Two veterinarians are to receive the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s prestigious President’s Award at its upcoming World Congress in Lima, Peru from 29-31 October. They are Dr Nicola Neumann and Dr Gregg Takashima. This occasional award recognises exceptional service to the WSAVA, with the awardees selected by WSAVA president Dr Siraya Chunekamrai.
Dr Neumann, who practises in Ireland, was the driving force behind developing WSAVA World Congress into the leading global veterinary event it is today. A founder member of the WSAVA’s Congress Steering Committee from 2010-2013, she created the blueprint for World Congress and, following the appointment of a Professional Congress Organizer (PCO), she served on the WSAVA Executive Board as Congress liaison officer from 2014-2019. Her role required her to develop congress bidding and evaluation processes and standing operating procedures from scratch, in addition to playing a full role on the WSAVA Executive Board.
Dr Takashima is a distinguished contributor to the WSAVA’s clinical committees. He joined the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee (GNC) in 2011 and was its long-term co-chair until he stood down in 2019. During this time, he co-authored the GNC’s Global Nutrition Guidelines and Global Nutrition Toolkit, two of the WSAVA’s most frequently downloaded resources. A passionate believer in the human-animal bond, Dr Takashima also served on the WSAVA’s One Health Committee and, during 2017, he contributed to the WSAVA Animal Welfare Guidelines and Welfare Charter created by its Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee. Dr Takashima is CEO of the Animal Care Group of Lake Oswego in the USA.
“Thanks to their passion and dedication over many years, both of this year’s awardees have left an indelible mark on the WSAVA,” Dr Chunekamrai said.
