Accolades

Six bovine practitioners won the American Association of Bovine Practitioners' top honors, Sept. 22 at the AABP conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The Fort Dodge/AABP Bovine Practitioner of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Wayne Shewfelt (ONT '77), Tavistock, Ontario, Canada. With his eight partners, Dr. Shewfelt manages Tavistock Veterinarians. Immediate past president of the Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners, he is committed to advancing the dairy industry in Ontario through veterinary medicine. Dedicated to client education, Dr. Shewfelt recently organized client seminars that include on-farm training sessions in areas such as hoof care. He is also known as a mentor to young veterinarians and as a source of community support. Dr. Shewfelt is a diplomate in the Dairy Practice category of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.

Dr. Garrett Oetzel (OSU '81), Madison, Wis., received the Alpharma/AABP Award of Excellence. In 1989, Dr. Oetzel joined the food animal medicine faculty being formed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. The group has since contributed clinical research, practical tools, and instructional resources to the dairy industry and practitioners worldwide. Dr. Oetzel has authored some 400 articles and 12 book chapters. At Colorado State University, he conducted research about the application of anionic salts to dry cow rations. Dr. Oetzel has organized and led veterinary student groups to Central America, inspiring them into service for others.

The MerialAgVet/AABP Award for Excellence in Veterinary Preventive Medicine goes to a beef practitioner and a dairy practitioner (or practices) who have developed outstanding programs.

The beef award went to Dr. K. Shawn Blood (OKL '89), Guymon, Okla. In his daily job as consulting and full-time staff veterinarian for Hitch Enterprises in Guymon, Dr. Blood has developed health programs for successful feeding and treatment of cattle. He has also published scientific reports on feedlot cattle health topics. Dr Blood currently represents District 7 on the AABP board of directors. He helped write the Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Handbook, has served on national committees, and was an early graduate of the Beef Cattle Production Management Series at the Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center, Clay Center, Neb.

Dr. Robert LaDue (COR '70), Cooperstown, N.Y., received the dairy award. For 35 years, Dr. LaDue has worked for individual dairies. An instructor for a college dairy science course, he also consults with several feed mills on the nutrition and well-being of tens of thousands of dairy cows. Early on, he offered production medicine services to his clients and shared his expertise in that area with other veterinarians. Creator of a model of practice management, Dr. LaDue has been a mentor to many students and to a generation of practitioners interested in learning how to start or advance their practice.

The Pfizer Animal Health/AABP Distinguished Service Award was presented to Dr. Rodney Sydenham (SKW '78), Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dr. Sydenham served on the AABP board of directors and as president in 2001, providing the leadership that enabled the annual conference to go on despite the events of Sept. 11. He led the AABP into the electronic age, and helped develop and represent the AABP on the Food Supply Veterinary Medicine Coalition. Dr. Sydenham served on the Alberta VMA council and helped form the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners. He has moved from active mixed animal practice to food animal consulting.

The first Intervet Mentor of the Year Award was presented posthumously to Dr. Otto M. Radostits (ONT '59) for his profound impact on his students and veterinary industry. His son, Dr. Stephen Radostits (SKW '88), Leduc, Alberta, Canada, accepted the award. Dr. Radostits was professor emeritus at the University of Sasketchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine, which he helped establish. During his 38-year tenure, he headed the Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Dr. Radostits was known for his expertise in the diseases of cattle, co-authoring and editing several textbooks. A leader in organized veterinary medicine, he died Dec. 15, 2006.