Boehringer Ingelheim Awards honor emerging veterinary talentAugust 7, 2019Three veterinary students from across the U.S. are being celebrated for their research and the potential impact it may have on the future of the animal health industry.
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Canadian RVT wins Petplan's 2019 Veterinary Nurse of the Year awardMarch 26, 2019Canadian registered veterinary technician Katie Berry was named the 2019 Veterinary Nurse of the Year at the Petplan Veterinary Awards in Orlando, Fla. When she went to the Veterinary Meeting and Expo (VMX) conference in January, Berry says she unaware she had won the award. Accepting the award was a blur she explains. "I don't know if I took a single breath. The amount of gratitude and love I felt was beyond belief." The Petplan Veterinary Awards recognize the industry's best in the U.S. and Canada. The award highlights veterinary professionals who go above and beyond to provide pets with exceptional care and clients with outstanding customer service. Berry says a co-worker nominated her for the award. According to Berry, the most fulfilling part of her job is the patients and the clients. "When I have clients I have a good relationship with, it makes this job worth it," says Berry who has been an RVT at Montgomery Village Veterinary Clinic in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, since the clinic opened in November 2017. "I love seeing my patients thriving and I like my clients knowing I am there for them when they need me." Berry believes veterinary technicians everywhere need recognition. …
GuardianVets wins Purina's 2019 Pet Care Innovation PrizeMarch 25, 2019GuardianVets was awarded Purina's 2019 Pet Care Innovation Prize (PCIP) after pitching to an audience of investors, retailers, and the pet care leaders at Global Pet Expo. GuardianVets is a business-to-business (B2B) telehealth service and platform allowing veterinary hospitals to offer 24-7 continuous client care. The startup is the triage provider for the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and serves more than 600,000 pet owners in over 30 states. The prize is a collaborative effort of Purina's 9 Square Ventures division with investing leader, Active Capital. The startups must address pet and pet owner needs in the areas of pet health and wellness, services, technology, nutrition, and emerging innovations. As the grand prize winner, the Chicago-based company will receive a cash prize and the opportunity to work with Purina on a project. "I'm very appreciative and thankful to be the grand prize winner of the Pet Care Innovation Prize and hope to use this opportunity to continue to move GuardianVets forward and help strengthen the relationship between pet owners and their veterinary practices," says GuardianVets founder, John Dillon. "The PCIP program is built on developing comradery within the pet industry, and it's amazing to see a leader like Purina support …
OVMA names 2018 Veterinarian of the YearMarch 18, 2019The Ohio Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) has named Dave Bauman, DVM, as the Veterinarian of the Year for 2018. Outgoing OVMA president Liesa Stone, DVM, BS, presented the award to Dr. Bauman at the association's annual Midwest Veterinary Conference. "A lifetime of achievement as an educator, a volunteer, and a veterinarian clearly represents the qualities worthy of recognition as veterinarian of the year," said Stone, as she gave Bauman the award. Bauman has dedicated more than four decades to the veterinary profession. He taught laboratory animal medicine at the University of Cincinnati (UC) veterinary technology program for 42 years and served on the OVMA board of directors for 18 years.
Merck Animal Health awards $5,000 scholarships to 54 studentsMarch 18, 2019Fifty-four students from around the world are each the recipient of a $5,000 scholarship thanks to Merck Animal Health. In collaboration with the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF), the company selected students in their second and third year of school who are pursuing careers in companion or large-animal medicine. The recipients were also chosen based on academic excellence, financial need, and leadership. "Merck Animal Health is proud to help lay a solid educational foundation for these students to excel in their future careers," says Scott Bormann, senior vice president for Merck Animal Health, North America. The winners of the 2019 Merck Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship are: Imrul Kayes Anwar, Bangladesh Agricultural University Michael Barua, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University Andrea Basque, University of Pennsylvania Kalie Beckers, Louisiana State University Robert Buntz, Colorado State University Emily Calbaum, University of Wisconsin Brittany Campbell, Purdue University Virginia Carrero, Louisiana State University Michael Congiusta, University of Minnesota Lindsay Courtney, Ohio State University Stephanie Crawford, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine Brenna Daly, Tufts University Anik Das, Bangladesh Agricultural University Erin Deavours, University of Georgia Thomas Duff, University of Minnesota Peter Ellis, University of California, Davis Grace Ertle, Michigan State University Abdullah Al Fahad, …
NC State CVM student wins Walkin' Pets scholarshipOctober 5, 2018Walkin' Pets by HandicappedPets.com announced that Kelly Hood, a fourth-year veterinary student at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, has been awarded the 2018 Walkin' Pets Veterinarian Scholarship. Hood, from Asbury, N.J., is an unconventional veterinary student who first worked in the entertainment business in New York City and Nashville for many years. She and her husband Charles relocated to Miami, where Kelly had difficulty finding a job in the entertainment industry. She eventually took a job at a kennel, which kindled a desire to redesign her life and become a veterinarian, necessitating a return to school to get her science degree before applying for veterinary school. Upon graduating from NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine in May 2019, Hood intends to enter the field of small animal veterinary forensics. She also has completed veterinary mission trips to the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and Arizona, and the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina. On one of her last trips, she brought her six-year-old son Alex. While she was helping to spay and neuter dogs, Alex saw a person drive by and throw a dog out the car window. "Tracker" has joined the family, which also includes …
