Dr. Peterson has been deeply involved in clinical research for over 45 years and even today remains at the forefront of the science that advances the study and knowledge of endocrine diseases of the cat and dog. He is especially interested in thyroid diseases (hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer) in cats and dogs. Dr. Peterson was the first veterinarian to document hyperthyroidism in cats (1979) and the first to treat hyperthyroid cats with radioiodine (in 1980).  In addition to hyperthyroidism, Dr. Peterson was the first person to document a number of "new" diseases in cats, including acromegaly, hypoparathyroidism, insulinoma, and Addison's disease.

He has received several awards in recognition of his clinical research and discoveries, including the Beecham Award for Research Excellence (1985), the Ralston Purina Small Animal Research Award (1987), the Carnation Award for outstanding contributions to feline medicine (1988), the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) Bougelat Award for outstanding contributions to small animal practice (1993), The Daniels Award for excellence in the advancement of knowledge concerning small animal endocrinology (1991-1997, 1999, and 2001), The Excellence in Feline Research Award, presented by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation and sponsored by The Winn Feline Foundation (1997), the Alumni of the Year Award, The Animal Medical Center (1998), and an Award for Outstanding Humanitarian Service from the Bide-A-Wee Association for more than a quarter century of dedicated research in endocrine disorders of dogs and cats (2002). In 2017, the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) and Hill’s Pet Nutrition gave Dr. Peterson the Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of Feline Medicine. In 2018, Dr, Peterson was awarded the Robert W. Kirk Award for Professional Excellence by the American College of Internal Medicine (ACVIM). In recognition of his outstanding service and multiple contributions to veterinary endocrinology, he was awarded honorary, life-long membership by both the European Society for Veterinary Endocrinology (2018) and Society for Comparative Endocrinology (2019).

Most recently (2021), Dr. Peterson was awarded the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Lifetime Excellence in Research Award. This award recognizes a veterinary researcher based on lifetime achievementin basic, applied, or clinical research.

At the Animal Endocrine Clinic, Dr. Peterson conducts clinical research studies in order to find safer or more effective methods to better prevent, detect, or treat a variety of endocrine diseases. By clinical research, we are referring to research that involves the study of spontaneous disease among client-owned cats and dogs with hormonal disease. In other words, Dr. Peterson does not induce disease in any animal in his pursuit of knowledge. To view or download Dr. Peterson's research publications, visit his profile on ResearchGate.

For more information about our Clinical Research Studies, please contact Dr. Peterson at the following email address: info@animalendocrine.com.