President's Message

Renee Rucinsky, DVM, DABVP (Feline), President

The first order of business for this newsletter is to happily congratulate all the new Diplomates who passed their boards last month! Welcome to the family. You've joined a community of like-minded people, dedicated to challenging themselves every day. Becoming a specialist is just the beginning. Unfortunately, I do have some bad news, though. Those new extra letters after your name don’t mean you’re at the top of your game. They don’t mean you won’t still have things to learn. Those of us who have had those letters for a long time still have days that we feel lost. But those letters do come with all sorts of support. When you have a dumb day, know that the rest of us have dumb days, too. Join your RVS (that’s what your new specialty within ABVP is called) listserve, and you’ll have ready access to all of your new colleagues, who will be more than happy to talk through cases with you, or whatever else is on your mind. So many of us go through the certification process without institutional support - it’s been a relatively solo endeavor - but that’s done. You’re part of a giant team now.

Over the 20+ years that I’ve been an ABVP Diplomate, I have made several fantastic friends and colleagues. I never would have known many of these folks without ABVP, and I lean on them for their brilliance routinely. A couple of months ago my associate and I found a little injured bat in our parking lot at work. I immediately contacted an ABVP colleague who happily gave me advice. I had answers within 15 minutes on how to save the tiny bat. This is our community. When my own dog is sick, I trust my Canine/Feline folks to talk me through my options. The community rallies.

One of my very best friends in the world is another Feline dip (you know who you are). We’re constantly sharing cases from across the country, making sure we both cover all of the options when it comes to diagnosing or treating our patients, looking at each case we’re treating as if we would have to write it up as a case report. And sometimes we even get to laugh at our own paranoias and panics, like realizing that a 3-year-old cat indeed does not have a giant abdominal tumor, it just has a stomach full of hair ties.

I truly hope that ABVP enhances your lives as much as it has mine. I love knowing that I need to continue to try to represent my RVS well, and enjoy upholding the standards of care and knowledge that are the precedent for ABVP. I’m confident that our newly minted Diplomates are up for the challenge.

We recently received a letter from an ABVP colleague at the end of his career, who transitioned to Emeritus Diplomate status. I was so moved by what he wrote, and think it really summarizes what I’ve experienced with ABVP, but he put it much more eloquently than I ever could. I asked him if I could share it, and he generously agreed. I sincerely hope that all of you, new and old Diplomates alike, have a similar experience as Dr. Liebl describes.  Congratulations again to all.

Marisa, The Board of Directors and The ABVP Family,

I felt that I must respond to the good news that you sent me with the notification of granting me Emeritus status.

I had a long discussion with my wife and some colleagues regarding approaching the end of ones career and maintenance of my ABVP status.  For many of them, the comment was “Really, what does it matter?? What difference does it really make?? Do you get paid more?? Etc”. I liken this to the void that people must have when they have never opened their heart to the ownership of a dear pet. For those who have invested little, little comes in return. For those who have invested much, much will be returned to them. Many, many years ago when I got the letter in the mail that I had passed my boards and became a member of the ABVP specialty, it was probably the biggest day of my career and has been cherished ever since. The struggles to attain the Diplomate status helped me become and maintain the level of competence that I demanded of myself and to maintain that clinical acumen for all of my career. So yes, I could still practice without the ABVP title and I would still push myself to maintain the standards that I have demanded of myself without the title but unless you have invested so much of your life to get recognized as an ABVP Diplomate, you will never understand just how important those letters are at the end of your name and how important it is to reach the end of a long career with those still a part of my signature. I can’t thank the board enough for the decision and I look forward to watching the specialty that I have been honored and proud to be a member of grow and drive the advancement of this wonderful profession.

