Every year, the CVMA honors those individuals or groups whose outstanding achievements, dedication, leadership, and expertise have made a significant impact on the veterinary profession. The recipients of the 2003 CVMA Awards were formally recognized and presented with their awards at a luncheon sponsored by PetLynx at the 2003 CVMA annual convention in Winnipeg, Manitoba, this past July.
Schering Veterinary Award
Dr. Kerry Lissemore, Guelph, Ontario
This award was established in 1985 by Schering-Plough Animal Health to further enhance research in large animal medicine and surgery. It is presented to a veterinarian whose work in large animal practice, clinical research, or basic sciences is judged to have contributed significantly to the advancement of large animal medicine, surgery, or theriogenology, including herd health management.
This year's recipient is a “hero of dairy production medicine,” in the words of Dr. John Fetrow, professor of dairy production medicine at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. A quiet demeanor and a tendency to work “below the radar” belie the outstanding contributions of Dr. Kerry Lissemore to the veterinary profession.
“Dr. Lissemore has always believed that dairy practitioners cannot properly serve their clients without the ability to interpret and analyze health and production data,” says Dr. David Kelton, associate professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph. Since the late 80s, when he was an early “beta-tester” of on-farm software, Dr. Lissemore has been a pioneer in the implementation of systems that have streamlined the collection and analysis of dairy-herd health data. He was responsible for developing the role of such software, incorporating it into the health-management programs of many Canadian herds.
Currently Dr. Lissemore is principal herd-management software adviser to the research and development teams of Ontario Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) Corporation and Western Canadian DHI. Mr. Neil Petreny, general manager of Ontario DHI, notes that Dr. Lissemore was instrumental in establishing a close working alliance between DHI and the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) more than a decade ago. This alliance resulted in the active participation of the OVC and Dr. Lissemore, in particular, in software development. Dr. Lissemore played a pivotal role in Ontario's (and Canada's) transition to the use of DairyCOMP 305, with which information is recorded and integrated into a centrally accessible resource for practising veterinarians to use to monitor clients' dairy farms. Dr. Fetrow considers this tool “a key element shaping the profession's future in the dairy industry.” He is certain that only Dr. Lissemore's expertise and dogged persistence made the concept a reality.
An outstanding educator as well, Dr. Lissemore has participated in the creation and delivery of novel and progressive continuing education opportunities that have substantially improved the ability of veterinary practitioners to use computerized dairy records and effectively deliver health-management programs. He has also mentored a generation of veterinarians pursuing graduate education in population science at the University of Guelph, his alma mater (he earned his DVM in 1984 and his DVSc, in ruminant health management, in 1988). He was one of the founders of the Dairy Health Management Certificate Program at the University and has been instrumental in its success. With thoroughly documented presentations that bridge the gap from scientific basis to practical application, he teaches how to use data to make economically and medically sound decisions.
Dr. Lissemore also cultivates the food-animal interest of DVM students, organizing special training programs, elective experiences, and practice opportunities, as well as acting as a mentor. This has had a “huge” impact on student development and acclimatization to practice life, according to Dr. Ken Leslie, a professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph. Recently Dr. Lissemore organized and implemented key changes to the veterinary curriculum at the OVC, achieving some of the recommendations of the CVMA task force on veterinary education. Dr. Kelton considers Dr. Lissemore, an associate professor in the same department, to be “one of the principal reasons that OVC continues to produce some of the top young dairy practitioners in North America.”
“Dr. Lissemore is both an excellent leader and a team player, a highly organized problem-solver, and just a ‘nice guy,’” says Dr. Wayne Martin, also of the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph. “He is considerate and thinks of what to say before saying it. Indeed, he is a role model for many health professions.”
Small Animal Practitioner Award
Dr. Manon Paradis, Mont-St-Hilaire, Quebec
This award, sponsored by PetPlan Insurance, was established to encourage progress in the field of small animal medicine and surgery. It is presented to a veterinarian whose work in small animal practice, clinical research, or basic sciences is judged to have contributed significantly to the advancement of small animal medicine or surgery or the management of small animal practice, including the advancement of the public's knowledge of the responsibilities of pet ownership.
Dr. Manon Paradis is a pioneer in veterinary dermatology in Canada. She was one of the first Canadians (if not the first) to receive accreditation from the American College of Veterinary Dermatology, in 1990. Since then she has founded a residency program in veterinary dermatology and has trained a number of dermatologists. Currently she works at the teaching hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal at St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, where she is a professor of dermatology.
