Dr. James Nave named recipient of 2022 AVMA Global Veterinary Service Award

(SCHAUMBURG, Illinois) August 1, 2022—The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) today named former AVMA President Dr. James Nave as the winner of the 2021 Global Veterinary Service Award.

The Global Veterinary Service Award was established initially as the XIIth International Veterinary Congress Prize after the 1934 International Veterinary Congress (former name of the World Veterinary Association), recognizing outstanding service by an AVMA member who has contributed to international understanding of veterinary medicine. It was renamed in 2019 in honor of the visionary international leadership exemplified by Dr. René Carlson and Dr. Leon Russell, both past presidents of the AVMA and World Veterinary Association. The AVMA Committee on International Veterinary Affairs selects the recipient.

“Throughout his long and distinguished career, Dr. Nave’s efforts and vision have helped create a more globally connected veterinary profession,” said Dr. Jose Arce, immediate past president of the AVMA. “It is for this reason that I, along with former AVMA President Dr. Douglas Kratt, nominated Dr. Nave for this award, and I am truly grateful to the association for recognizing him with this tremendous honor.”

“Dr. Nave has served our profession in so many ways, including his vision for veterinary medicine on the international stage,” said Dr. Kratt. “It is the basis for many of our relationships we have across the globe.  It was an honor to co-nominate Dr Nave.”

During Dr. Nave’s tenure as an AVMA leader—which began with service in the AVMA House of Delegates in 1985—he recognized the importance of building a strong and mutually respectful relationship between the Mexican and U.S. veterinary professions, as trade agreements and proximity meant that many issues that affected one country would very likely impact the other.

Early efforts at relationship building led by Dr. Nave resulted in what is now known as the North American Veterinary Leadership Meetings (NAVLM), which are held every 12 to 24 months and currently include AVMA officers and other leaders from the AVMA and American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), and leaders of the veterinary professions in Mexico and, since 2003, Canada. These meetings have allowed for regular discussions of cross-border issues and strengthened relationships among veterinary professionals in North America.

At the same time, Dr. Nave was instrumental in strengthening relationships among the AVMA, Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), British Veterinary Association (BVA), Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) and South African Veterinary Association (SAVA) through establishment and participation in the International Veterinary Officers Council. Today, this group—now known as the International Veterinary Officers Coalition (IVOC)—meets annually to promote dialogue and collaboration among the presidents and CEOs of the six IVOC member associations.

In the late 1990s, Dr. Nave, together with staff and volunteer leaders serving the Council on Education (COE), worked to establish a relationship between the COE and similar accrediting bodies in other parts of the world to identify commonalities and differences among veterinary educational accreditation systems. Early interactions among these accrediting agencies led to the first meeting of the International Accreditors Working Group (IAWG) in 2002. The IAWG continues to meet today with a focus on developing and refining processes for joint accreditation site visits and discussing best practices in quality assurance of veterinary education.

In June 2001, the AVMA executive board established a new volunteer leadership position referred to as the globalization monitoring agent. In recognition of his foresight and ability to build relationships with colleagues around the world, the board appointed Dr. Nave to this position’s first six-year term, reappointing him to a final six-year term in 2007. Although the globalization monitoring agent was initially focused on monitoring international education, accreditation and licensure issues, the role expanded during Dr. Nave’s tenure to encompass all global issues in veterinary medicine.

In April 2007, the AVMA executive board established the Committee on International Veterinary Affairs (CIVA) to study global issues affecting the veterinary profession, such as the role of the AVMA in international affairs, how to form partnerships to help prevent potential disruptions in food supplies, and accreditation of veterinary education, and to recommend to the board related courses of action for the AVMA. Dr. Nave, as the AVMA globalization monitoring agent, chaired this new committee. His leadership and vision created a strong foundation for the CIVA.

Early efforts led by Dr. Nave to establish a centralized infrastructure for the AVMA’s international activities that were anchored by the CIVA included:

• Establishment of the Global Health Summit as an annual AVMA Convention event. In his welcome to attendees, Dr. Nave noted that this first Summit in 2009 would “bring together renowned speakers from around the world—both within and outside the veterinary profession—to raise awareness among AVMA members about the many links between animal health, economic development, and human health in a global environment; to inform the membership of current global programs involving veterinary medicine; to market future opportunities for U.S. veterinarians in global enterprises; and to create networks among summit participants.” The Summit has been held annually since 2009 with those very same goals in mind.
• Enhancement of the AVMA’s global advocacy efforts through ongoing dialogue between AVMA leadership and leadership of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), which has resulted in the development of multiple joint position statements on topics such as animal welfare, veterinary education, One Health and antimicrobial use and resistance.
• The AVMA joining and establishing a formal liaison relationship with the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA).
• Development of an updated position description and name for the globalization monitoring agent, which was adopted by the AVMA executive board in 2009. The director of international affairs would continue what the globalization monitoring agent had begun, but would move from a passive and monitoring role to a proactive and more fully engaged role in the international arena.

“Dr. Nave’s tenure as director of international affairs and chair of CIVA concluded at the end of 2013, yet his efforts to establish a centralized infrastructure to better coordinate the AVMA’s international activities live on today,” said Dr. Janet Donlin, AVMA CEO. “His wise counsel and global perspective have led to collaborations that have improved veterinary education, advanced animal health and welfare, contributed to public and ecosystem health, and significantly raised the status and visibility of the profession of veterinary medicine.”

For more information, contact Michael San Filippo, media relations manager, at 847-732-6194 (cell) or msanfilippoavma [dot] org (msanfilippo[at]avma[dot]org).