Dr Tara Donovan was installed as the president of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians at the association’s 43rd annual meeting in Denver, Colorado. She succeeds Dr Randy Jones, who is now immediate past president. Dr Matt Anderson has ascended to president-elect. The newly elected vice president is Dr Michelle Sprague.
AASV officers (left to right) Dr Tara Donovan, Dr Matt Anderson, Dr Michelle Sprague, Dr Randy Jones  Photo courtesy of Tina Smith |
President Dr Tara Donovan (KSU ’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 13 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 AASV 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.
“I am honored and extremely excited to serve as the president of the AASV. I support the association’s efforts to provide continuing educational opportunities that enhance our members’ knowledge in the variety of challenges and opportunities that face our profession and the swine industry. Swine veterinarians have always been leaders in the area of swine health and well-being as well as public health. We will strive to continue to address those challenges in the coming year. We have a responsibility to work with pork producers to continue to provide safe, wholesome, and affordable pork for the domestic and international markets. The AASV continues its commitment to provide guidance on animal care and well-being, as well as responsible antibiotic use. We will continue to collaborate and strengthen our relationships with the AVMA and allied industry groups to promote the veterinarian’s role in animal agriculture and the swine industry.”
President-elect 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, 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 Michelle Sprague (ISU ’05) was introduced as the newly elected vice president during the 2012 AASV Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. Dr Sprague grew up on a small farrow-to-finish and row-crop farm in Glenwood, Iowa. Following graduation from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, she joined the Audubon Manning Veterinary Clinic (AMVC) in Audubon, Iowa. 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 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 as the alternate delegate to the AVMA’s Animal Welfare Committee and is a member of the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association.
When asked about her recent election, Dr Sprague commented, “I am greatly honored to have been elected AASV Vice President. This organization plays an important role in swine medicine and the swine industry in general. I am excited to contribute to the association that has helped shape me as a veterinarian. The AASV comprises so many phenomenal people; it is a privilege to serve them in this capacity.”
Past President Dr Randy Jones (NCSU ’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 an active member of the AVMA. Dr Jones grew up on a cow-calf farm in western North Carolina.
Call for papers – AASV 2013 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 San Diego, California on Sunday, March 3, 2013. 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 (2012-2013) 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 24, 2012 (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 26, 2012, 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 15, 2012, and will be expected to provide the complete paper or abstract, reformatted for publication, by November 15, 2012.
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 competition. 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/2013/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).