A focused, united effort to maintain and advance the health and well-being of all veterinary professionals.
Mission
WSAVA has as its mission the advancement of the health and welfare of companion animals worldwide. It achieves this mission through an educated, committed and collaborative global community of veterinary peers. It is imperative that the health, welfare & wellness of the veterinary team is maintained & advanced to ensure the health, welfare & wellness of companion animals under this global veterinary community’s care.
Vision
There is an increased recognition that stress & compassion fatigue coupled with a demanding workplace environment are adversely affecting the mental well-being and physical health of veterinarians. To improve the health and well-being of veterinarians, para-veterinarians & all members of the veterinary team.
Objectives
- Design guidelines and toolkits for veterinary practitioners to improve professional wellness.
- Review state-of-the art thinking and provide a WSAVA perspective that recognises regional, economic and cultural needs.
Committee Resources
Activity Reports
Chair(s)
Dr. Nienke Endenburg
13 works in 19 publications in 7 languages and 80 library holdings.
Website: Read more about Dr Endenburg here
Dr Elli Kalemtzaki
Elli is a graduate of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and holds a postgraduate degree from the National School of Public Health in Athens, Greece. She is also a Certified Professional Coach, a member of the International Coach Federation since 2010 and a Certified Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming since 2012.
Elli comes with 20 years of experience in the pet food industry, the last 9 years in international positions during which she worked with diverse teams in countries vastly different from a cultural point of view. She has extensive experience in coaching and mentoring individuals, leading workshops and training business teams in several countries across Europe.
In 2017 she started her own business as an independent consultant originally based in Prague and later on in Athens, in order to help veterinary practitioners market their services, inspire and motivate their teams and engage with customers.
Members
Dr Janet Donlin
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine - University of Minnesota, St. Paul
Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Graduate of Veterinary Technician Program, Medical Institute of Minnesota
Licensed Veterinarian - Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Chief Executive Officer American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Sept 2016 – present
I serve the needs of AVMA members as they face new challenges and opportunities. I work closely with AVMA leadership, staff, and colleagues to map and implement strategy to meet the identified challenges including programs to elevate professional stress and wellbeing as priority initiatives for the Association. I recruited key staff talent and approved measures to drive the related initiatives and continuously seek methods to raise and maintain staff morale.
Dr Michael Paton
Location: Mundaring, WA, Australia
Michael Paton is Policy and Research Manager at RSPCA WA.
Company /Current Address: PO Box 3147 Malaga WA 6944 Australia.
Qualifications: BVSc., MACVSc (Epidemiology), Grad Certif Animal Welfare, PhD
Michael was born and completed his Veterinary degree in Brisbane is married to a Western Australian and has 3 children all now in the work force.
Michael is a University of Queensland graduate who worked in private veterinary practice, in Australia and the UK. He joined the then Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia in the 1984. Gained Australian College of Veterinary Scientists qualification in epidemiology in 1989. He led a team studying the epidemiology of Caseous Lymphadenitis (CLA) in sheep and has published two book chapters, 21 scientific papers and 41 international and national conference papers and his PhD on CLA and other topics.
He was a Councillor and Honorary Treasurer of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists and President of the Animal Welfare Chapter.
He was WA AVA President in 1991 and 2017/18 and is currently a policy councillor. He has been an AVA mentor since 2005 and assisted the development of the AVA’s National Mentoring Program.
Dr Debbie Stoewen
Debbie hails from the rural town of Ayr, Ontario, where she raised her daughter with “all things feathered, finned, and furred,” and with her daughter now a zookeeper, she’s privy to the most intriguing behind-the-scenes tours – and feeding carrots to rhinos! Life never ceases to be wondrous with the deep and profound connection that we have with animals. It was that connection that influenced her life’s work. Upon graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College, Debbie spent the first years of her career in general and emergency practice, upon which she founded a family-centered companion animal hospital in Kitchener, Ontario. With room in her heart for helping children as well as animals, she began fostering with Family and Children’s Services. Introduced to, and inspired by, an alternate helping profession, she returned to school to study social development studies, completing a Master of Social Work degree at Wilfrid Laurier University. As the first person in North America to be a veterinarian and social worker, she merged her expertise with a PhD at the University of Guelph.
Since then, Debbie has held various positions within industry, wherein she developed a counselling service for pet loss and bereavement and a fully accredited, evidence-based veterinary continuing education program called The Social Side of Practice. This program specializes in the areas of the human-animal bond, veterinary wellness, communication, teamwork, organizational culture, and leadership, with an emphasis on One Health. She has given over 400 presentations internationally and published close to 30 articles in veterinary and social work journals and 2 book chapters. Debbie is a caregiver, healer, and teacher by nature, with a passion for supporting the health and welfare of people and animals. She is a long-time member of Board of Directors for the OVMA’s Farley Foundation and volunteers with various organizations, from local charities and non-profits to international professional associations. All in all, in all that she does, she seeks to make the world a better place.
Dr Hameedunisha Tajudeen
Dr Ellen van Nierop
Executive Board Liaison