Amy Stieler Stewart, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, a PhD student at North Carolina State University, received the AAEP Foundation Past Presidents’ Research Fellow for her research efforts into the potential therapeutic benefits of stem cells in colic cases. | Photo: Courtesy AAEP

Amy Stieler Stewart, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, a PhD student at North Carolina State University, received the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation Past Presidents’ Research Fellow for her research efforts into the potential therapeutic benefits of stem cells in colic cases.

Stewart received the award at the 2018 AAEP Convention, held Dec. 2-5 in San Francisco, California. The $5,000 grant is awarded annually to a doctoral or residency student who has made significant progress in the field of equine health care research. Stewart also received a $500 stipend to support her travel to San Francisco.

Colic has a variety of causes and a wide range of severity; its high mortality rate makes it an important research focus for many. Stewart’s research focuses on the role of intestinal epithelial stem cells (IESCs) in repairing damaged intestines and is conducted using “mini-guts” in porcine models. Stewart developed the three-dimensional “mini-guts” as a research tool, but she hopes they one day become a therapeutic option to improve patient outcomes in cases of severe colic