The American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) honored six members for their contributions to the association and the swine industry. Dr Scanlon Daniels, 2018 AASV president and 2022 Awards Selection Committee chair, introduced the recipients during the February 28, 2022, awards reception at the 53rd AASV Annual Meeting, held in Indianapolis.
Swine Practitioner of the Year
Dr Dyneah M. Classen was named the 2021 Swine Practitioner of the Year. The award is given to the swine practitioner who has demonstrated an unusual degree of proficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of veterinary service to clients.
Dr Classen is a partner and veterinarian in Carthage Veterinary Service, Ltd, where she is responsible for overall animal health as the Director of Health for the Carthage System, as well as assigned herds. She joined the practice in 2007 and became a partner in 2010. She earned her DVM (2007) and BS in animal science (2003) from the University of Illinois.
While Dyneah worked at a veterinary clinic as a teenager, she had also grown up around pigs. She recognized her passion for working with pig farmers in rural Illinois and sought out internships and experiences to become a swine veterinarian. One internship brought her to Carthage Veterinary Service, Ltd.
As a member of the AASV dedicated to the future of the veterinary profession, Dr Classen has served as a member of the AASV Pig Welfare Committee and member and chair of the AASV Student Recruitment Committee.
"Her strong work-life balance makes her a good role model for students entering into our swine veterinary profession," expressed a peer.
Asked to share her thoughts about receiving this award, Dr Classen replied, "I am surprised. I didn’t even know I was nominated. I’m very grateful and a little emotional. To have your peers honor you with such an award is very humbling."
Dr Classen lives in Hamilton, Illinois, with her husband Nathan and four children Elsa, Freya, Willa, and Noah.
Howard Dunne Memorial Award
Dr Tim Loula received the 2022 Howard Dunne Memorial Award. The award recognizes an AASV member who has made important contributions and provided outstanding service to the association and the swine industry.
A Minnesota native, Loula received a BA from Drake University and BS and DVM from the University of Minnesota. He spent his first 12 years of his veterinary career in a mixed-animal practice with a focus on swine.
Dr Loula became the cofounder and co-owner of the Swine Veterinary Center in St. Peter, Minnesota in 1991. He helped build the business into an exclusive swine veterinary practice with 15 veterinary consultants. Dr Loula has devoted his life to the swine industry, leading efforts to improve production and herd health status while maintaining profitability for clients. He has consulted in 34 states and 30 foreign countries.
Dr Loula exemplifies the qualities of a Howard Dune Memorial Award recipient. He shares his extensive knowledge with the industry through presentations at producer and veterinary meetings and published articles. He has continuously provided outstanding service to the AASV as president (1993), district director (two terms), and as a member of multiple committees. His lifetime of service has helped swine operations around the world improve health and production.
Others have also recognized Dr Loula’s outstanding service. He earned the AASV Swine Practitioner of the Year award (1990), Allen D. Leman Science in Practice award (2001), Master of the Pork Industry (2009), and Minnesota Pork Distinguished Service award (2021).
Dr Loula’s colleagues and mentees describe his greatest impact as what he has passed forward to others, especially through mentorship to young swine veterinarians and production staff. He is always willing to teach, share, and support. He has always emphasized the importance of building relationships and knowing all people and knows when to enlist the help of swine veterinarians to solve a problem. He shared that his proudest moments are those when his students succeed.
When asked to comment on what the award means to him, Dr Loula said, "I feel incredibly honored to receive this award and to be in the company of such an impressive list of past recipients. I would like to thank my colleagues in the AASV, especially my partners at Swine Vet Center, for your friendship and for being an invaluable source of continual learning for me. I thank all my clients for allowing me to learn at least as much from them as they did from me. And thank you to all my other friends in this industry who helped me in countless ways to do my job and have fun doing it. But above all, I’d like to thank my family – wife Ruth, my business and life partner for 44 years, our 2 children and their spouses, and our 6 grandchildren. Their love and support have kept me grounded and have been essential to not only my career, but to every part of my life."
Meritorious Service Award
Dr Daryl Olsen was named the 2022 recipient of the Meritorious Service award. The award recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding service to the AASV.
