The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has announced the members of an Advisory Committee which has been convened to oversee a three-year study on the use of furosemide (also known as “Lasix”) on horses during the 48-hour period before the start of a Covered Horserace, including the effect on equine health and the integrity of competition.
The establishment of this Advisory Committee for the study of furosemide administration and the requirements of the study are specifically mandated and set forth in the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. The HISA Board of Directors delegated its authority to select the Advisory Committee members to HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control Committee who did so based on the members' relevant expertise. The Advisory Committee will oversee the process of issuing a Request for Proposal to conduct the research, reviewing grant applications from academic researchers and allocating grant funding for the study.
When the independent scientific research has been completed and published, it will be presented to the Advisory Committee who will then relay the findings and their recommendations to the HISA Board of Directors.
The Furosemide Advisory Committee is comprised of the following members:
Dr. Emma Adam, DVM, Ph.D., is a veterinarian with over 24 years of racing experience in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Australia. She is board-certified in equine medicine from Texas A&M University and in surgery from the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Adam also received her Ph.D. in musculoskeletal science from the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center.
Alan Foreman is Chairman of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA) and Vice- Chairman of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC). Foreman is considered one of the leading racing law and equine attorneys in the United States and is an expert on medications used in horse racing.
Dr. Scott Hay, DVM, is a veterinarian at Teigland, Franklin and Brokken, where he focuses on lameness, performance evaluations and purchase examinations. He also serves on the RMTC's Scientific Advisory Committee. Dr. Hay previously served as President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and as a member of the Grayson-Jockey Club's Scientific Advisory Committee.
Dr. Ted Hill, VMD, is a racing steward for the Jockey Club with more than 23 years of experience. He previously served as Chief Veterinarian for the New York Racing Association (NYRA). Dr. Hill received his VMD from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Rob Holland, DVM, Ph.D., is a respiratory and infectious disease specialist in Lexington, Kentucky and partner at Holland Management Services, Inc., a consulting practice offering solutions in outcomes research and veterinary medicine. Dr. Holland has worked with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) and is an expert in equine drug testing processes.
Dr. Heather Knych, DVM, Ph.D., DACVCP, is a Professor of Clinical Veterinary Pharmacology and Head of the Pharmacology Section at the K.L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Pharmacology Laboratory at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Kynch is board-certified in Clinical Veterinary Pharmacology and has an extensive publication record in the areas of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. She received her DVM and Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of California, Davis, where she also conducted her residency in Veterinary Pharmacology.
Ryan Murphy is the Executive Director for the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC), the leading anti-doping research organization dedicated to the protection of clean athletes. Prior to joining the PCC, Murphy served as Program Officer with the Sports Diplomacy division at the U.S. Department of State and prior to that as Senior Manager for Sport & Competition for Special Olympics International. Murphy has also worked as an International Doping Control Officer for International Doping Tests & Management. In addition to his work at the PCC, Murphy serves as an Adjunct Professor for the Sports Industry Management Master's program at Georgetown University.
Dr. Foster Northrop, DVM, is a practicing racetrack veterinarian with more than 35 years of industry experience. He has served on the boards of the KHRC and American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), as well as the RMTC's Scientific Advisory Committee.
Dr. Scott Palmer, VMD, is a former President of the AAEP and the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). He also chaired the New York Task Force for Racehorse Health and Safety from 2011 to 2013 and served as a clinician and referral surgeon at the New Jersey Equine Clinic for 38 years. He is currently a member of the RMTC's Scientific Advisory Committee, the Horseracing Testing Laboratory Committee, the Association of Racing Commissioners International's (ARCI) Drug Testing and Standards Committee and the ARCI's Equine Welfare and Veterinarians Committee.
Dr. N. Edward Robinson, BVetMed, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized veterinarian, academic and researcher who spent nearly 50 years at Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, during which he spent more than 20 years as the Matilda R. Wilson Professor of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. Dr. Robinson has spent his career researching lung disease in horses. He received his veterinary degree from the Royal Veterinary College in London and a Ph.D. from University of California, Davis.
Dr. Corinne Sweeney, DVM (HIWU Appointment), is an American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) specialist and has spent the past 44 years at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She has served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission since 2008 and previously served as Chair of the ARCI in 2019. She is a certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner and has served as the Penn Vet Ombuds since 2015.
About the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority
When the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was signed into federal law, it charged the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) with drafting and enforcing uniform safety and integrity rules in Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. Overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), HISA is implementing, for the first time, a national, uniform set of rules applicable to every Thoroughbred racing participant and racetrack facility. HISA is comprised of two programs: the Racetrack Safety Program, which went into effect on July 1, 2022, and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which went into effect on May 22, 2023.
The Racetrack Safety Program includes operational safety rules and national racetrack accreditation standards that seek to enhance equine welfare and minimize equine and jockey injury. The Program expands veterinary oversight, imposes surface maintenance and testing requirements, enhances jockey safety, regulates riding crop use and implements voided claim rules, among other important measures.
The ADMC Program includes a centralized testing and results management process and applies uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across the United States. These rules and enforcement mechanisms are administered by an independent agency, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), established by Drug Free Sport International (DFS). HIWU oversees testing, educates stakeholders on the Program, accredits laboratories, investigates potential ADMC violations and prosecutes any such violations.
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