Giguère's research interests included equine infectious diseases and comparative immunology, particularly the development, treatment, and prevention of R. equi pneumonia in foals. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

Renowned researcher and veterinarian Steeve Giguère, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor and Marguerite Hodgson Chair in Equine Studies in the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine’s (CVM) Department of Large Animal Medicine, died unexpectedly following an accident on May 27. He was 48.

“Steeve’s honesty, dedication, mentorship, and generosity—coupled with his expertise in the equine field—shaped the knowledge, training and careers of so many of his current and former students and colleagues,” a statement from the CVM said. “He will be greatly missed throughout the CVM and the entire profession. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Myriam Bélanger, a research scientist in the CVM’s Department of Infectious Diseases, and his daughters, Kim and Kelly.”

An obituary from Lord & Stephens Funeral Homes, in Georgia, said Giguère was a large animal veterinarian and veterinary medicine instructor for 26 years.
He completed his veterinary medical training and internship at the University of Montreal, medicine residency at the University of Pennsylvania, and his PhD in veterinary microbiology and immunology at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College. He joined the faculty of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. In 2009, he was appointed professor of large animal medicine and Marguerite Thomas Hodgson Chair in Equine Studies at the University of Georgia, where he “continued to support and mentor countless veterinary and graduate students, interns, residents, and colleagues to excel in all aspects of their training and careers,” the obituary said