April 15, 2020

Event

123rd annual meeting, Oct. 24-30, Providence, Rhode Island

Program

The meeting, held jointly with the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (see story), drew nearly 1,300 attendees. Dr. Juan Lubroth, chief veterinary officer for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, presented the keynote address “Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges for the Control of African Swine Fever: A Global Threat in Your Backyard.”

Awards

USAHA Medal of Distinction
Dr. Belinda Thompson (Cornell ’81), Ithaca, New York. Dr. Thompson has served as an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine since 2002. Prior to that, Dr. Thompson was in large animal practice in Pine City, New York. She was recognized for her broad impact on the association, local producers, and veterinarians and at a national level.

USAHA Federal Partnership Award
Dr. Barbara Porter-Spalding (Michigan State ’91), Raleigh, North Carolina. Dr. Porter-Spalding is a senior staff officer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Veterinary Services. She was honored for her collaborative efforts in training and exercise programs as lead on the VS Training and Exercise Plan and for her efforts toward improving emergency preparedness.

APHIS Administrator’s Award
Dr. Beate Crossley, Davis, California. A 1994 veterinary graduate of Free University of Berlin in Germany, Dr. Crossley is an associate professor and virologist at the University of California-Davis’ California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory.

National Assembly Award
Dr. Susan Keller (Kansas State ’85), Mandan, North Dakota. Dr. Keller is the North Dakota state veterinarian. She was recognized for her leadership and tireless commitment to animal health.

Business

Thirty-one resolutions were approved and can be viewed at usaha.org/usaha-resolutions.

Officials

Dr. Martin Zaluski, Helena, Montana, president; Dr. Charles Hatcher, Nashville, Tennessee, president-elect; Dr. Dustin Oedekoven, Pierre, South Dakota, first vice president; Steve Rommereim, Alcester, South Dakota, second vice president; Dr. Manoel Tamassia, Trenton, New Jersey, third vice president; Dr. Annette Jones, Sacramento, California, treasurer; and Dr. Kristin Haas, Montpelier, Vermont, immediate past president