Dr Alex Ramirez was installed as the president of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians on February 28, 2017, during the association’s 48th annual meeting in Denver, Colorado. He succeeds Dr George Charbonneau, who is now immediate past president. Dr Scanlon Daniels has ascended to president-elect. The newly elected vice president is Dr Nathan Winkelman.

AASV President Dr Alejandro “Alex” Ramirez (ISU ’93) grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico. He obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Iowa State University (ISU) College of Veterinary Medicine and joined Valley Veterinary Center, a mixed-animal practice, in Cherokee, Iowa. In 2004, Alex left practice and returned to ISU to pursue a teaching career. He obtained a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Iowa and concluded a PhD at ISU in 2011.

Dr Ramirez joined AASV in 2002. He first served as a substitute judge for the student presentations at the AASV Annual Meeting. Shortly thereafter, he was asked to co-chair the student oral competitions. He has also co-chaired the Collegiate Activities Committee for the past few years and has served on the Journal of Swine Health and Production Editorial Board since 2010. He represented District 6 on the AASV Board of Directors from 2013 to 2015.

When asked to comment on his thoughts about the future of AASV and his tenure as president, Dr Ramirez said, “I am excited about this honor and opportunity to lead AASV as our great association and its members continue to focus on helping advance the health and wellbeing of the pigs we care for. We need to continue protecting public health through securing a wholesome and safe protein source to feed the world.”

AASV President-elect Dr C. Scanlon Daniels (ISU ’98) grew up on a family owned and operated livestock enterprise in central Iowa. He attended Iowa State University where he received a BS degree in Animal Science and a DVM degree. He also has an MBA from the University of Guelph. Dr Daniels has been previously employed as a staff veterinarian by Iowa Select Farms and Seaboard Foods. Currently, he and his wife, Dr Angela Daniels, operate a diversified food-animal veterinary practice, laboratory, and multi-species contract research organization in Dalhart, Texas. Dr Daniels has been active in multiple AASV committees and has served on the AASV Board of Directors representing District 7 on two occasions.

AASV Vice President Dr Nathan Winkelman (UMN ’84) was raised on a diversified crop and livestock farm near St James, Minnesota. The family farm included a farrow-to-finish swine operation, beef cow-calf herd, feedlots, laying hens, and fieldwork. Dr Winkelman credits his veterinarian uncle, FFA instructor, and local veterinarians for his desire to become a veterinarian.

Dr Winkelman received a BS degree in Animal Science and a DVM from the University of Minnesota. Upon graduation, he joined a swine-exclusive veterinary practice in Morris, Minnesota, with Drs Rod Johnson and Tony Scheiber. Currently, Dr Winkelman is a partner with Dr Adam Mueller in Swine Services Unlimited, Inc, a swine research and consulting practice in Rice, Minnesota. Their business focus is consulting with loyal, progressive pork-producer clients, some of whom they’ve seen each month for over 35 years! Swine Services Unlimited, Inc, is also a contract research organization conducting swine disease trials, with a special emphasis on Lawsonia intracellularis challenge studies.

Dr Winkelman and his wife Deb Bryant (also a veterinarian) raised two children and enjoy a “hobby-farm menagerie” with horses, goats, chickens, dogs, and cats (no pigs, of course) in Sartell, Minnesota. Dr Winkelman has served on the AASV Board of Directors and currently sits on the AASV Foundation Board where he chairs the foundation’s Research Project Selection Committee. In addition, Dr Winkelman is an active participant in the AASV-National Pork Board Operation Main Street project, giving presentations to various groups to raise awareness about modern pork production.

Asked to comment on what his election meant to him, Dr Winkelman responded, “I sincerely look forward to the opportunity and challenge to serve the AASV in this capacity. The AASV organization and all my friends and colleagues have been an integral part of a successful career in swine medicine. Thank you all.” He also expressed his appreciation to Dr Brian Schantz for his willingness to also run for office. “He was the first to congratulate me, wish me well, and advised me against incessant late night tweets during my time in office,” noted Dr Winkelman.

