Assemblies

Alabama VMA

Event: 103rd annual meeting, June 10-13, Destin, Fla.
Awards:Veterinarian of the Year: Dr. C. Mark Russell, Huntsville. A 1982 graduate of Auburn University, Dr. Russell owns Whitesburg Animal Hospital in Huntsville. He is a past president of the Alabama VMA and serves on the boards of the Huntsville Animal Emergency Clinic and Auburn University Hospital. Distinguished Service Award: Dr. William E. DeWitt, Birmingham, for his dedication to improving veterinary medicine and his service to veterinary associations and organizations. A 1968 graduate of Auburn University, Dr. DeWitt owns Forestdale Veterinary Clinic in Birmingham. Past president of the Alabama VMA, Alabama Academy of Veterinary Practice, and Jefferson County VMA, he is Alabama's delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates. Lay Person of the Year: Mariela Piola, Birmingham, for her outstanding volunteer work and dedication to improving the human-animal bond. Piola has worked more than 10 years evaluating therapy teams for Hand-in-Paw, a nonprofit that provides professionally trained handler and animal teams to promote human health and well-being through animal-assisted therapy. Service Award: Drs. T.C. Branch, Birmingham; William M. Allen, Gardendale; James L. Milton, Birmingham; and Antonio J. Ballagas, Birmingham. A 1981 graduate of Tuskegee University, Dr. Branch was honored for his work with the Alabama Veterinary Medical Foundation and the Alabama VMA. He serves as veterinary coordinator for Do Dah Day, an annual fundraising event for animal organizations; assists with the spay-neuter program in Jefferson County; works with Hand-in-Paw; and serves as corresponding secretary and the Alabama VMA's delegate to the Jefferson County VMA. Dr. Allen received his DVM degree from Auburn University in 1973 and was recognized for his work in developing a protocol for promoting membership in the Alabama VMA. He serves as a relief veterinarian and owns Dogdoc Inc., a software design company for veterinarians. A 1967 graduate of Auburn University, Dr. Milton was honored for his service to the veterinary profession and his assistance to the association during its winter meeting program last year. He is a referral surgeon at Veterinary Surgery of Birmingham. Dr. Ballagas received his DVM degree from Auburn University in 1999 and was recognized for his organization and execution of the association's winter meeting last year. He works with Dr. Milton at Veterinary Surgery of Birmingham.
Officials: Drs. Libby C. Todd, Birmingham, president; William K. Holland, Dothan, president-elect; William M. Allen, Gardendale, vice president; William G. Bledsoe, Camden, senior member-at-large; H. Winston Pirtle Sr., Montgomery, treasurer; and Larry L. Chasteen, Pell City, immediate past president

World Small Animal Veterinary Association

Event: 35th World Small Animal Veterinary Congress, Geneva, June 2-5
Program: The congress attracted almost 2,000 attendees from 72 countries. Seventy-nine speakers from more than 25 disciplines presented lectures. Also offered were abstracts highlighting veterinary research around the globe.
Awards:WSAVA Hill's Excellence in Veterinary Healthcare Award: Dr. Jan Rothuizen, for outstanding contributions to the promotion of companion animal health care and the family pet-veterinary bond. Head of the Clinical Sciences Department at the Utrecht University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in the Netherlands, Dr. Rothuizen has been instrumental in defining the WSAVA's standards for the clinical and histologic diagnosis of canine and feline liver disease. He leads international projects to collect and analyze DNA from purebred dogs to identify genetic markers, help reduce inherited canine diseases, and understand the mechanisms and pathways of the lesions. WSAVA Hill's Pet Mobility Award: Dr. Peter Muir, for outstanding work in the field of canine and feline orthopedic medicine. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Dr. Muir is an associate professor in the Department of Surgical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. His work aims at improving global understanding of the causes of cruciate ligament ruptures in dogs. WSAVA International Award for Scientific Achievement: Dr. Ian Duncan, for outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge of the causes, detection, and management of disorders affecting companion animals. Dr. Duncan is professor of medical sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Known for his expertise in the field of myelin biology and repair, his work focuses on the use of stem cells to repair myelin in multiple sclerosis. WSAVA President's Award: Dr. Ellen Bjerkaas, for outstanding contributions to the WSAVA. Dr. Bjerkaas is a professor in the Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science in Oslo. Active with the WSAVA, she was instrumental in the Norwegian Small Animal Veterinary Association's involvement with the WSAVA continuing education program.
Business: The immediate past president, Dr. David Wadsworth, updated members that the association had become an incorporated, not-for-profit entity in Canada, with the association's charitable foundation to follow in the near future. The world congress Steering Committee proposed a motion to enter into a preferred partner relationship with a professional congress organizer. The committee also proposed that the congress rotate through three global regions, namely the Americas; Europe, Africa, and the Middle East; and Oceania/Asia. Both proposals were adopted. Assembly members voted in favor of accepting one new affiliate member association, the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry.
Officials: Drs. Jolle Kirpensteijn, the Netherlands, president; Peter Ihrke, United States, president-elect; Diane Sheehan, Australia, vice president; David Wadsworth, United Kingdom, immediate past president; Shane Ryan, Singapore, honorary treasurer; and Walt Ingwersen, Canada, honorary secretary