Accolades!
Larry Dee, WSAVA President, honoured
In a recent ceremony held at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville, Florida, Dr. Larry Dee was honoured with the College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Council’s Distinguished Service Award. This honour is bestowed upon an individual that has demonstrated “meritorious service to the profession of veterinary medicine” and this truly embodies Dr. Dee’s past and ongoing commitment to the betterment of the veterinary medical profession for all, whether local, state, national, or globally. Dr. Larry Dee is a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP; 2 times re-certified) with an adjunct faculty position at the University of Florida Department of Medical Sciences and co-owner (with his 2 brothers) of a large general-specialty companion animal practice in Hollywood, Florida. He has served the veterinary profession and shelter community in a number of capacities, including attaining the presidency of the College of ABVP, Florida State Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, and, of course, the WSAVA. He has received numerous other awards and recognition from state, national, and international veterinary medical associations. Congratulations and well-deserved Larry!
WSAVA Activities and Committee Reports
WSAVA Promotional Flyer Available
The WSAVA has recently produced a brochure that provides information on the WSAVA, including What is the WSAVA?, the WSAVA World Congress and Continuing Education Efforts, WSAVA Standardization Projects, Animal Welfare Initiatives, and what the future holds for the WSAVA. For those interested in making copies available for their local veterinary colleagues, please contact Ewwlina Skrzypecka at x-media@vetcontact.com.
WSAVA Member Association Updates
Highlights from the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) annual report:
The NAVC is the major business enterprise of the Eastern States Veterinary Association (ESVA), a not for profit corporation based in Gainesville, Florida with 16 full-time and 3-part time staff as well as a large number of seasonal employees who help run the Conference each year. The association is run by a volunteer board of directors headed by a president elected from among the board and the principle goal of the NAVC is to provide exceptional and high-level continuing education for veterinarians and their staff in a variety of formats that suit learning styles and focus, including:
NAVC CONFERENCE
The NAVC conference has the reputation of being one of the best conferences for veterinary professionals in the world. As such, in January 2006 it attracted more than 5660 veterinarians, 1650 technicians, 660 receptionists and practice managers, 740 students, 2400 guests/staff, close to 3100 exhibitors, 130 Press/PR and 126 non-DVM from more than 72 countries. There are over 1300 CE credit hours available during this conference. The next conference is scheduled for January 13-17, 2007. For more information, visit www.tnavc.org.
NAVC INSTITUTE
Based on the Board’s belief that there is a significant gap between the expertise of most practitioners and the training and expertise of board certified specialists, the NAVC Institute was designed to narrow this gap by providing in-depth certification programs in a variety of specialty areas. NAVC Institute differs from most continuing education programs in that it incorporates a more comprehensive "immersion" format and hands-on laboratories, with acceptance into the program involving a screening pretest and a final self assessment test after which an NAVCPGI Diploma of Completion is issued to successful candidates.
NAVC REGIONAL
The NAVC Regional Institute was established to provide comprehensive, academic courses to busy practitioners who wanted to update and refresh their skills and knowledge with a minimum of time away from their practice. NAVC Regional courses are conducted in a two-day intensive format providing a superior practical learning experience. With a combination of lecture, group interaction, workshops and one-to-one discussion with instructors, NAVC Regional has designed an optimal learning experience. Participants can gain 15 CE credits through this program.
Additional continuting education is provided through the journal “NAVC Clinicians Brief”, which began publication in November 2002. as well as partnering with the Spanish Small Animal Veterinary Association to provide the Southern European Veterinary Conference, with its inaugural meeting to be held in Barcelona, Spain on October 19-21, 2007 and to lend its support to the newly created “Latin American Veterinary Conference” that will be held annually in Lima, Peru each October.
NEWS From Around the World
The European Advisory Board on Feline Diseases: This newly established body of 17 feline experts, chaired by Professor Marian Horzinek of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, will focus on developing care guidelines and creating awareness over feline infectious diseases. Citing the lack of pet owner compliance for preventative care guidelines for cats, Dr. Horzinek stated “vaccination has become a victim of its own success. The significant benefits of vaccination are becoming difficult to see, as disease are well controlled and therefore rarely encountered.” One of the Advisory Group’s first tasks will be to develop evidence-based information on infection routes and clinical signs of avian influenza in cats. The Advisory Group has established a website to publish their recommendations as well as to provide more information about itself and its various activities (http://www.abcd-vets.org/).
Genetically engineered cats: In a news story reported by the Agence France-Presse, a California biotechnology firm says it has breed the world’s first hypo-allergenic kitten to provide a suitable pet for the thousands of hopeful cat owners that suffer from feline allergies. While the selling price of $7,000.00 USA may seems steep for most, Allerca (the San Diego based genetic technology company that developed the allergen-free cat through a careful breeding program) feels confident that this will not be a barrier for allergy prone feline lovers. Prospective owners can anticipate taking delivery of the kittens in early 2007.
WSAVA/FECAVA/CSAVA 2006 Congress Update
With the WSAVA/FECAVA/CSAVA Congress organizers putting the last minute touches on the 2006 World Congress taking place in Prague Czech Republic from October 11-14, its time for attendees to also consider the same in their own travel preparations. So, a last minute travel check list:
• Have you registered – first and foremost for the Congress and secondly with the hotel of your choice? More information can be obtained at the Congress website (http://www.wsava2006.cz/Homepage.aspx)
• Do you need a VISA to enter the Czech Republic from your originating destination? VISAs can take time so it is essential to plan ahead. For further information, visit the Czech Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (http://www.mzv.cz/wwwo/mzv/default.asp?ido=7306&idj=2&amb=1&ikony=True&trid=3&prsl=True&pocc1=1)
• Have you taken the opportunity to make a CE plan? With 270 lectures covering 28 different disciplines, 6 State of the Art Lectures (SOTAL), an animal welfare forum on dog bite prevention, the FECAVA Symposium on responsible dog breeding, and open communication session featuring abstracts of current research topics (not to mention the pre-congress symposia), it will be hard to choose which lecture to attend!
• Don’t forget to pack your party clothes as each night features an exciting social event steeped in local culture and sure to put a smile on every attendees face. Visit the Social Events page of the Congress website for more details and, if you are planning on attending the Friday evening Gala Event which is being held at the Prague Municipal House, don’t forget to book your tickets ahead of time as space is limited.
• And please ensure that your camera has a new battery and plenty of film because Prague, referred to as the “100-spired city”, will provide many opporunities to capture history in its many forms, by way of its superb and varied architecture and stunning views over the Vltava River.
Safe travels and looking forward to seeing you there!
