American Association of Bovine Practitioners – September 21-23

Event

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) held its 56th annual conference from September 21-23 in Milwaukee.

Program

The conference drew 1,509 attendees. Sara Frasca, CEO of Point Northeast, a global business coaching firm, gave the keynote address “The Journey of Innovation.” Continuing education included sessions on beef cattle, dairy cattle, clinical skills, and practice management; student sessions; and sessions from the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners (AASRP). Also on offer was a trade show, a 5K Stampede Fun Run, and the Amstutz Scholarship live and silent auctions. Student members who received $323,000 total in scholarships this year from the AABP were recognized at the conference.

Awards

Boehringer Ingelheim Bovine Practitioner of the Year

Dr. Jodi Wallace (Guelph ’02), Ormstown, Québec. Dr. Wallace is an associate owner of the Ormstown Veterinary Hospital. Earlier in her career, she served as an extension veterinarian for Quality Milk Production Services at Cornell University and practiced large animal medicine in Saint-Benoît-Mirabel, Québec. Dr. Wallace is president of the Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners.

AABP Award of Excellence

Dr. Jason Lombard (Colorado State ’93), Loveland, Colorado. Dr. Lombard is an associate professor in livestock population health management and epidemiology at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. He previously served as a veterinary epidemiologist with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Veterinary Services in Fort Collins, Colorado.

James A. Jarrett Award for Young Leaders

Dr. Ryan Rademacher (Oregon State ’14), Okotoks, Alberta. Dr. Rademacher is team lead for animal agriculture at Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods. He previously served as a professional services veterinarian with Telus. Dr. Rademacher is president-elect of the Academy of Veterinary Consultants and serves as a director for the AABP, representing District 13 in Canada. 

Merck Mentor of the Year

Dr. Terry Engelken (Kansas State ’87), Ames, Iowa. Dr. Engelken is a professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Earlier in his career, he practiced mixed animal medicine in Onaga, Kansas, and served on the veterinary faculty of Mississippi State University.

Zoetis Distinguished Service Award

Dr. Amelia Woolums (Purdue ’88), Mississippi State, Mississippi. Dr. Woolums serves as a professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and American College of Veterinary Microbiologists.

Officials

Drs. Michael Capel, Geneseo, New York, president; Dave Sjeklocha, Topeka, Kansas, president-elect; Callie Willingham, Prosper, Texas, vice president; Brian Reed, Lititz, Pennsylvania, treasurer; Richard Wallace, McFarland, Wisconsin, parliamentarian; and Sandra Godden, St. Paul, Minnesota, immediate past president 

A version of this story appears in the January 2024 print issue of JAVMA