Revised:  10/28/2008

Sarah L. Ralston, VMD, Ph.D., dACVN, is Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Rutgers’ School of Environmental and Biological Sciences specializing in equine nutrition. She has been Associate Director-Teaching of the Rutgers Equine Science Center since its inception.

The recipient of a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982, Dr. Ralston received her VMD degree from its School of Veterinary Medicine in 1980. She earned her board certification from the American College of Veterinary Nutrition in 1989 and has been active on its board of directors ever since.

She occupied the Mark Morris Chair of Clinical Nutrition in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University's School of Veterinary Medicine prior to joining Rutgers. She is an adjunct professor in the Department of Large Animal Medicine at New Bolton Center and has served on several regional and national committees, including the American College of Veterinary Nutrition board of directors; American Board of Veterinary Specialties and New Jersey Veterinary Medical Education Advisory Committee. She is also on the advisory boards of The Horse, Equine Practice and Journal of Equine Veterinary Science and a frequent contributor to popular journals such as Equus, Dressage Today and Practical Horseman.

Dr. Ralston currently teaches undergraduate courses in Horse Management and Equine Nutrition and serves as an advisor to undergraduate students. In addition, Dr. Ralston is a regular guest lecturer on equine nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine and typically performs over 200 nutritional consults each year throughout the region and nationally. She frequently lectures on a variety of horse-related topics to horse groups and at scientific meetings, both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Ralston leads the Young Horse Teaching and Research Program. Her research is focused on glucose/insulin metabolism and developmental orthopedic disease in young horses with side interests in nutritional modulation of stress, metabonomics and pasture management. The teaching component culminates with the horses being shown in-hand as yearlings by their students at the annual Ag Field Day and then being sold at a private benefit auction at the Round House on campus the following day.

She has also served as consultant to many of the nation's leading producers of equine feeds, including Purina Mills, Inc., Nutrena and Blue Seal Feeds, and is currently on the equine advisory board of Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, Inc.