Accolades

Published on
information-circle This article is more than 3 years old

Student AVMA 

Dr. Cross
Dr. David Cross
Dr. Stewart
Dr. Kimberly Stewart

The Student AVMA House of Delegates presented awards during its annual session March 22-23 at Louisiana State University.

Dr. David Cross (MO ’00), an assistant teaching professor in the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine’s Biomedical Sciences Department, received the Teaching Excellence Award.

Dr. Cross teaches anatomy to first-year students. He earned a master degree in animal husbandry at Michigan State University, a Master of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a doctorate in animal science focusing on reproductive physiology at The Ohio State University.

The Community Outreach Excellence Award went to Dr. Kimberly Stewart (ROS ’06), who is assistant professor of Special Species and Clinical Sciences at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Stewart founded and directs the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network at Ross, which is a member of the St. Kitts Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network.

She also is a coordinator of the United Nations Educa­tional, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s St. Mary’s Biosphere Reserve in St. Kitts.

Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine’s Josh Project won this year’s Josh Challenge. The Josh Challenge is a competition allowing Student AVMA chapters to help children, through the use of books and volunteers, overcome many of the fears they experience when faced with a hospital visit. Meghan Ruck, a first-year student at Ross, chaired the project. Students raised money for the Joseph N. France General Hospital’s pediatric ward in Basseterre, St. Kitts.

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 14-17 in Phoenix.

Macungie Animal Hospital of Macungie, Pa., is the 2013 AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year. The hospital employs a balance of medical and support personnel to give its clients and patients the very best service. The overall appearance and design of this the hospital exemplify the quality and standards expected of an AAHA-accredited practice. In addition, the practice demonstrates a commitment to continuing education by providing frequent team training activities and encouraging team members to attend online, local, regional, and national CE offerings.

Second place for AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year went to Gardner Animal Care Center of Gardner, Mass. Third place went to Cleveland Park Animal Hospital of Greenville, S.C. A finalist was Markham Veterinary Clinic of Markham, Ontario.

NorthStar Veterinary Emergency Trauma & Specialty Center of Robbinsville, N.J., is the 2013 AAHA-Accredited Referral Practice of the Year. NorthStar VETS has earned AAHA accreditation in five specialties: surgery, theriogenology, ophthalmology, emergency and critical care, and small animal internal medicine. The success of this referral practice is reliant on CE and training. In addition, the team focuses on nurturing quality relationships with referring veterinarians and clients by providing numerous avenues of communication and opportunities to elicit feedback.

Laura Baltodano (WSU ‘13) received the Anna E. Worth AAHA Student Leadership Award. She has served as AAHA student team leader at Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine for two years. At WSU, she developed a program to give students hands-on experience in fundamental technical skills prior to fourth-year clinical rotations. She also is committed to advancing end-of-life care of companion animals within the veterinary profession.