AASV Past President Dr George Charbonneau (OVC ’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 veterinarian at South West Ontario Veterinary Services and is based in White Lake, Ontario. Dr Charbonneau has served as the president of the Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians and the Ontario Association of Swine Veterinarians. He was involved in the formation of, and served as the initial chairman of, the Ontario Pork Industry Council. He also represented Canadian swine veterinarians as a district representative on the board of directors of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians. He was the 2012 recipient of the AASV Swine Practitioner of the Year award.

What’s a swine vet worth?

Isn’t that what we all want to know? Are your salary and benefits comparable to those of your colleagues? Are you paying your associate veterinarians enough to keep them from searching for greener pastures? What do you need to offer a young veterinarian to be competitive with other offers he or she is likely to receive? The answers to these questions start with YOUR participation in the 2017 AASV Salary Survey!

If you’re an “Active” AASV Member (non-retired veterinarian) in the United States or Canada, go to www.aasv.org/members/ (username and password required) to obtain a security code and access the online survey. It’s much simpler and less painful than the income tax returns you just filed!

Members of AASV are divided into two survey groups, depending on their employment type. The practitioner survey should be completed by those who oversee pig health for a production or genetics company, as well as those engaged in private practice. Members who work for a university, corporation, or government, that are engaged in education, research, technical services, public health, or regulatory work should complete the survey for public/corporate veterinarians.

Once the data collection period has ended, the survey results will be pooled and shared with the AASV membership – and we’ll have the answers to our questions. Responses are confidential and the results are reported in a manner to assure participant anonymity. The more participation, the more valid the results – so do your part and complete the survey today!

Call for papers – AASV 2018 Student Seminar

Veterinary Student Scholarships

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians announces an opportunity for veterinary students to make a scientific presentation during the Student Seminar at the AASV Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Interested students are invited to submit a one-page abstract of a research paper, clinical case study, or literature review for consideration. The submitting student must be a current (2017-2018) student member of the AASV at the time of submission, and must not have graduated from veterinary school prior to March 4, 2018. Submissions are limited to one (1) abstract per student.

Abstracts and supplementary materials must be received by Dr Maria Pieters (pieters@aasv.org) by 11:59 pm Central Daylight Time on Wednesday, September 20, 2017 (firm deadline). All material must be submitted electronically. Late abstracts will not be considered. Students will receive an e-mail confirming the receipt of their submission. If they do not receive this confirmation e-mail, they must contact Dr Maria Pieters (pieters@aasv.org) by Friday, September 22, 2017, with supporting evidence that the submission was made in time; otherwise, the submission will not be considered for judging. The abstracts will be reviewed by an unbiased, professional panel consisting of private practitioners, academicians, and industry veterinarians. Fifteen abstracts will be selected for oral presentation in the Student Seminar at the AASV Annual Meeting. Students will be notified by October 13, 2017, and those selected to participate will be expected to provide the complete paper or abstract, reformatted for publication, by November 15, 2017.

As sponsor of the Student Seminar, Zoetis provides a total of $20,000 in support to fund travel stipends and the top student presenter scholarship. The student presenter of each paper selected for oral presentation receives a $750 stipend to help defray the costs of attending the AASV meeting.

Veterinary students whose papers are selected for oral presentation 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. Zoetis funds the $5000 scholarship for the student whose paper, oral presentation, and supporting information are judged best overall. 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. Zoetis and the AASV fund a stipend of $250 for each student who is selected and participates in the poster presentation. In addition, the presenters of the top 15 poster abstracts compete for awards ranging from $200 to $500 in the Veterinary Student Poster Competition, sponsored by Newport Laboratories.

Complete information for preparing and submitting abstracts is available on the AASV Web site at www.aasv.org/annmtg/2018/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).