Olsen grew up on a livestock farm in South Dakota. He earned his BS at South Dakota State University and DVM at Iowa State University. Immediately after graduating in 1982, he went to the Audubon Veterinary Clinic, what was then a traditional mixed-animal veterinary clinic. Audubon-Manning Veterinary Clinic (AMVC) has since developed into a diversified veterinary practice and swine production company doing business in 15 states, employing 23 veterinarians, and 750 total employees. Dr Olsen is a partner at AMVC, currently serving as a managing partner for AMVC, LLC.
Dr Olsen played a key role in establishing and currently serves on the board of directors for the Swine Medicine Education Center at Iowa State University. He chairs the Swine Health Information Center’s Board of Directors. He is committed to his community, as evidenced by his philanthropic leadership.
As expected of a recipient of the Meritorious Service award, Dr Olsen has given tirelessly to the AASV. He has served on the AASV Fountain Auction Committee, multiple issue-based committees, the Program Planning Committee, and was president in 2007. Dr Olsen’s vice-presidential campaign platform was to support the mission of the AASV. He devoted his tenure to ensuring the AASV continued to be a strong organization that united swine veterinarians.
Dr Olsen’s peers admire his ability to always bring out the very best in those around him. He has built a swine veterinary and management business whose greatest accomplishment may be encouraging and allowing the growth and development of his colleagues in the swine veterinary profession.
Grateful for the association, Olsen stated, "Being recognized by your peers is probably the greatest achievement in a professional career. But more importantly, my involvement in AASV has provided me with unbelievable personal and professional satisfaction. AASV is an amazing organization, and I am so proud to be a member."
Daryl and Nancy’s family includes two amazing daughters and their families. Erika and her husband, Matt Weber, have two daughters, Lucy and Ruby, and reside in Waukee, Iowa. Dena and her husband, Dan Hoffman, have a son, Mack, and a daughter, Ellie, and reside in Prior Lake, Minnesota.
Outstanding Swine Academic of the Year Award
Dr Montserrat Torremorell was named the 2022 recipient of the Outstanding Swine Academic of the Year award. Newly established and presented for the first time this year, the award is given to an AASV member employed in academia who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service to the swine veterinary profession. Faculty members, graduate students, and researchers are eligible to receive this award.
Torremorell earned her DVM from the University Autonomous of Barcelona and her PhD from the University of Minnesota. With an extensive background in swine health, research, and production systems, including health improvement strategies, disease eradication, diagnostics, biosecurity programs, and health genomics, she joined the University of Minnesota as the Leman Chair in Swine Health and Productivity in May 2009. She is currently professor and interim chair of the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine.
Torremorell conducts research of economically significant swine diseases focusing on the transmission, control, and elimination of influenza and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) infections in pigs. She also researches biosecurity technologies with applicability to prevent and mitigate airborne infections in pigs. She serves as the chair of the planning committee for the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference, has served on the AASV Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee, and volunteers for the AASV PRRS Task Force. She teaches both DVM and graduate students and is passionate about helping producers and veterinarians to apply science to control diseases. Mentees and graduates have become leaders within the swine industry and academia.
Described by her peers as a true servant leader, Dr Torremorell is an exemplar academic broadly involved in teaching, outreach, and research. She not only focuses on sharing her own work, but the work of academic and industry members to advance the shared profession. Her peers recognize her academic contribution to the industry as long and impressive, her enthusiasm relentless, her professionalism unchallenged.
The AASV is not alone in recognizing Dr Torremorell’s commitment to academia. She has been awarded the Allen D. Leman Science in Practice award, the Mark of Excellence in Research award, the Outstanding Graduate Student Advising and Teaching award, and the prestigious Zoetis award for Veterinary Research Excellence at the University of Minnesota.
Grateful to her peers, Torremorell stated, "I’m truly honored and humbled by the recognition of this award. I never imagined I would be recognized by my peers in such a distinguished way. It means more than you know, and I am thankful to everyone who has contributed to my success over the years."
Torremorell dedicates this award to her husband, Kevin, children Alexander and Isabel, and parents, Ramon and Provi.
