Kelsey A. Hart, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (LAIM), is professor of Large Animal Medicine and Hodgson Chair of Equine Studies at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.

She earned her A.B. in Biology from Cornell University in 1998 and her D.V.M. from Cornell in 2004. She then completed a residency in Large Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Georgia in 2008, followed by a Ph.D. in Physiology in 2010. 

Her professional journey began at the University of Georgia, where she served as a large animal rotating intern from 2004-2005 and then a large animal internal medicine resident while also working as a graduate research assistant. In 2011, she joined the faculty as an assistant professor of Large Animal Medicine. Hart was appointed director of UGA’s DVM-PhD Dual Degree Program in 2016 and achieved the rank of associate professor in 2017. In 2022, she was named to the prestigious Hodgson Chair of Equine Studies, and in 2023 she was promoted to professor.

Throughout her career, Hart has collaborated with colleagues in equine research, including Dr. Sandy Taylor on equine sepsis and international experts in equine endocrinology. Her work has been supported by several corporate partners.

Hart received the AAEP Past Presidents’ Research Award and, in 2008, the ACVIM Resident Research Award and the AAVMC Clinical Resident Award. More recently, she was awarded the University of Georgia Faculty Clinical Research Award in 2013, the Clinical Faculty Mentoring Award in 2020 and 2021, and the Research Faculty Mentoring Award in 2021.

In her current role, Hart’s efforts are divided across clinical service, teaching, administration of the DVM-PhD program, and research focused on immune-endocrine interactions in horses across life stages and during infection. She has served as principal investigator, mentor, or co-investigator on 37 grants totaling over $1.4 million throughout her academic career.

Hart’s Recent Research

Barton MH, Hart KA. Clinical Pathology in the Foal. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. 2020 Apr;36(1):73-85. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32145835/

Lopez BS, Hurley DJ, Giancola S, Giguère S, Felippe MJB, Hart KA. Phenotypic characterization of equine monocyte-derived dendritic cells generated ex vivo using commercially available serum free media. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2020 Apr; 222:110036. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32203768/

Huber L, Giguère S, Slovis N, Álvarez-Narváez, Hart K, Greitner M, Morris ER, Cohen N. The novel and transferable erm(51) gene confers macrolides, lincosamides, and streptogramins B (MLSB) resistance to clonal Rhodococcus equi in the environment. Environmental Microbiology. 2020 Jul;22(7):2858-2869. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32291839/

Miller A, Loynachan A, Bush H, Hart K, Barker V, Campana-Emard A, Grubbs S, Adams A. Effect of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction and Prascend® (pergolide tablets) on endocrine and immune function in horses. Domest Anim Endocrinol. 74: 106531. 2021 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32942194/

Huber L, Giguère S, Hart KA Slovis NM, Greiter ME, Dailey CA, Cohen ND. Association between antimicrobial treatment of subclinical pneumonia in foals and selection of macrolide- and rifampicin resistant Rhodococcus equi strains at horse-breeding farms in central Kentucky. J Amer Vet Med Assoc. 258(6):648-653. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32291839/

Connelly C, Norton N, Hurley D, Hart K, Meichner K, Gogal R.  Variability in peripheral blood enrichment techniques can alter equine leukocyte cellularity, viability and function.  Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 225, July:110062. 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32438246/ 

Lopez BS, Hurley DJ, Giancola S, Giguère S, Felippe MJB, Hart KA. The effect of foal or adult horse plasma on equine monocyte-derived dendritic cell phenotype and function.  Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2020 Oct; 228:110099. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32717449/

Álvarez-Narváez S, Huber L, Giguère S, Hart KA, Berghaus RD, Sanchez S, Cohen ND.  Epidemiology and Molecular Basis of Multidrug Resistance in Rhodococcus equiMicrobiol Molec Biol Rev Apr 2021, 85 (2) e00011-21. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33853933/

Macpherson ML, Giguère S, Pozor MA, Burden CA, Berghaus LJ, Berghaus RD, Varner JC, Hayna JT, Benson SM, Randell SA, Lyle SK, Kelleman AA, Hart KA, Mallicote MF, Horohov DW. Evidence for anti-inflammatory effects of firocoxib administered to mares with experimentally-induced placentitis. Amer J Repro Immunol. 2021. 86(1):e13396.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33569862/

Li S, Hart K*, Norton N, Ryan C, Guglani L*, Prausnitz M*. Administration of pilocarpine by microneedle patch as a novel method for cystic fibrosis testing. Bioeng Transl Med. 2021; e10222. DOI: 10.1002/btm.10222. 2021.*Co-corresponding authors https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34589599/

Siepker CL, Zimmer JL, Bedard KM, Hart KA, Czerwinski SL, Carmichael KP. “Congenital Cataracts and Microphakia with Retinal Dysplasia and Optic Nerve Hypoplasia in a Calf,” Case Reports in Veterinary Medicine, vol. 2021, Article ID 2064103, 5 pages, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34532149/

Vaughn SA, Norton NA, Hart KA. Circulating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hormones and insulin concentrations in horses and ponies. J Eq Vet Sci, 111, 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35219029/

Taylor SD, Serpa PBS, Santos AP, Hart KA, Vaughn SA, Moore GE, Mukhopadhyay A, Page AE. Effects of intravenous administration of peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells after infusion of lipopolysaccharide in horses. J Vet Intern Med.  36 (4): 1491-1501. 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35698909/

Migliorisi A, Hart K, Vaughn S, Austin S, Aldridge B, Wilkins P. Plasma ascorbic acid, antioxidant capacity, and oxidative stress in healthy foals. Am J Vet Res. 83 (9): ajvr.22.02.0025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35895767/

Berghaus LJ, Cathcart J, Berghaus RD, Hart KA. Age-related changes in vitamin D metabolism and vitamin D receptor expression in equine alveolar macrophages: A preliminary study. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2023 May; 259:110593 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37030152/

Giancola S, Hart KA.  Equine blood culture: can we do better? Equine Vet J. 2023 Jul;55(4):584-592.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36210694/

Xue C, Davis J, Berghaus L, Hanafi A, Hart K. Pharmacokinetic properties of pergolide mesylate following single and multiple dose administration in donkeys (Equus asinus). Equine Veterinary Journal. 2023 Nov:55(6): 1078-1085.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36572900/

Vaughn SA, Norton NA, Hurley DJ, Hart KA. Validation of a commercially available photometric analytical system for assessment of plasma oxidative status in healthy horses. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2023 Nov;265:110665. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37952346/

Taylor SD, Hart KA, Vaughn S, Giancola SC, Serpa PBS, Santos AP. Effects of intravenous administration of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on oxidative status in healthy adult horses. J Vet Intern Med. 2023;1‐9. doi:10.1111/jvim.16934. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37948618/

Berghaus LJ, Cathcart J, Berghaus RD, Ryan C, Toribio RE, Hart KA. The impact of age on vitamin D receptor expression, vitamin D metabolism and cytokine production in ex vivo Rhodococcus equi infection of equine alveolar macrophages. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2024 Jan 2;268:110707. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38181474/

De Laat M, Hart K, Menzies-Gow NJ. Clinical insights: Advances in equine endocrinology. Equine Vet J. 2024 Mar;56(2):216-219. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38327248/

Lopez BL, Hurley DJ, Giancola S, Giguère S, Hart KA. The effect of cortisol on equine monocyte-derived dendritic cell phenotype and cytokine production. Veterinary Medicine and Science. Accepted Dec. 2023–in press.