Dr Randy Jones was installed as the president of the AASV at the association’s annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. He succeeds Dr Paul Ruen, who is now immediate past president. Dr Tara Donovan has ascended to president-elect. The newly elected vice president is Dr Matt Anderson.
AASV President Dr Randy Jones (North Carolina State University ’85) is the owner and operator of a veterinary practice limited to swine health and medicine in Kinston, North Carolina. Prior to that, he was a mixed-animal practitioner for 9 years. A member of the AASV since 1985, Dr Jones was serving his second term as an AASV board member representing southeastern United States before his election to the office of vice president. He is a former president of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association and active member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Dr Jones grew up on a cow-calf farm in western North Carolina.
Dr Jones remarked that he was “looking forward to the coming year as president of the AASV. The AASV will continue to serve its member veterinarians by providing them the information and CE opportunities needed to help swine producers. Our clients continue to look to us as veterinarians to be the leaders in disease control and elimination. Swine veterinarians will also continue to partner with the AVMA, other commodity groups, and the National Pork Board to promote animal well-being and food safety. We have a responsibility to the American consumer to provide an economical and sustainable food supply. Our efforts in meeting these goals need to be communicated to the public.”
AASV President-Elect Dr Tara Donovan (Kansas State University ’98) is the vice-president of veterinary management for The HANOR Company, one of the country’s top pork producers with operations in six states and over 500 employees. After joining the company 10 years ago as a herd veterinarian, her responsibilities now encompass integration among all aspects of pork production in addition to the traditional role involving production, research, and development. Dr Donovan has been active on several committees, including chair of the Human Health and Safety Committee. She has also been an active member of several working groups for the National Pork Board and a member of the National Pork Producers Council Antibiotic Working Group.
AASV Vice President Dr Matt Anderson (Iowa State University ‘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, Dr Anderson started his veterinary practice career in Morris, Minnesota. He has been a partner-owner in Suidae Health and Production in Algona, Iowa, for the last 11 years. 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.
Dr Anderson has been actively involved in the AASV for a number of years and served the association in several different roles. He currently serves on the AASV Swine Health Committee and represents AASV on the board of the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization. He has been a frequent guest speaker at professional meetings and industry events. In addition to AASV, he is also a member of the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association and the AVMA.
Dr Anderson has had the good fortune of working with clients across the United States and in a number of other countries on three continents. Dr Anderson commented, “It is a great honor to have been elected AASV Vice President. I am anxious and excited to serve the members of the AASV, which has contributed so much both professionally and personally to my career.”
Immediate Past President Dr Paul Ruen (University of Minnesota ’92) is a practitioner at the Fairmont Veterinary Clinic in Fairmont, Minnesota, a predominately swine practice that also provides management services to clients. Active in the AASV since 1988, Dr Ruen was a district director on the AASV Board of Directors from 2005 to 2008. He was elected vice president in 2008, serving a 1-year term and ascending to the office of president-elect in 2009. During the 2002 International Pig Veterinary Society meeting in Ames, Iowa, Dr Ruen served on the Production and Management Scientific Committee. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer at the AASV annual meetings and the Leman Conference in Minnesota. Dr Ruen grew up in southeastern Minnesota on a diversified livestock and grain farm.
AASV officers (left to right) Dr Matt Anderson, Dr Tara Donovan, Dr Randy Jones, Dr Paul Ruen  Photo courtesy of Tina Smith |
Call for papers – 2012 Student Seminar
The American Association of Swine Veterinarians announces an opportunity for veterinary students to make a scientific presentation at the AASV Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, on Sunday, March 11, 2012. Interested students are invited to submit a 1-page abstract of a research paper, clinical case study, or literature review for consideration. The submitting student must be a current (2011-2012) student member of the AASV at the time of submission.
Abstracts and supplementary materials must be received by Dr Alex Ramirez (alex@aasv.org) by 11:59 pm Central Daylight Time on Monday, September 26, 2011 (firm deadline). All material must be submitted electronically. Late abstracts will not be considered. You should receive an e-mail confirming the receipt of your submission. If you do not receive this confirmation e-mail, you must contact Dr Alex Ramirez (alex@aasv.org) by Wednesday September 28, 2011, with supporting evidence that the submission was made in time; otherwise your submission will not be considered for judging. The abstracts will be reviewed by an unbiased professional panel consisting of a private practitioner, an academician, and an industry veterinarian. Fifteen abstracts will be selected for oral presentation in the Student Seminar at the AASV Annual Meeting. Students whose papers are selected will be notified by October 17, 2011, and will be expected to provide the complete paper or abstract, reformatted for publication, by November 15, 2011.
To help defray the costs of attending the AASV meeting, Pfizer Animal Health provides a $750 honorarium to the student presenter of each paper selected for oral presentation during the Student Seminar.
Veterinary student scholarships Veterinary students whose papers are selected for oral presentation also compete for one of several veterinary student scholarships awarded through the AASV Foundation. The oral presentations will be judged to determine the amount of the scholarship awarded. Pfizer Animal Health funds a $5000 scholarship for the student whose paper, oral presentation, and supporting information are judged best overall. Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, on behalf of Elanco Animal Health, provides $20,000 in additional funding enabling the AASV Foundation to award $2500 each for 2nd through 5th place, $1500 each for 6th through 10th place, and $500 each for 11th through 15th place.
Abstracts that are not selected for oral presentation in the Student Seminar will be considered for participation in a poster session at the annual meeting. Pfizer and the AASV fund a stipend of $250 for each student who is selected and participates in the poster presentation. In addition, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc provides financial support for the Veterinary Student Poster Competition. The presenters of the top 15 poster abstracts compete for awards ranging from $200 to $500.
Complete information for preparing and submitting abstracts is available on the AASV Web site at www.aasv.org/annmtg/2012/studentseminar.htm. Please note: the rules for submission should be followed carefully. For more information, contact the AASV office (Tel: 515-465-5255; Fax: 515-465-3832; E-mail: aasv@aasv.org).