Sincerely,
Dr. Thomas G. Liebl, Diplomate ABVP, Canine and Feline Practice

Welcome to the Class of 2023

Avian Practice
Jordan Adair (Akron, Ohio)
Stephany Lewis (Ojai, California)

Canine and Feline Practice
Kelly Breslin-Yamashita (Evergreen, Colorado)
Anthony Cappa (Savoy, Illinois)
Bryan Clarke (Lutz, Florida)
Karryssa Fenderson (Covina, California)
Emily Marcus (Paradise Valley, Arizona)
Gene Pavlovsky (Mahomet, Illinois)
Erin Phoenix (Blacksburg, Virginia)
Leo Sage (Thiensville, Wisconsin)

Dairy Practice
Betty-Jo Bradley (Barons, Alberta, Canada)

Equine Practice
Kelly Gravitt (Columbia, Missouri)
Corrado Valli (Sharjah, United Arab Emirates)

Exotic Companion Mammal Practice
Katherine Dowling (Grapevine, Texas)
Marie-Pier Proulx (Mirabel, Quebec, Canada)
Amanda Steinagel (Mount Laurel, New Jersey)

Feline Practice
Nikhita De Bernardis (Clarksburg, Maryland)
Jordan Gagne (Antrim, New Hampshire)* ^{(Canine and Feline)}
Tina Hall (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
Lan-Hsin Kuo (New Taipei City, Taiwan)
Zaya McSky (Vancouver, Washington)
Juulia Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland)

Fish Practice
Trista Becker (Melba, Idaho)
James Bogan (Oviedo, Florida)* ^{(Canine and Feline, Reptile and Amphibian)}
Todd Cecil (San Diego, California)* ^(Avian)
Ari Fustukjian (Bountiful, Utah)
David Marancik (Orland, Maine)
Aimee Reed (Corvallis, Oregon)
Jessie Sanders (Santa Cruz, California)
Johnny Shelley (Ocean Springs, Mississippi)
Natalie Stilwell (Starkville, Mississippi)
Taylor Yaw (Papillion, Nebraska)

Food Animal Practice
Emily Egolf (Avondale, Pennsylvania)

Shelter Medicine Practice
Aimee Dalrymple (Natick, Massachusetts)
Brenda Dines (Lake Village, Indiana)
Erin Katribe (Richmond, Texas)
Elizabeth Roberts (Madison, Wisconsin)

*Indicates certification in an additional recognized veterinary specialty. Other certification(s) is(are) in superscript.

Symposium Registration is Open

Invest in yourself this holiday season and make plans to join us in New Orleans, April 25-28, 2024! This year we are adding a new track, Fish, and welcoming back all those you know and love. Consider attending a Hands-On Workshop this year. Be sure to review the offerings and book your spot before they are gone!

Your December MOC Update

Sonnya Dennis, DVM, DABVP (Canine & Feline), MOC Chair

• Congratulations to all the new ABVP Diplomates! Take a breather for a month, then get yourselves acquainted with Maintenance of Certification. Your RVS MOC Vice Chair email is in the MOC Handbook, or you can contact the MOC Chair (me!), and I will connect you with your Vice Chair.
• Quick links: MOC webpage, Journal Club, add me to the Google Group/Listserv!
• Tip of the Month! If you helped mentor a new Diplomate or are a new Diplomate who had a mentor, the new Diplomate needs to complete the Identify My ABVP Mentor form so the mentor can claim MOC points. The link is also available on login to the Diplomate Portal as well as the MOC Handbook and here.

Leadership Development Committee Update: Call for Nominations

Paula Colletti, VMD, DABVP (Canine & Feline), LDC Chair

One of the functions of the Leadership Development Committee (LDC) is to present a slate of nominees for ABVP leadership positions to the membership. To that end, the Committee is now accepting nominations for the following positions: 

1. Appeals Committee. Dr. Nik Weber has completed his second term and a new Appeals Chair is needed. 
2. Canine & Feline Regent 1. Dr. Raj Singh has completed his term and a new Canine & Feline Regent is needed. 
3. Dairy Regent. Dr. Darren Remsburg has completed his second term and a new Dairy Regent is needed 
4. Exotic Companion Mammal Regent. Dr. Tracey Ritzman has completed her first term and is eligible for a second. She is automatically elected to the position if there are no other nominations. 
5. Swine Heath Management Regent. Dr. Tom Fangman has completed a vacated term and is eligible for his first full term. He is automatically elected to the position if there are no other nominations. 
6. Vice President. Dr Stephanie Janeczko has completed her term and a new Vice President candidate is needed.