Penn Vet doctors receive NIH grant to target canine autoimmune diseaseOctober 4, 2018Nicola J. Mason, BVetMed, PhD, and Aimee S. Payne, MD, PhD, have received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's Transformative Research Award, part of the institute's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, for their work in targeting autoimmune disease in dogs. Under the grant, Drs. Mason and Payne are looking to evaluate a genetically engineered cell-based therapy to treat dogs with naturally occurring autoimmune skin disease known as pemphigus. Dogs are one of the few other species to develop pemphigus, a condition that mirrors pemphigus in human patients. Evaluation of this approach to treat pet dogs with the disease may ultimately lead to breakthrough therapies for humans. According to the Autoimmune Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins, at least 10 million Americans suffer from the more than 80 illnesses caused by autoimmunity. "The successful treatment of autoimmunity in the family dog using this unique approach would not only be a breakthrough in veterinary medicine, but could also change the way autoimmune disease is treated in humans," said Mason, associate professor of medicine and pathobiology at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Penn Vet. "We believe that this work may facilitate the translation of cellular immunotherapies for a broad range of canine …
American Humane announces 2018 Hero Vet, Vet Nurse, Dog awardsOctober 2, 2018American Humane has announced the winners of the 2018 American Humane Hero Veterinarian, Veterinary Nurse, and Dog awards. 2018 American Humane Hero Veterinarian Award Throughout his career, David Chico, VMD, MPH, of Albany, N.Y., has been committed to the betterment of the health and well-being of animals, fostering the important human-animal bond. Ten years ago, Dr. Chico created a free quarterly pet wellness clinic in partnership with Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) to provide veterinary care to low-income, HIV-positive pet owners. As part of his continued support, he answers emergency calls at all hours and makes house calls for those too ill to visit the clinic. He volunteers with Animals Lebanon in Beirut, providing lifesaving care to severely abused and neglected animals; works tirelessly on animal cruelty cases in the U.S. as well, assisting with several large dog-fighting and neglect cases; and improves the lives of all those he touches, human and animal alike. 2018 American Humane Hero Veterinary Nurse Award Tammy Boland of Oceanport, N.J., has gone above and beyond her call of duty to save hundreds of dogs over the last 11 years through her nonprofit Pick Your Paw Animal Rescue. Boland networks with some of the busiest …
American Humane honors lifelong aquatic animal advocateOctober 1, 2018John Nightingale, PhD, animal advocate, conservationist, and educator, received American Humane's Humane Hero Award in Los Angeles on Sept. 28. at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Dr. Nightingale is president and CEO of Ocean Wise and its initiatives, including the Vancouver Aquarium, the first Canadian zoological institution to receive certification through the American Humane Conservation program; Ocean Wise Sustainable Seafood Program; Plastic Wise; the Coastal Ocean Research Institute; the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup; and partner/operator of Europe's largest Aquarium, Oceanogràfic in Valencia, Spain. As a professional biologist and public communicator with a background in marine biology, nonprofit management, education, and ocean conservation, Nightingale helps raise awareness about preserving the world's oceans, said American Humane. Through his work at the Vancouver Aquarium, now Ocean Wise, and prior to that at the New York Wildlife Conservation Society/New York Aquarium, the Seattle Aquarium, the Maui Ocean Centre, and Bios Inc., he spearheaded the development and delivery of some of the world's most effective aquatic ecosystem science, interpretation, and public engagement programs, according to American Humane. "It is my great pleasure and honour to receive the American Humane Hero Award," said Nightingale. "Having dedicated my life to conserving our natural world, I am …
Australian vet awarded 2018 WSAVA, Hill's Next Generation honorAugust 15, 2018Dr. Guyan Weerasinghe, an Australian veterinarian working in small animal practice and as a state government veterinary officer, has been honored by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) and Hill's Pet Nutrition as the winner of the 2018 Next Generation Veterinary Award. The award acknowledges the work of a veterinarian who graduated within the past 10 years and who has contributed significantly to the betterment of companion animals, the veterinary profession, and society at large. He graduated from the University of Queensland in 2011, gaining experience in dairy practice in New Zealand and in shelter medicine in Sydney, Australia. In 2017, he achieved a master's in veterinary public health and became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. In his current role at Greencross Caloundra, a companion animal practice on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, he maintains a small animal caseload and works alongside local animal rescue groups. Through his work for the Queensland Government's Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, he is involved with animal disease surveillance and response and increasing the awareness of public health risks in veterinary practice, including small animal clinics. He also collaborates on a number of …
