The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) have announced the recipients of several of their annual awards ahead of this year’s WSAVA World Congress in Lisbon, Portugal in late September.
WSAVA was established in 1959 and has grown to include 115 veterinary association members globally, representing more than 200,000 small companion animal veterinarians.
The 2023 WSAVA Award for Global Meritorious Service has been awarded to Laurel Kaddatz, a veterinarian from Florida. Kaddatz spent 25 years of his career as a senior partner in a large hospital group in Rochester, New York, before serving in the tole of Hospital Director in a practice he bought.
Kaddatz has also been committed to promoting the wider work of veterinarians, publishing articles in the media, making presentations to community groups and organising initiatives such as shadowing programs for high school students.
“Community-building is at the heart of everything the WSAVA does and, in bestowing this prestigious Award on Mr Kaddatz, we are recognising an individual who has personally exemplified community-building throughout his career,” WSAVA President Ellen van Nierop said.
Meanwhile, Brendon Laing, a Canadian veterinarian and co-owner of several clinics in Ontario, is to receive the 2023 WSAVA Future Leader Award in recognition of his strong contribution to the veterinary community in Canada, in particular his work to highlight issues around mental health in the profession and to promote technological innovation in the sector.
In his role on the board of the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA), Laing has been an advocate for technological advancements and updates to regulations which allowed the industry to adopt telemedicine to treat animals during the COVID pandemic.
Commenting on the Award, Mike Topper, Chair of the WSAVA Membership and Nomination Committee, said: “Mr Laing stood out because of his engaged leadership at the provincial and national levels of organised veterinary medicine; his continuous efforts to improved wellness and wellbeing in his small animal hospitals, and his on-going promotion of telemedicine to improve the accessibility of veterinary care.”
The WSAVA World Congress is hosted by a member association and rotates yearly through three regions of the world – the Americas, Europe/Middle East and Africa and Oceania.
JULIA GARDINER