Those considering nomination should be Active or Emeritus members of ABVP in good standing, current on their dues and be willing to give the time and commitment required of the position. Nominations for Vice President and Committee Chair positions must be supported by a written petition signed by at least 1% of the ABVP membership (11 people). Regent nominations must be supported by a written petition signed by at least 1% of the species RVS. Nominations must be received by January 15, 2024.

Please email me at ldc@abvp.com if you would like to nominate yourself or a colleague or have any questions about the nominations. 

Financial Updates

Sara Doggett, DVM, DABVP (Feline), Treasurer

ABVP's fiscal year runs July 1 - June 30. The 2023 fiscal year concluded on June 30, 2023 and we are now in fiscal year 2024. For questions about any of the data linked below, please reach out via email to treasurer@abvp.com.

Outreach Updates

Sarah Eaton, DVM, DABVP (Equine), Outreach Chair

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers and the BOD, the ABVP has a new PowerPoint available to all members to use as you need it! This PowerPoint contains branded information about the ABVP including the mission statement, current specializations, Diplomate numbers, history, WHY to certify, HOW to certify, the exam, and the symposium. Members are welcome to use it in parts or as a whole for any events they want such as client lectures, student lectures, professional meeting presentations. Outreach aims to keep this document updated yearly for current information. The link is HERE. We also have a QR code (see below).

Interested in volunteering with the ABVP? Click HERE, which will take you to our volunteer interest form. Remember, you can get MOC points for volunteering. 

Last but not least - we need social media fodder! Did something interesting?  Admire something a colleague did? Read some amazing new story about an ABVP member? Brag about it HERE. 

ABVP Student Reps

Willy Brock and Kaitlyn Krebs, Student Outreach Subcommittee Chairs

As the Outreach Committee continues to promote ABVP standards and accomplishments, a new pilot program was initiated this fall. We have selected professional veterinary medical students from four schools to be ABVP representatives to their peers. The goal of this program is to create exposure to the rising veterinary population early in their careers; educating students about what opportunities and resources are available within ABVP.

The students serve a term of one year (two semesters) with an option to extend for a second year if they wish. These students are taught the ABVP standards, goals, and expectations as well as the twelve Recognized Veterinary Specialties (RVS). Students are encouraged to partner with existing school clubs such as AAEP, AAFP, and the Shelter Clubs to help co-sponsor presentations and/or wet labs. Each of the students will help put together a Lunch and Learn so that an ABVP speaker may come and talk about the many facets and opportunities of ABVP. In addition, these students are to be a contact point for their peers to come to with questions, networking, or job opportunities. 

As the students grow into seasoned practitioners, they will be able to identify, utilize, and refer to ABVP specialists in their area. And of course, ultimately, pursue specialization themselves.

Look for continued newsletter updates from our student representatives at Colorado State University, Iowa State University, University of Pennsylvania, and Purdue University.

Immediate Assistance on Prolydian

If you need immediate support with the online credentials application or maintenance of certification application during the holidays (or at any time throughout the year), the Prolydian support team is available to assist!

You can email their amazing support team directly at support+abvp@prolydian.com OR chat live with them! Take a look at the screenshot below to see how you can chat with them live from your Prolydian account.

Executive Director Out of Office

We would like to make everyone aware, in advance, that our Executive Director will be out starting on Friday, December 22 and returning to the office on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. If you need immediate assistance during that time, please consider reaching out to our Board of Directors (BOD) and/or Advisory Council (AC) members using the link below. Happy Holidays!

Residency and Job Postings

Don’t forget that ABVP has classified listings for open positions all over the world!

December 31, 2023

• Final date to be called a Diplomate for those who failed to MOC on time

January 15, 2024 

• Credentials deadline for both Initial Applications and Re-Applications. All documentation must be submitted online by 11:59 PM Central Time

• Swine Health Management Entry Exam registration and fee deadline. Registration must be completed online account by 11:59 PM Central Time

• Semi-Annual Residency Logs deadline. Logs must be submitted online by 11:59 PM Central Time

April 25-28, 2024

• ABVP Symposium, New Orleans, Louisiana

July 1, 2024

• 2023-2024 Diplomate and Emeritus Diplomate fees payable

July 15, 2024 

• Semi-Annual Residency Logs deadline. Logs must be submitted online by 11:59 PM Central Time