An extremely productive person, Dr. Paradis “publishes at an almost frantic pace,” says Dr. Luc Breton, a professor in the radiology service at the University of Montreal at St-Hyacinthe. She speaks at conferences throughout the world, which gives a most interesting international aspect to her career. “She is obviously an important source of influence for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine but also for veterinary medicine in Canada,” notes Dr. Breton. “She is also a much appreciated source of expertise for veterinary practitioners,” he adds.
Dr. Paradis has an impressive research record and has certainly contributed greatly to the advancement of the science of veterinary dermatology. In 1994, she received the SmithKline Beecham Award for Excellence in Research and, in 2000, she received the Damase Généreux Award of the Veterinary Medical Association of Quebec.
Dr. Paradis is widely known throughout Canada, “and I have no doubt that choosing her for this award will be well received across the country,” says Dr. Breton.
CVMA Humane Award
Marlene Davis, Victoria, British Columbia
This award, sponsored by Schering-Plough Animal Health, was established in 1986 to encourage advancement in the care and well-being of animals. It is presented to a veterinarian or nonveterinarian whose work is judged to have contributed significantly to the welfare and well-being of animals.
Marlene Davis has 2 passions in life: painting and pets. On a trip to Guanajuato, Mexico, the successful Victoria, British Columbia, artist saw the plight of the many homeless and obviously ill-treated dogs. She sought out like-minded people and discovered El Fondo Juana Summers Ward para el Bienestar de Animales, a newly formed society of expatriate Americans and Mexicans who shared her concern and had developed a fledgling adoption and sterilization program. Ms. Davis returned to Victoria, determined to build local support for the project.
Ms. Davis is the founder and driving force behind Mex-Can Pet Partners, a society incorporated in British Columbia whose sole purpose is reducing the stray animal population in the Guanajuato area of central Mexico through spaying/neutering and education. She organizes fund-raising events, including garage sales at her home and a highly successful art show, and places containers that she has made in veterinary practices and businesses in Victoria. The funds have purchased instruments and supplies for the volunteer spay/neuter and recovery efforts in Guanajuato; Ms. Davis arranges for vacationing Victorians to drop off money and supplies in Mexico. She enlisted a fellow Victoria resident, Dr. Alan Hoey, to spend a 2-week “holiday” in Guanajuato starting a spay/neuter pilot project, has flown to Mexico at her own expense to work in a spay/neuter “blitz,” and has personally rescued several dogs, had them treated at her own expense, and then found them all good homes.
Perhaps most importantly, Ms. Davis assisted in the establishment, with the Summers Ward group, of a government-recognized organization modeled on humane societies in Canada and the United States to improve the welfare of Guanajuato's domestic animals. Los Amigos de los Animales de Guanajuato (www.int.com.mx/amigos) focuses on educating the public about the humane treatment of animals, on sterilization, on the foster care and adoption of street animals, and on improving the application of laws intended to protect animals from cruelty.
As Dr. Hoey points out, “it was Marlene's involvement with the plight of these strays that galvanized the Amigos group and showed them what could be done.” Ms. Davis has earned the gratitude and respect of many people in Guanajuato and, in Dr. Hoey's words, “is truly deserving of this award.”
Hill's Public Relations Award
Dr. Byrnne Rothwell, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
This award, instituted in 1992 in cooperation with Hill's Pet Nutrition Canada Inc., recognizes an individual or group for work that enhances the public image of the veterinary profession.
Dr. Byrnne Rothwell was nominated by the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association (SVMA) because of his 38 years of promoting and representing the veterinary profession, often in very difficult situations.
Early in his career, despite the demands of private practice, he served as a 4-H club leader, a high school vocational agriculture instructor, and a veterinary adviser to several livestock groups and their boards of directors. He also served on virtually every SVMA committee, including the council, and was president in 1976–77. He was named Saskatchewan Veterinarian of the Year for the year 2000.
At the midpoint of his career, Dr. Rothwell joined the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). When chronic wasting disease (CWD) was discovered in Saskatchewan's game farmed elk, he became the provincial news source as one of the senior CFIA per sonnel in Saskatchewan. For 6 months he was interviewed and quoted regularly, initially almost daily, by broadcast and print news agencies about the science and the impact of the disease. He spent countless hours on the phone responding to concerns about the risks CWD might pose to humans and traditional livestock species. His quiet confidence, professionalism, and ability to think on his feet helped him to respond in ways that left reporters, stakeholders, and the public with a sense of comfort that this problem would be efficiently and effectively managed. “His Saskatchewan colleagues — indeed, all Canadian veterinarians — were pleased by his positive representation of our profession,” says Dr. Judith Currie, immediate past-president of the SVMA.
