Excellence in veterinary medicine
The AVMA conferred a number of awards in August during the AVMA Annual Convention in San Diego for efforts to advance veterinary medicine as well as animal welfare and public health.
Dr. James F. Peddie received the AVMA Award, and Dr. Thomas E. Catanzaro received the Leo K. Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award (see JAVMA, Sept. 15, 2012). Fifteen other veterinarians, three nonveterinarians, and two groups also received awards. Following are some achievements of these recipients.
The AVMA is accepting nominations for many of next year’s awards. Information and nomination forms are available at avma.org/ProfessionalDevelopment/Awards.
Student AVMA Community Outreach Excellence Award
The Student AVMA gives this award to recognize a professor who goes beyond collegiate responsibilities within the community.
Dr. Wilke (WIS ’98), a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, teaches small animal surgery at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.
She is a co-organizer of, and has served for more than three years as faculty adviser for, the student organization Veterinary Treatment Outreach for Urban Community Health, which provides preventive health care for the pets of homeless and low-income families. She has served as a veterinary professional on two Latin American service learning trips with University of Minnesota veterinary students through Volunteers for Intercultural and Definitive Adventures and has volunteered for spay-and-neuter clinics through the Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services.
Dr. Wilke also is a member of the AVMA Committee on the Human-Animal Bond and the Minnesota VMA Small Animal Welfare Committee.
Student AVMA Teaching Excellence Award
The Student AVMA gives this award to recognize a professor who educates, inspires, and strongly impacts veterinary students.
Dr. Wamsley (WIS ‘00), a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in clinical pathology, teaches and serves as coordinator of residencies in clinical pathology at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.
Since 2004, Dr. Wamsley has been active in international continuing education at several annual conferences and via online distance education. She also performs outreach by volunteering for the veterinary college’s public radio show, “Animal Airwaves–Live,” and with local public schools as a judge for numerous science fairs and as a classroom speaker for elementary and middle school students.
Veterinary students have selected Dr. Wamsley for a number of teaching awards. Her research focuses on culture in tick cells of zoonotic bacterial pathogens of the family Anaplasmataceae.
AVMA Animal Welfare Award
This award recognizes an AVMA member for achievements in advancing the welfare of animals.
Dr. Bushby (IL ‘72), a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, is chair of humane ethics and animal welfare at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Bushby brings third- and fourth-year veterinary students to 16 animal shelters in north Mississippi to provide basic wellness care and spay-and-neuter services for adoption-eligible animals. The program increases the adoption rates of participating shelters, provides students with experience in surgery, and sensitizes students to the plight of shelter animals. This past summer, the program had a display in the Smithsonian Institute’s FolkLife Festival.
Dr. Bushby serves on the boards of PetSmart Charities Inc., Mississippi Spay and Neuter, and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. He is a member of the organizing committee that is developing the proposal for a specialty in shelter medicine.
AVMA Humane Award
This award recognizes a nonveterinarian for achievements in advancing the welfare of animals.
Dr. Heleski and Adroaldo Zanella, PhD, developed the annual Intercollegiate Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Competition. The first competition, in 2002, involved 18 undergraduate students. The competition has grown in size and scope, attracting strong participation from veterinary students.
For the past decade, Dr. Heleski has been involved in the International Society for Equitation Science. In 2007, she was in charge of hosting the society’s conference at Michigan State University. For the past few years, she has been a board member, and currently she serves as the procedural adviser. More recently, she became chair of the scientific committee working on revisions to the Equine Welfare Code of Canada’s National Farm Animal Care Council.
Dr. Heleski’s research relates to equine behavior, equine welfare, horse-human interaction, and the role of working equids in developing countries.
AVMF/AKC Career Achievement Award in Canine Research
The American Veterinary Medical Foundation and American Kennel Club established this award for an AVMA member who has contributed to canine research.
Dr. Feldman (CAL ‘73), a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, teaches and conducts research at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He has served as a department chairman, on personnel committees, and as chief-of-service and associate director of the teaching hospital.
He was a founder and president of the Society for Comparative Endocrinology and has been a member of the board of directors for Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Western Veterinary Conference. He is co-editor of “The Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine” and co-author of “Canine and Feline Endocrinology and Reproduction.”
Dr. Feldman established the University of California’s veterinary school as a center that treats and studies dogs and cats with hormonal disorders and provides compassionate caring for pets and pet owners.
AVMF/Winn Excellence in Feline Research Award
The American Veterinary Medical Foundation and Winn Feline Foundation established this award for contributions to feline research.
Dr. Pedersen (CAL ’67) is director of the Center for Companion Animal Health and the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Pedersen was active in clinics for 17 years, specializing in infectious and immunologic diseases of dogs and cats. He taught infectious diseases, clinical immunology, and feline medicine for 22 years before focusing on various administrative, developmental, and research duties at the veterinary school. He has authored textbooks on feline husbandry and feline infectious diseases.
His lifelong interest has been with feline infectious peritonitis. His most satisfying achievements involved creation of the Center for Comparative Medicine, the Center for Companion Animal Health, and the Koret Shelter Medicine Program. His single most rewarding experience has been directing the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory since 1997.
