Accolades
American Animal Hospital Association
The American Animal Hospital Association honored a number of AAHA-accredited practices and a veterinary student during its annual meeting, March 15-18 in Denver.
Wellington Veterinary Clinic of Wellington, Colo., is the 2012 AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year. Education is the cornerstone of the practice. To improve client compliance with veterinary recommendations, the practice educates pet owners to become active partners in their pets' health care. The practice demonstrates a commitment to continuing education by providing frequent team training and supporting team members' individual CE.
Second place for AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year went to Swedesboro Animal Hospital/Tri-State Animal Emergency Center of Woolwich Township, N.J. Third place went to Cat's Corner Veterinary Hospital in Southbury, Conn. The finalists were Animal Hospital of Nashua in Nashua, N.H., and Austinburg Veterinary Clinic in Austinburg, Ohio.
The Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center of Richmond, Va., is the 2012 AAHA-Accredited Referral Practice of the Year. The practice has earned AAHA accreditation in four specialty categories—surgery, emergency and critical care, small animal internal medicine, and oncology. Collaboration is among the practice's core values. The practice provides a $2,000 annual stipend for CE to each veterinarian, manager, and veterinary technician.
Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital of Wheat Ridge, Colo., was a finalist for AAHA-Accredited Referral Practice of the Year.
Jennifer L. Pultz (COL '12) received the Anna E. Worth AAHA Student Leadership Award. As president of the AAHA student chapter at Colorado State University for two years, Pultz helped increase the chapter's membership and strengthen the chapter's presence. Among other leadership roles at CSU, Pultz has served as a board member for the VetText student-run bookstore and as vice president and secretary for the Theriogenology Club.
American Association of Swine Veterinarians
The American Association of Swine Veterinarians honored five veterinarians for work that has improved swine medicine. The awards were given March 12 during the AASV Annual Meeting in Denver.
Dr. George Charbonneau (ONT '81) received the 2012 Swine Practitioner of the Year Award. He provides swine health and production management services in southwestern Ontario and is president of the Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians and a member of the AASV board of directors.
Dr. Deborah Murray (MIN '06) received the Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year Award. She works on a production management team at New Fashion Pork in Jackson, Minn. She also has been a presenter at the Leman Swine Conference, AASV Annual Meeting, and Iowa State University Swine Disease Conference.
Dr. Bradley R. Gramm (IL '83) posthumously received the 2012 Technical Services/Allied Industry Veterinarian of the Year Award. He had worked as the senior technical services veterinarian for Phibro Animal Health since 2001, and his duties with the company included providing technical support for Phibro products and the company's sales employees in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. He died April 28, 2011. In a statement about the award, the AASV praised Dr. Gramm for his ability to interact with customers, sense of humor, and positive attitude.
Dr. Thomas Stein (IL '78) received the 2012 Howard Dunne Memorial Award. AASV information praises Dr. Stein as one of the world's leading authorities on information systems, reporting, and analysis in pork production. He is the executive chairman, chief innovations officer, and chair of the board of directors for MetaFarms, which develops software for agricultural industries and is based in Burnsville, Minn.
Dr. Morgan Morrow (QLD '72) received the 2012 AASV Meritorious Service Award. He is likely the person most responsible for initiating, overseeing, and expanding AASV membership benefits, according to a statement from the association. He spent more than 10 years on the editorial board of the Journal of Swine Health and Production, chaired the AASV Communications Committee from 1998-2010, helped provide workshops at the AASV Annual Meeting from 1997-2002, helped establish a weekly electronic newsletter, and served as a moderator for online discussion of swine medicine.
National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America
The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America has named Josh L. Clark of Lafayette, Ind., as Veterinary Technician of 2011. He received the award during the NAVTA annual conference in Washington, D.C., this past November.
Clark has been an instructional technologist for Purdue University's Veterinary Technology Distance Learning Program since 2000.
After receiving his veterinary technician certification in 1996 from Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Clark worked at a number of small animal hospitals in the Midwest. He later enrolled at Purdue University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in veterinary technology as well as a master's in educational technology.
Clark recently completed a six-year term on the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities, for which he served as vice chair from 2010-2011. For three years, Clark chaired the CVTEA subcommittee that evaluates the 11 standards of accreditation for veterinary technician educational programs.
Currently, Clark is a member of the NAVTA Journal editorial board, a district representative on the Indiana Veterinary Technician Association Executive Board, and IVTA newsletter editor.