Dr. Gail Golab recently announced the departure of Dr. Joan Arnoldi from the AVMA’s Animal Welfare Division to pursue other passions.
Dr. Golab indicated that AVMA has taken this opportunity to take another look at the role of the Division (working in concert, of course, with the Animal Welfare Committee, Committee on the Human-Animal Bond, Panel on Euthanasia, Model Animal Welfare Curriculum Planning Group, and other AVMA leadership) in accomplishing the AVMA’s strategic goals for animal welfare. In doing that evaluation, AVMA looked at how issues and projects have grown and evolved since the Division’s inception, and how the Association might best allocate skill sets and responsibilities to ensure the Division continues to serve the needs of the Association and its members.
For the past year and a half, both Drs. Cia Johnson and Arnoldi have provided primary support for equine and food animal issues within the Division. During that same period, Dr. Emily Patterson-Kane has worked on laboratory and companion animal issues, as well as being the individual having primary responsibility for developing our backgrounders and handling the "human-animal connections" (i.e., human-animal bond, animal abuse/domestic violence connections, etc). AWD staff members have other projects/activities that they handle as well, related to both animal welfare/human-animal bond and the general operation of the Association. Issues related to other species and areas of practice have been assigned as per availability and background of staff.
According to Dr. Golab, AVMA has reworked responsibilities within the Division and has rewritten Dr. Arnoldi’s position to ensure the Division can continue to move forward as efficaciously as possible. Responsibility for food animal welfare issues will now be covered by Dr. Johnson who will represent the Division at AASV.