had the opportunity to hear two lectures from Dr. Mary C. Scollay, DVM. Dr. Scollay currently serves as the equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission after many years as a regulatory veterinarian. On her second trip to Tucson in as many years, she spoke in the Joe Hirsch Speaker Series, as well as in the Advanced Racing Laws and Enforcement class.
Dr. Scollay’s presentation for the Joe Hirsch Speaker Series centered on an examination of drug testing and medication regulation. She talked about the effects of medications, and the difficulties in discerning whether some therapeutic medications had a performance enhancing impact. Dr. Scollay also shared the results of her research regarding environmental contamination causing positive drug tests.
In the Advanced Racing Laws and Enforcement class, Dr. Scollay spoke about the role of the regulatory veterinarian. She insisted that every regulatory vet had to be an unconditional advocate for the racehorse. She covered in depth three of the duties of the regulatory vet, which include prerace inspection, managing equine emergencies, and overseeing the test barn.
While Dr. Scollay’s guest lectures were packed with intricate details of medication regulation and drug testing, she also included personal observations and stories from her experience. One item she told the students to always remember was that it is important to be a good communicator. She also shared a story of how Jack Van Berg helped her along the way as she started out as the regulatory veterinarian in Chicago.