Dr Michelle Sprague was installed as the President of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians at the association’s 45th Annual Meeting in Dallas, TX. She succeeds Dr Matt Anderson who is now immediate Past President. Dr Ron Brodersen has ascended to President-Elect. The newly elected Vice President is Dr. George Charbonneau.
AASV President Dr Michelle Sprague (ISU ’05) grew up on a small farrow-to-finish and row crop farm in Glenwood, IA. Following graduation from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005, she joined the Audubon Manning Veterinary Clinic (AMVC) in Audubon, IA. She is currently a partner and director of sow health at AMVC. Her responsibilities include overseeing animal health, biosecurity, food safety and animal welfare on all the clinic’s managed sow farms.
Dr Sprague has been an active member of the AASV currently serving as the chair of the Pig Welfare Committee and as a member of the PADRAP Advisory Committee. She was awarded the AASV Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year Award in 2010 and is a frequent speaker at various professional and industry meetings including AASV. She also represents AASV on AVMA’s Animal Welfare Committee and is a member of the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association.
When asked to comment on her thoughts about the future of AASV and her tenure as president, Dr Sprague said, “I am honored and humbled to serve as president of the AASV this year. As is often the case, the swine industry is currently facing many challenges, including emerging disease threats, shifting public perception and changing antimicrobial regulations. With the introduction of PEDV to our country last year, we continue to have new opportunities to provide guidance not only to our clients but also to each other. I am so proud to be part of an organization whose members have pulled together and openly shared all they can to help one another through these most recent challenges. When we collaborate with our colleagues and abide by the pillars of our oath, the pig always wins. I look forward to representing the AASV, its members and our patients in the coming year.”
AASV President-Elect Dr Ron Brodersen (ISU ’79) grew up on a livestock farm near Coleridge, Nebraska. He attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Iowa State University where he received a DVM degree, and also attended the University of Illinois EVP program. Dr Brodersen is the owner of Whole Hog Health Center at Hartington, Nebraska where he has been providing swine veterinary services since 1990. He was active on the Nebraska Pseudorabies Eradication Task Force in the 1990’s. Dr Brodersen has been active in the AASV serving on the Board of Directors, as well as the Pharmaceutical and Boar Stud committees. He has also served as Chairman of the AASV Foundation. The AASV recognized him as the Swine Practitioner of the Year in 2003.
AASV Vice President Dr George Charbonneau (ON ’81) grew up in Arnprior, Ontario. He obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Ontario Veterinary College and established a veterinary practice serving southwestern Ontario. George is currently a partner in South West Ontario Veterinary Services and is based in Stratford, Ontario.
Dr Charbonneau has been very active in the Canadian swine industry. He has served as the President of the Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians, Ontario Association of Swine Veterinarians and the Ontario Pork Congress. He was involved in the formation of and served as the initial chairman of the Ontario Pork Industry Council. He currently serves in the Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians and as a District Representative on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.
Dr Charbonneau has received numerous awards from the Ontario swine industry as well as the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, Outstanding Veterinarian Award in 2008. He was also the 2012 recipient of the AASV Swine Practitioner of the Year award. “I am truly honored to have been elected and will do my best to serve the AASV," he noted following his election.
AASV Past President Dr Matt Anderson (ISU ‘99) is a Minnesota native who grew up around hogs, cattle and crop farming near Stuart, Iowa. After graduating from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine (1999), Dr Anderson started his veterinary practice career in Morris, Minn. He has been a partner/owner in Suidae Health and Production in Algona, Iowa since 2001. Suidae is a seven veterinarian, swine-only practice focused on providing full-service swine veterinary care as well as swine health and business consulting. The practice also has business initiatives in production management and research.