Petplan Selects 15 Veterinary Award FinalistsOctober 16, 2015Pet hospitals in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Canada are vying to be named Practice of the Year at Petplan health insurance company’s annual Veterinary Awards. The top veterinarian, veterinary technician, practice manager and receptionist also will be honored at a dinner taking place Jan. 16 during the North American Veterinary Community conference in Orlando, Fla. A panel of judges took public online voting into account when selecting the 15 finalists from among 33 semifinalists. In all, 4,800 people or veterinary hospitals were nominated for the 2016 awards. The finalists excelled in their impact on veterinary medicine and their commitment to providing exceptional care, Petplan reported. “This year’s group is a truly remarkable representation of the clinics and individuals providing for the health of our pets in North America,” said Natasha Ashton, Petplan’s co-founder and co-CEO. “No matter what their role in the practice, these individuals and practices far exceeded even the highest standards of care.” Petplan, based in Newtown Square, Pa., will transport all 12 individuals and representatives of the three hospitals to Orlando, Fla., for the ceremony. The category winners will receive $1,000 and a $1,000 donation to a pet charity of their choice. The finalists are: Practice of …
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Petplan Looking for Best in Veterinary FieldMay 14, 2015Petplan is paying for the names of some very good men, women and veterinary hospitals. The Philadelphia pet health insurance company is collecting nominees for the 2016 Veterinary Awards, which will be handed out in January during the North American Veterinary Community conference in Orlando, Fla. For each nomination—up to 10,000—Petplan will donate $1 to one of three charities: Adopt-a-Pet.com, GreaterGood.org or Morris Animal Foundation. Nominations in the fifth annual contest are being taken at www.gopetplan.com/vet-awards. The deadline is Sept. 27. The candidates will be cut to six semifinalists in five categories: Practice of the Year, Veterinarian of the Year, Veterinary Technician of the Year, Practice Manager of the Year and Receptionist of the Year. Three semifinalists will be chosen for Pet Parent of the Year. Public online voting will take place from Sept. 29 to Oct. 12. The results will be combined with the decisions of judging panels to identify the finalists, one of whom will be honored in each category in Orlando.
Help select Hero vet, vet techMay 13, 2015Vote once, vote twice, vote 15 times. The American Humane Association is asking for the public’s help in choosing a Hero Veterinarian and a Hero Veterinary Technician.
Tammy Beckham Hired as K-State Veterinary DeanApril 22, 2015The director of a national research institute was named dean of the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine on Tuesday, replacing longtime administrator Ralph C. Richardson. Tammy Beckham, DVM, Ph.D., will move to Manhattan, Kan., from Texas A&M University, where she leads the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases and the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. Her new $295,000-a-year job is effective Aug. 2. Dr. Beckham becomes the 12th dean in the college’s 110-year history. “She is recognized as an international expert in the diagnosis of foreign animal diseases and will be a tremendous leader to help guide us toward our goal of becoming a Top 50 public research university by 2025,” said provost and senior vice president April Mason, MS, Ph.D. Beckham also was made a tenured professor in the department of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, an appointment she can maintain when she leaves the dean’s office. Her predecessor, Dr. Richardson, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, will return to teaching as a veterinary college faculty member after serving as dean since 1998. The Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence. Beckham has overseen the institute since 2010 in its efforts to conduct …
Help Choose America’s Favorite VetApril 14, 2015Pet owners and industry professionals have until May 17 to nominate someone as America’s Favorite Veterinarian, an annual award sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. The winning veterinarian will receive $500 and a trip to the 2016 American Veterinary Medical Association convention in San Antonio. The national contest is in its third year. The first two winners were Carlos Campos, DVM, of San Francis Veterinary Hospital in Spring Hill, Fla., and Tim Hunt, DVM, of Bayshore Veterinary Hospital in Marquette, Mich. Though Drs. Campos and Hunt are companion animal practitioners, nominees may come from any line of veterinary work, including private practice, research, public health, academia or agriculture. Nominations, which require an essay of 250 words or less on why the veterinarian is deserving of the award, are being accepted at www.AVMF.org/AFV. Twenty finalists will be put to an online public vote to determine the winner. The voting will run from July 11 to Sept. 1. The American Veterinary Medical Foundation is AVMA’s charitable arm.
