Dr. Matthew Edson - DVM 2011
VMX — Veterinary Meeting & Expo 2024
Dr. Matthew Edson, Eastampton, New Jersey, has been selected by the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Alumni Association for its 2024 Alumni Recognition Award presented Jan. 13 in Orlando, Florida, during the annual Veterinary Meeting and Expo, or VMX. This award is given to veterinarians whose careers have served as exemplary role models for future alumni in a professional and community setting.
Dr. Edson is the founding dean and professor of clinical sciences at the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine at Rowan University.
“It’s an honor to have been chosen for this award,” Dr. Edson said. “I will forever be grateful for the education I received at Kansas State and the opportunities it has afforded me in my career. Working to help advance the next generation of veterinarians has been extremely rewarding, and without my time at KSU I would not be where I am today.”
“We are pleased to have an opportunity to recognize Dr. Edson at an early point in his career,” said Dr. Bonnie Rush, Hodes Family Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “He has quickly stepped into a significant leadership role and is helping to advance veterinary education in his home state. We are proud of his personal and professional investment in the future of veterinary education.”
Dr. Edson grew up on his family's farm in Eastampton. Before graduating from Rutgers University in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and biology, he worked as a lifeguard and paramedic. Dr. Edson credits his experience in emergency services with giving him the confidence to launch Rancocas Veterinary Associates, a mixed animal practice, in his hometown after he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at Kansas State University in 2011.
Dr. Edson was named as one of the top 50 healthcare influencers by NJ BIZ in 2022 and 2023 and was voted “Best Veterinarian” by the Burlington County Times (in a reader’s choice contest) from 2018 to 2022. He was awarded by the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 2012 and 2013 for service as County Animal Response Team veterinarian.
Dr. Edson served on the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association executive board from 2018 to 2022 and was president from 2020-2022. He has also been a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s committee on disaster and emergency issues from 2014-2019, serving as chair from 2017 to 2019. He holds memberships with the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Association of Equine Practitioners and Veterinary Hospital Managers Association.
Dr. Edson and his wife Jenna have one son, Nathan, who was born in 2022.