Scollay named RMTC head
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) has hired Dr. Mary Scollay as its next executive director and chief operating officer. In her new role, which she assumes August 5, Dr. Scollay will be charged with the advancement of world-class laboratory drug testing standards, promotion of RMTC-recommended rules and penalties for prohibited substances and therapeutic medications, monitoring of emerging threats to the integrity of racing and the health and welfare of racehorses, and administrative oversight of RMTC-funded research projects and educational programs.
The RMTC Executive Director/COO Search Committee selected Dr. Scollay based on her extensive knowledge and experience in the medical treatment of racehorses, the management of pre- and post-race drug testing, research into emerging threats to the integrity of horse racing and the regulation of horse racing in general.
“We are very pleased to have Dr. Scollay on board,” said RMTC Chair Alex Waldrop. “She has been working with the RMTC for years now, and that will enable her to hit the ground running in this new capacity, at a pivotal time for the RMTC and the entire horse racing industry.”
Scollay most recently held the position of equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and adjunct faculty member at the University of Kentucky. For more than a decade in that role, she consulted with the state commission on matters related to equine health, safety and welfare, directed regulatory veterinary activities at Kentucky racetracks, acted as the liaison to the official drug testing laboratory for all aspects of anti-doping and medication regulation programs, provided stakeholder education and expert testimony, conducted investigations and equine mortality reviews, and collaborated with racing regulators and other stakeholders domestically and internationally.
Prior to that, Dr. Scollay spent numerous years as the Senior Association Veterinarian for Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park, as well as an adjunct faculty member for Miami Dade College’s Department of Veterinary Technology.
Scollay has represented the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council on the RMTC board of directors and Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) since 2013. She also participated on the Horseracing Testing Laboratories Committee and chaired the SAC Communications Committee, where she assisted in the development of educational materials on test barn chain of custody and procedures, responsibly managing your horse’s environment, the 95/95 tolerance interval, and threshold and withdrawal guidelines for controlled therapeutic substances.
In addition to her experience with the RMTC, Scollay has been involved in equine health, welfare and safety initiatives across the industry. She was appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as a member of the New York Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety, worked as a veterinary consultant for The Jockey Club Equine Injury Database, served as a board member of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, and participated on committees such as the American Association of Equine Practitioners Racing Committee and Professional Conduct and Ethics Committee, Grayson Jockey Club Welfare and Safety Summit Steering Committee, European Horse Racing Scientific Liaison Committee, and National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance Code of Standards Committee.
The RMTC consists of 23 racing industry stakeholders and organizations that represent Thoroughbred, Standardbred, American Quarter Horse and Arabian racing. The organization works to develop and promote uniform rules, policies and testing standards at the national level; coordinate research and educational programs that seek to ensure the integrity of racing and the health and welfare of racehorses and participants; and protect the interests of the racing public.