Charles River Prize
Charles River Laboratories established this award for an AVMA member who has contributed to laboratory animal science.
As AAALAC International global director, Dr. Bayne (WSU ’87) directs the organization’s accreditation program worldwide and travels extensively to advance the program and laboratory animal welfare.
Previously, Dr. Bayne worked at the National Institutes of Health leading a research program on psychologic well-being of nonhuman primates and environmental enrichment for primates, dogs, cats, and pigs. She has published many articles on these subjects and is a certified applied animal behaviorist.
Dr. Bayne has been president of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, the Association of Primate Veterinarians, and the District of Columbia VMA. She is a past chair of the AVMA Animal Welfare Committee and was the inaugural chair of the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners’ Animal Welfare Committee.
AVMA Lifetime Excellence in Research Award
This award recognizes a veterinarian for lifetime achievement in basic, applied, or clinical research.
Dr. Adams’ research experience began at Texas A&M University when he led teams in Colombia developing diagnostic assays and vaccines for anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and trypanosomiasis. Dr. Adams (TEX ’64), a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, returned to the university to teach pathology and continue studying infectious diseases, eventually spending time as associate dean for research in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
His teams’ research has contributed to the scientific basis of U.S. animal health regulatory programs for brucellosis and tuberculosis. He has been active in initiatives in biodefense and research on emerging diseases, and he served on the AVMA Council on Research. He now serves on the Texas Forensic Science Commission and AVMA Council on Education. Dr. Adams’ laboratory currently studies salmonellosis, brucellosis, Johne’s disease, Rift Valley fever, and African swine fever.
Royal Canin Award
The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet sponsors this award to recognize a veterinarian whose recent work in clinical research or the basic sciences has contributed to small animal medicine and surgery.
After graduating from veterinary college, Dr. Acker (COL ‘79) started his career with the Sun Valley Animal Center in Ketchum, Idaho. He has been owner and medical director of SVAC since 1982.
Dr. Acker’s special interest is the medical and surgical care of sporting and working dogs. This interest has become an essential part of his practice over the past decade, and SVAC has become a national referral center for several orthopedic surgical procedures. Dr. Acker also is an instructor for courses on orthopedic surgical procedures.
After his yellow Labrador Retriever, Tate, developed severe elbow dysplasia, Dr. Acker worked to create an elbow replacement system. Ten years in the making, the Tate elbow replacement system combines ease of implantation with minimal trauma to the patient.
AVMA Public Service Award
This award recognizes an AVMA member for outstanding public service or contributions to public health and regulatory veterinary medicine.
Dr. Currier (MIN ‘67) practiced large animal medicine before pursuing a career in public health. He spent time in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epidemic Intelligence Service.
He became Iowa state public health veterinarian in 1975 and has worked on health problems including trichinosis, West Nile infection, brucellosis, and foodborne illnesses. He initiated a surveillance project on injuries in farm workers. He distinguished himself by assisting with episodes of lice in schools and scabies in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
Dr. Currier has served as president of organizations that promote public health, rural health, and hearing and speech health and as executive vice president of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserve Veterinary Corps. He is president of the American Veterinary Medical History Society.
AVMA Meritorious Service Award
This award recognizes a veterinarian who has contributed to the profession through activities outside organized veterinary medicine and research.
Dr. Hanfelt (COL ’92), a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, spent six years in rural mixed animal practice in Wyoming and Nebraska before being commissioned into the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps. She commands the 463rd Medical Detachment (Veterinary Service) at Fort Benning in Georgia.
Dr. Hanfelt’s previous military assignment was as commander of the U.S. Army’s Public Health Command District-Japan. Following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, her unit provided veterinary support for U.S. Forces Japan and coordinated with U.S. and Japanese governmental agencies on veterinary service–related activities and public messages.
Dr. Hanfelt serves on the executive board of the American Association of Food Safety Veterinarians. She is a co-author of papers in Environmental Microbiology, Applied Environmental Microbiology, Mammology, and the Army Medical Department Journal.
AVMA Advocacy Award
This award recognizes an AVMA member or a nonveterinarian for advancing the AVMA legislative agenda and advocating on behalf of the veterinary profession.
Stabenow was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996, representing Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. In 2000, she was first elected to the U.S. Senate, representing Michigan.
Stabenow is the chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. She backs passage of the Veterinary Services Investment Act and the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act to bolster veterinary services in areas of need. She understands the roles of veterinarians in protecting animal health and welfare, food safety and security, and international health certification and trade. She also supports policies to give veterinarians the tools they need to carry out roles in disease surveillance, detection, and eradication.
XIIth International Veterinary Congress Prize
This award recognizes an AVMA member who has contributed to international understanding of veterinary medicine.
Dr. Kimberling (COL ‘59) grew up with animals on a farm during the Depression and in the center of the Dust Bowl in Chase County, Neb. His experiences inspired him to enter veterinary medicine to help people in disease prevention and in raising healthy animals.
In 1965, Dr. Kimberling joined the faculty of the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. In 1970, he became the university’s extension veterinarian. He also traveled the world to improve livestock health in developing countries in Asia, South America, Africa, and Europe.
