Dr. Jeff Godwin lived all over the Southeast growing up, but mostly in Florida. He attended the University of Florida for his undergraduate studies as well as for his veterinary degree.
I have always wanted to be a veterinarian (either that, or a professional football player, but that didn’t work out!).
I had every kind of pet you could think of growing up: fish, snakes, iguanas, dogs, rabbits, gerbils, etc. My parents owned a pet store for a few years and that may have really sold me on the idea of being a veterinarian. I just loved animals and taking care of them.
When I got older, I combined that passion with the desire for a career that was interesting and challenging. I don’t think I could have found a more perfect career. I have been at AMC since 1981. I learned a lot from Dr. Charles Joiner, who hired me to join AMC. When I first graduated I practiced on all species. I did large animal and equine work around the area for several years. I even worked on llamas and a camel one time. But it is hard to be really good with every species, so I began to narrow my focus.
My favorite thing in practice is orthopedic surgery. I try to limit my surgical practice to orthopedic cases at this point. But I actually spend most of my time now managing the 3 practices, 14 veterinarians, and total staff of 75.
"I have been married to Jo since 1975. We have three children who are grown and married, and currently we have eight wonderful grandchildren. Right now we have one dog at home: a Maltese mix named Rowdy. Rowdy more than lives up to his name, never sitting still for more than 5 seconds!
In the community, Dr. Godwin has served as president of the Melbourne Rotary Club, and as Chairman of the Board of the Melbourne Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is part of the Leadership Team at Grace Church of Melbourne.
He has also served as president of the Brevard County Veterinary Medical Association and the Florida VMA, and was selected Florida Veterinarian of the Year in 2002. In 2018 Dr. Godwin was elected President of the Veterinary Orthopedic Society. This organization is comprised of 600 veterinarians engaged in the practice, teaching or research in the area of orthopedics. In 2020, Dr. Godwin was awarded the Distinguished Service Award and a Life Membership by the Florida Veterinary Medical Association for his outstanding contributions to the Association and the veterinary profession.