Dr Ellen van Nierop, a small animal clinician who practises in Ecuador, was elected WSAVA president during WSAVA World Congress, which recently took place in Lima, Peru.
Dr van Nierop, originally from the Netherlands, runs a small animal clinic with her veterinarian husband in Quito.
Canadian veterinarian Dr Jim Berry was elected vice-president; Dr Oscar Umaña from Costa Rica was elected as WSAVA honorary treasurer and Dr Jerzy Gawor, a Polish veterinarian, was elected as a board member. They will each serve a two-year term.
This year’s WSAVA World Congress was attended by more than 1500 delegates from 80 countries. In addition to a CE program designed to meet the needs of companion animal practitioners globally, the congress also saw the launch of an updated set of Global Guidelines for the Recognition, Assessment and Treatment of Pain from WSAVA’s Global Pain Council.
The new guidelines have already been downloaded more than 20,000 times from the website of the Journal of Small Animal Practice, WSAVA’s official scientific journal. They are also available on the WSAVA website.
The annual Shaping the Future session, during which WSAVA raises a key issue of concern for companion animal veterinarians, this year highlighted the issues faced by many veterinarians globally in obtaining access to even the most basic veterinary medicines. The session was followed by a stakeholder summit. As a result of this meeting, a taskforce is being set up to help develop solutions to ensure that all veterinarians have ready access to the medicines they need to provide optimal care to their patients.
“It was wonderful to see the WSAVA’s global community reunited in Lima for the first time in three years and we extend our thanks to Dr José Salazar and other members of our Local Host Committee from AMVEPPA for their huge contribution to WSAVA 2022,” Dr van Nierop said.
“As a practising clinician, I find WSAVA’s educational resources invaluable and, as a member of the executive board, I have seen firsthand the hugely positive influence the association is having in terms of raising standards of companion animal veterinary care around the world.
“I am honoured to serve the veterinary profession as WSAVA president and will ensure that we continue to strengthen and grow our global veterinary community in order build a better future for both our current members and those still to come.”