Meet The Dean: College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn UniversityFebruary 18, 2015Calvin M. Johnson, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, was appointed dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University in 2013. Johnson says he was drawn to a career in academia where he could teach students, advance biomedical knowledge through research and practice that knowledge for the public’s well-being. Under Johnson’s leadership, the college educates 480 veterinary students and 71 graduate students in biomedical sciences, and supports the professional activities of 107 faculty members and 250 staff. Q. Why did you enter veterinary medicine? A. As a student interested in animals and understanding the scientific basis of disease, I could not have selected a better career than being a veterinarian. The profession has provided tremendous opportunities for these pursuits, and also integrates opportunities for meaningful public service, impactful research that improves the health of animals and humans and the sheer personal challenge of bringing all of these elements under the umbrella of a single career. I have always admired the veterinary profession because it is relatively small, yet it carries a high degree of public trust and respect, which has been well earned by many highly accomplished veterinarians. I’ve always had a desire to strengthen and promote the veterinary profession. …
Do You Know a Hero Vet or Vet Tech?January 29, 2015The American Humane Association is looking for the next Eva DeCozio and Signe Corbin. The Washington, D.C., animal welfare organization is accepting nominations for the second annual Hero Veterinarian and Hero Veterinary Technician Awards, which will be presented in September as part of the nationally broadcast Hero Dog Awards. Dr. DeCozio, DVM, of VCA Apache Junction in Higley, Ariz., and Corbin, of Westlake Animal Hospital in Austin, Texas, last year were the inaugural winners of the veterinarian and veterinary technician awards. Nominations are being taken through March 13 at www.herovetawards.org. Finalists selected by a panel of judges will be entered in a public vote that runs from April 29 to July 13. Sponsoring the contest for the second time is veterinary drug maker Zoetis Inc. of Florham Park, N.J. “This year’s winners will be greatly deserving of all the accolades they receive, and we cannot wait to meet them in Los Angeles later this year,” said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, Zoetis’ group director of Companion Animal Veterinary Operations. The Hero awards “shine a bright spotlight on the best of the best,” said the American Humane Association’s president and CEO, Robin Ganzert, Ph.D. “Whether it’s …
Aja Takes Over as Banfield Chief Medical OfficerJanuary 15, 2015The new year has delivered a new chief medical officer to the Banfield Pet Hospital chain. The Portland, Ore., company’s 2,900 veterinarians will look to Daniel Aja, DVM, for direction in the quality of medicine practiced at nearly 900 locations. Dr. Aja replaced Jeffrey Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, who retired at the end of 2014. Aja’s appointment was announced in April 2014. The former Hill’s Pet Nutrition executive served as Banfield’s senior vice president of medical operations in the interim. “We are confident he’ll continue Dr. Klausner’s work of instilling our core values, including quality preventive care, across our hospitals and the broader veterinary profession,” said Tony Ueber, president and CEO of Banfield. Aja worked for 21 years as the owner and director of Cherry Bend Animal Hospital in Traverse City, Mich. His career has included service on the American Veterinary Medical Association House of Delegates and on the Michigan Board of Veterinary Medicine. He is a former president of the American Animal Hospital Association. “Banfield has been at the forefront of preventive care within the veterinary profession for the past two decades,” said Aja, a graduate of Michigan State University. “I’m excited to work with and …
College Vet Bess Pierce Receives Bustad AwardJanuary 14, 2015A Virginia-Maryland veterinary professor who directs the college’s Center for Animal-Human Relationships was named the 2015 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year. The honor was presented Jan. 9 to Bess Pierce, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVSMR, during the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Veterinary Leadership Conference in Chicago. The award is named after revered human-animal bond researcher Leo K. Bustad, DVM, Ph.D., who died in 1998. Dr. Pierce paid tribute to Dr. Bustad, calling him “a visionary” and “an extraordinary man who left an even more extraordinary legacy.” The Center for Animal-Human Relationships at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine hosts research into the human-animal bond and examines how both groups benefit. “We tend to look at the human-animal bond through the lens of our relationships with our pets, but it is so much more than that,” Pierce said. “This intricate connection between animals and people is the very foundation of veterinary medicine; we have the gift of not only helping animals but of also serving people through animals.” Pierce, an associate professor and Auburn University graduate, served on active duty in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps for 15 years. Now a colonel in the …
MSU’s Patterson Captures National Teaching AwardJanuary 12, 2015A Michigan State University professor described as having a passion for teaching and whose methods are shared with other educators has won the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges’ 2014 Distinguished Teacher Award. Jon Patterson, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, will officially receive what AAVMC calls the most prestigious national teaching award in veterinary medicine during the organization’s annual conference March 14 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Patterson, a professor in MSU’s department of pathobiology and diagnostic investigation, was a clear-cut winner, said AAVMC President Trevor Ames, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, the dean of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. “His attention to teaching, devotion to the development of a high-quality curriculum, and ability to share his enthusiasm for research and mentor students are all qualities that we look for in an honoree,” Dr. Ames said. Patterson teaches general pathology, neuropathology and diagnostic pathology to veterinary students and trains residents in veterinary anatomic pathology, AAVMC reported. His nominator was department chairwoman L.J. McCutcheon, who said Patterson “brings [pathology] to life for students.” His students echoed McCutcheon, stating in their nomination submission: “Dr. Patterson’s teaching methods are unanimously loved by all of his students; so much so that his …