During that time, Dr. Rothwell was also participating in the physically demanding and emotionally draining task of supervising the destruction of more than 7000 elk. He had to deal with the psychologic impact of putting healthy young animals down, while trying to comfort and reassure their owners that what was being done was in the best interest of all concerned. “Although many of us who know him well recognized the stress he was experiencing, we never saw evidence of it in any of his public activities,” notes Dr. Currie.
Whether offering advice to other members of the profession, livestock organizations or owners, or responding to a media frenzy, Dr. Rothwell has always portrayed veterinary medicine as a learned and dignified profession.
CVMA Industry Award
Dr. Hugh Townsend, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
This award was established in 1996 to publicly acknowledge and celebrate the role of industry in veterinary medicine. It formally recognizes the contribution of groups or individuals, veterinarians or nonveterinarians, to the advancement of veterinary medicine.
This year's recipient is Dr. Hugh Townsend, a highly respected faculty member at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. Dr. Townsend recently collaborated with Heska Corporation, WCVM, and other interested parties to conduct clinical trials to determine the efficacy of a new influenza vaccine for horses. Equine influenza is the most widespread viral upper respiratory illness in horses and is highly contagious. Traditional killed-virus vaccines, administered intramuscularly, do not provide adequate protection, even with frequent booster injections.
Dr. Townsend's clinical-trial protocol demonstrated conclusively that a single dose of this new, modified-live-virus vaccine provides protection from challenge with highly infective strains of influenza virus for at least 6 months. The vaccine is administered into the nasal passages, where a rapid local immune response occurs as the virus replicates in the nasal mucosa. The immune response to a modified-live-virus vaccine is generally greater and longer lasting than the response to a killed-virus vaccine.
“This pioneering trial impressed both veterinarians and horse owners,” says Dr. John Cruickshank, president of the British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association, whose council nominated Dr. Townsend for this award. The vaccine, now on the market as Flu Avert, “will undoubtedly have a very positive effect on equine health,” he adds.
Life Membership
Life membership is presented to a veterinarian for long and outstanding service on CVMA council, executive, boards, and committees, or for outstanding contributions to the veterinary profession. Life members are selected by council, on the recommendation of a committee of 2 senior members of the CVMA appointed by council. Life members are presented with a framed certificate and are invited to attend meetings of the Association; they are not liable to pay dues but enjoy all the rights and privileges of membership. The recipients for 2003 are:
Dr. Robert Curtis, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Dr. Albert Ings, Montague, Prince Edward Island
Dr. Tom Sanderson, Maxwell, Ontario
R.V.L. Walker Award
Renee Scott, Western College of Veterinary Medicine
This award, instituted in 1986, has 2 recipients. The president of the Students of the CVMA receives a plaque in recognition of his or her contributions in promoting student interest in the CVMA. A cash award is made available to the student president's veterinary college to assist a student in financial need.
CVMA President's Award
Dr. David Sandals, Guelph, Ontario
This award is given from time to time to recognize an individual member for his or her exceptional contributions and devotion to the CVMA. Recipients are selected by the president and the CVMA executive committee.
In the words of Claude Paul Boivin, the CVMA's immediate-past executive director, “There is no better choice than David Sandals,” a man totally dedicated to his work and a great supporter of the CVMA.
Dr. David Sandals was appointed chair of the National Examining Board (NEB) in 1995, after serving as the representative of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario for 3 years. During his 7-year tenure as chair, he oversaw a number of important initiatives, including a comprehensive review aimed at enhancing and standardizing the Clinical Proficiency Examination; the enhanced version was also adopted by the American Veterinary Medical Association. He also oversaw the development and adoption of a number of policies aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the NEB's operations, such as the handling of appeals from exam candidates.
In addition to overseeing the effective and efficient management of the Canadian NEB, Dr. Sandals' most remarkable achievement was the proactive leadership role he took on in the development and evolution of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination. Through his determination, unfailing diplomacy, and many hours of meetings both in Canada and in the United States, he ensured that Canada had a place of prominence in virtually all of the key decisions that were taken in designing and shaping what is today the most sophisticated veterinary examination system in the world.
Notes Mr. Boivin, who, as registrar of the NEB, worked very closely with Dr. Sandals, “David Sandals was admired on both sides of the border for his wisdom, his constant hard work, and his dedication to building an examination system that will advance veterinary medicine.”
Award winners and presenters, from the left: Dr. David Neil (winner of the Charles River CALAM Award); Dr. Duane Landals; Dr. Bynne Rothwell; Renee Scott; Dr. Robert Curtis; Dr. Jeanne Lofstedt; Dr. David Sandals; Marlene Davis.
From Hill's Pet Nutrition Canada, Dr. Clayton MacKay (left) and Dr. Brynne Rothwell.
CVMA immediate past-president, Dr. Jeanne Lofsteadt (left) and Dr. David Sandals.