Technical Services/Allied Industry Veterinarian of the Year
Dr Gregory Cline received the Technical Services/Allied Industry Veterinarian of the Year award. This award recognizes swine industry veterinarians who have demonstrated an unusual degree of proficiency and effectiveness in delivery of veterinary service to their companies and their clients, as well as given tirelessly in service to the AASV and the swine industry.
With a DVM from the University of Missouri, Dr Cline started his career in private practice as a food animal practitioner, later transitioning to production as a veterinarian for Cargill Pork and Carroll’s Food.
In 2001, Dr Cline joined Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health and has held multiple roles. Currently, he is the senior key account veterinarian-swine at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health. In this role, he offers sales support of key corporate accounts by on-farm diagnostic, therapeutic, and swine management support and ensures compliance with US Department of Agriculture’s pharmacovigilance requirements. He establishes and manages product demonstrations and field trials and communicates technical trial results to internal and external stakeholders. He is also involved in the training of customers.
Dr Cline’s extensive experience in production systems, private practice, and technical service contribute to his ability to support practitioners and truly make them better veterinarians, as stated by peers and clients. Practitioners rely on Dr Cline’s humble yet direct approach to problem solving and technical service to guide decisions for strategic product implementation.
Finishing his second term on the AASV Board of Directors representing the states of Missouri, Kentucky, and Arkansas in District 3, Dr Cline has a long history of leadership and service within AASV. He is an active member of the Human Health, Safety, and Well-being Committee.
Upon acceptance of the award, Dr Cline commented, "I can think of no greater honor than to be recognized by one’s peers. It certainly is a privilege to work in the swine industry, a privilege I enjoy every day."
Dr Cline lives in Plattsburg, Missouri, with his wife Dana. He has three children and three grandchildren.
Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year
The Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year award was presented to Dr Lauren Glowzenski. The award is given annually to an AASV member five or less years post veterinary graduation who has demonstrated the ideals of exemplary service and proficiency early in their career.
Dr Glowzenski is the Manager of Veterinarian Services at TriOak Foods in Oakville, Iowa, where she is responsible for the overall health and well-being of all TriOak Foods’ pigs.
Glowzenski was raised in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, where her family established and continues to run Highland Farms, a full-service horse boarding and training facility. Her upbringing around large animals fueled her interests in animal health and helped inspire her pursuit of veterinary medicine.
Glowzenski received a BA from Sarah Lawrence College in 2009. With an indirect path into veterinary medicine, she spent two years as a general science and emotional support educator in inner-city Philadelphia with Teach for America. She simultaneously completed her MSEd (University of Pennsylvania) in 2011.
A 2016 VMD graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr Glowzenski discovered her calling in swine medicine through internships and mentorship. She has been employed as a swine production company veterinarian since graduation, holds licenses to practice in 10 states, and has demonstrated exemplary proficiency early in her career.
Dr Glowzenski is dedicated to the swine veterinary profession and to the AASV. She embraced opportunities to become involved as a student through attendance and poster presentations at AASV Annual Meetings. She received the top "AASV’s Got Talent" award for her 2018 presentation, "Deep tracheal sampling technique for Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae PCR diagnostics: An alternative to laryngeal sampling." Currently, she is a member of the AASV Boar Stud and Pharmaceutical Issues Committees and PRRS Task Force.
Nominated for this award by many mentors, colleagues, and clients, all spoke to Dr Glowzenski’s unique ability think critically. Her creativity in clinical skills has led to significant reduction and elimination of disease in herds she oversees. She readily shares her innovative practices and encourages others to think critically, while always maintaining a positive outlook and a smile, even in the worst of times.
Upon acceptance of the award, Dr Glowzenski commented, "I am honored to be the 2022 recipient of AASV’s Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year award and am extremely thankful for this recognition early in my career. Receiving this accolade from an organization that is composed of my peers and mentors is truly a privilege. I am grateful to be a member of AASV and look forward to our industry’s future."
Glowzenski resides in southeast Iowa with her family, including a herd of meat goats, laying hens, dogs, and horses. She enjoys horseback riding in her spare time.