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GAINESVILLE, Fla. —The has announced its 2025 Distinguished Awards, recognizing outstanding individuals whose contributions span education, clinical practice, community service and animal welfare.

Wendy Mandese, D.V.M., received the Alumni Achievement Award. A 2002 graduate of the college, Mandese joined academia after working in general practice for 10 years and is now a clinical associate professor in the UF Small Animal Hospital’s primary care and dentistry service. In 2015, she created the Practice Based Small Animal Clerkship, offering veterinary students one-on-one experience with general practitioners. She has twice been named Small Animal Clinician of the Year and received the Association of American Veterinary Colleges� Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award in 2020. She also received the British Small Animal Veterinary Association’s Dunkin Award for best published paper of 2021 for her publication in the Journal of Small Animal Practice.

Irving Lerner, D.V.M., received the Distinguished Service Award. A 1982 graduate and Florida native, he founded Crossroads Animal Hospital in Miami in 1985, where he continues to practice. As president of the Miami Veterinary Foundation, he expanded its programs significantly. In 2024, the foundation performed 6,500 spay/neuter surgeries and treated 1,500 rescued cats. The foundation earned recognition from the Humane Society of the United States with the Rookie of the Year Award in 2021 and the Champions Award in 2024. Lerner also helped establish the Wynwood Business Improvement District, transforming the area into a globally recognized arts district.

Boyd Welsch, D.M.D., received the Special Service Award. While not a veterinarian, Welsch has made significant contributions to veterinary dentistry. A UF College of Dentistry faculty member since 1977, he began collaborating with wildlife and zoo animal medicine in the early 1980s, developing the undergraduate veterinary dentistry course and serving as director of that service from 1998 until his retirement in 2011. Welsch developed techniques for extracting tusks from elephants and walruses and created an external fixation device for dolphins with fractured jaws. He has consulted with numerous zoos including Disney, Sea World and the Alaska Zoo.

Bryan Clarke, D.V.M., received the college’s 40 Under 40 Award. A 2010 graduate, Clarke also earned his bachelor’s degree in wildlife ecology and conservation from UF in 2006. After working in Jacksonville, he returned to Tampa in 2017 to purchase All Creatures Animal Hospital, expanding it from two to nine doctors and achieving American Animal Hospital Association accreditation within a year. In 2023, Clarke became board certified in canine and feline practice, a distinction held by fewer than 400 practicing veterinarians. He is vice president of the American Animal Hospital Association and on several veterinary committees focused on economic and strategic opportunities.

Thomas Ernst was named an Honorary CVM Alumni Association Member posthumously. Throughout his short life, Thomas, who died at age 11, demonstrated exceptional compassion toward animals, caring for family pets and strays alike. A student in his school’s gifted program who excelled in sports and community service, Thomas had announced his dream of becoming a veterinarian just days before he died from a genetic brain defect. A scholarship was later established in his name by state Sen. Howard Forman and others.

The awards were presented May 23 during the college’s commencement ceremony at UF’s