ACLAM adds 47 new diplomates after July 13 board exam

Forty-seven veterinarians joined the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine as new diplomates after the board certification examination the organization held on July 13, 2026, at Prometric test sites across North America. ACLAM describes itself as a veterinary specialty organization recognized by the AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialties.

How many joined, and where were they tested?

The release reports one number with precision and leaves another out: 47 new diplomates welcomed, no passing rate published, no total number of examinees. It also gives no exam length, question format, or scoring method. Forty-seven counts successes, not candidates who sat the July 13 examination.

That distinction is the one practitioners should carry forward. Forty-seven names. No denominator.

The takeaway: 47 is the count of new diplomates, and the source does not disclose how many candidates took the examination.

Where are the new diplomates based?

Of the 47 entries, 45 name US cities and two name Canadian cities: Richmond, British Columbia, and Mississauga, Ontario. Twenty US states appear by name, and Maryland leads with six — Gunpowder, Monrovia, Columbia, Cockeysville, Walkersville and Rockville.

California, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Texas list three each; North Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington and Wisconsin list two each; Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia list one each.

Six entries give a city without a state — Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Seattle, Boston and Philadelphia — and all six fall in states already represented, so the spread remains 20 states and two Canadian provinces.

The takeaway: the class clusters in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with Maryland accounting for six named locations and Baltimore adding a seventh entry.

Who joined?

The full roster, in the order the college published it:

• Alan Avalos, La Crescenta, California; Alexandrea Bailey, Atlanta; Elise Barras, Gainesville, Florida.
• Sidney Beecy, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts; Abby Bernadini, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Tracy Brown, Gunpowder, Maryland.
• Ryan Buhrer, Naples, Florida; Mckayla Carlson, Columbus, Ohio; Ellen Cho, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
• Alexandra Christodoulou, Lake Forest Park, Washington; Rachel Coley, Somerville, Massachusetts; Jane Costa, Elkton, Florida.
• Sarah Currie, Moss Beach, California; Dania Del Castillio Pratts, Monrovia, Maryland; Susana Diaz-Anderson, Hummelstown, Pennsylvania.
• Al Feinberg, Ardmore, Pennsylvania; Adrienne Gamblin, Columbia, Maryland; Sarah Gillis-Smith, Ashland, Massachusetts.
• Jacob D. Herford, Northport, Alabama; Nicole Hernandez, Pearland, Texas; Marlena Holter, Bethany, Connecticut.
• Sarah Hooper, Jonesboro, Arkansas; Christina Howe, Thurman, Iowa; Dah Ihm Kim, Cockeysville, Maryland.
• Alyssa Kleymann, Austin, Texas; Shawn Lane, Choctaw, Oklahoma; Glory Leung, Richmond, British Columbia.
• Kathleen Ma, Mississauga, Ontario; Jessica Marshall, Dexter, Missouri; Abigail Michelson, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
• Emily Mocarski, Redwood City, California; Laure Molitor, Marysville, Washington; Kara Negrini, Middletown, Pennsylvania.
• Catherine Pope, Lilburn, Georgia; Faazal Rehman, Springfield, Illinois; Alexis Roach, Baltimore.
• Jennifer K. Silvers, Walkersville, Maryland; Ulana Stasula, Chicago; Dawn Torrisi, Rockville, Maryland.
• Julia Tsai, Seattle; Darleen Tu, Boston; Katharine Tuohy, Philadelphia.
• Maggie Tu-Wood, Overland Park, Kansas; Keely Wharton, Kernersville, North Carolina; Noelle White, Richmond, Virginia.
• Heather Wilson, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin; Rachel Wilson, Houston.

The takeaway: the announcement names every new diplomate, and 41 of the 47 entries include a state or province.

What does the announcement say, and what does it omit?

The document behaves like a roster. Names, locations, a date, a testing vendor, and a recognition statement from the AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialties. It reports no candidate numbers, no score distributions, no appeals, and no changes to certification requirements.

It carries no drug or vaccine information and cites no regulatory action by FDA CVM, EMA or USDA. For the three audiences that read veterinary news, the separation is plain: companion-animal clinics receive nothing on patient care, food-animal services receive nothing on herd or flock programs, and public-health readers receive nothing on surveillance or research-animal welfare.

The takeaway: this is a credentialing announcement, and it changes no treatment, herd, or public-health decision.

What should practitioners watch next?

Two items deserve attention. First, the July 13 date and Prometric test sites show the examination is administered at distributed testing centers across North America, and any later ACLAM release stating how many candidates sat the exam would turn a bare success count into a pass rate.

Second, the AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialties recognition cited here is the framework surrounding this diploma, and any change in how the specialty is recognized or how the examination is administered would alter what the credential means to laboratories and institutions that weigh it.

The next figure worth watching is the number of candidates who sat the July 13 examination, because 47 names record the outcome without revealing the denominator.