Dr. Kimberling has focused on herd health management for dairy cattle as well as beef cattle and sheep on the range. He retired from Colorado State University in 2005. He currently works with Optimal Livestock Services in Fort Collins, Colo.
Karl F. Meyer—James H. Steele Gold Headed Cane Award
The American Veterinary Epidemiology Society established this award for advancement of human health through veterinary epidemiology and public health. The sponsor is Hartz Mountain Corp.
Dr. Kaplan (AUB ’63) spent time as an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before going on to practice small animal medicine in Louisville, Ky. He later worked for the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service as a regional public affairs specialist in California and as staff officer at the Office of Public Health Science in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Kaplan has written newspaper columns on pet care, scientific articles on canine and feline medicine and surgery, book chapters on food safety, and a JAVMA News column on food safety.
Currently, Dr. Kaplan devotes his time to promoting the one-health concept as a member of the autonomous pro bono One Health Initiative team. He is primary content manager for the One Health Initiative website at www.onehealthinitiative.com, among other efforts.
Karl F. Meyer—James H. Steele Gold Headed Cane Award
The American Veterinary Epidemiology Society established this award for advancement of human health through veterinary epidemiology and public health. The sponsor is Hartz Mountain Corp.
Dr. Noah (OSU ’85), a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, is deputy commander of the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
Previous positions have included deputy assistant secretary of defense, deputy assistant secretary within the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Southern Command’s deputy command surgeon, Department of Defense liaison to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, liaison to the Central Intelligence Agency, and public health officer at Kadena Air Base in Japan.
In addition, Dr. Noah worked in large animal practice in Ohio for three years. Along with other awards, he received recognition from what was then the Republic of Zaire for his efforts to control an Ebola outbreak.
World Veterinary Association honorary membership
Dr. Russell (MO ‘56), a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, joined the faculty at Texas A&M University in 1959 to start an epidemiology course for veterinary students and has been there ever since, now as a professor in several disciplines.
He has dedicated his life to teaching and researching important issues in public health, epidemiology, medical mycology, zoonotic diseases, and food toxicology. He has traveled the globe to advance the role of veterinarians in protecting animal, public, and environmental health.
Throughout his career, Dr. Russell has been active in organized veterinary medicine. He has been president of the Texas VMA and the AVMA. He has been a councilor and president of the World Veterinary Association. As WVA president, he paid special attention to promoting increased WVA participation with other international organizations.
AVMA President’s Award
The AVMA president gives this award to individuals or groups who have made a positive impact on health, veterinary organizations, and the profession.
Dr. Wise has been associate executive vice president of the AVMA since 2004. He helps coordinate strategic planning and supports the chief executive officer, Executive Board, and House of Delegates. He recently provided primary staff support to the Strategic Planning Committee, 20/20 Vision Commission, and Economic Vision Steering Committee. He currently provides primary staff support to the Veterinary Economics Strategy Committee.
Dr. Wise has held several key positions and advanced many programs at the AVMA. He established the AVMA’s economic surveys as the staff economist from 1977-1986. He spent time as an industry research consultant before rejoining the AVMA as director of information management in 1990. From 1999-2004, he fostered a variety of AVMA programs as director of membership and field services.
AVMA President’s Award
The AVMA president gives this award to individuals or groups who have made a positive impact on health, veterinary organizations, and the profession.
In 2009, the Wisconsin VMA learned that Wisconsin was leading the nation in drug residues in beef from dairy cattle. The WVMA and the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin joined together on educational outreach to producers and veterinarians. This educational outreach has developed into the WVMA’s hazard analysis and critical control points for proper drug use.
The six-step plan addresses not only food safety but also long-term proper drug use on dairy farms. The six steps involve the veterinarian-client-patient relationship, a drug list, protocols, standard operating procedures, records, and veterinary oversight. Since implementation of the plan, Wisconsin has seen a reduction in drug residues in beef from dairy cattle.
AVMA President’s Award
The AVMA president gives this award to individuals or groups who have made a positive impact on health, veterinary organizations, and the profession.
The U.S. Army Veterinary Corps comprises more than 700 veterinarians as well as 80 warrant officers and 1,800 enlisted soldiers on active duty and in the Army Reserve. Gen. David H. Petraeus said of military working dogs, “The capability they bring to the fight cannot be replicated by man or machine. By all measures of performance, their yield outperforms any asset we have in our inventory.”
At home and abroad, U.S. Army veterinarians and military working dogs work side by side in defense of the nation. They have been called on repeatedly to face challenges during more than a decade of deployment to war zones.
1991 AVMA President’s Award
The AVMA president gives this award to individuals or groups who have made a positive impact on health, veterinary organizations, and the profession.
Dr. Broderick (KSU ‘69) received one of the first AVMA President’s Awards in 1991 for providing medical assistance to people who were aboard a South American airliner that crashed in his backyard in an isolated section of Long Island, New York. He said, “Veterinarians care for all species, including humans.”
Dr. Broderick did not receive notification of the award at the time, but he received recognition during the 2012 AVMA Annual Convention for his act of compassion.