Award Recipients Honored at 2011 AASV Annual Meeting

March 9, 2011 — 

The AASV honored five members for their contributions to the association and the swine industry. Dr. Daryl Olsen, 2007 AASV president, presented the awards at the association's annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Young Veterinarian of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Marlin Hoogland. It is given annually to an AASV member five or less years post-graduation who has demonstrated the ideals of exemplary service and proficiency early in his or her career.

"I am very honored and humbled to receive this award," remarked Dr. Hoogland. "God has richly blessed me with a wonderful and fulfilling career in swine veterinary medicine."

Dr. Hoogland is a graduate of ISU where he received both his DVM and a Master's degree in Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine in 2005. He is currently a practitioner with Murphy-Brown's Western Operations headquartered in Algona, IA. He is an integral part of a production management team responsible for producing 3 million market hogs per year. Marlin also serves as a member of the company's in-house Research Team where he is accountable to provide production and technical input into research project design, analyses, and implementation planning. Dr. Hoogland is a 2009 graduate of the University of Illinois' Executive Veterinary Program.

Dr Hoogland presented at the 2008 AASV meeting in San Diego on "Managing High Mortality" and again in 2010 AASV meeting in Omaha on "Managing Respiratory Disease in Nursery and Wean-to-Finish." He currently serves on the AASV's Advanced Techniques Conference Committee.

Dr. Hoogland is very committed to his family (his wife, Valerie, and their four beautiful daughters), faith, and local community creating a unique personal and professional balance that is rare characteristic.

Dr. Dale Polson received the 2011 Technical Services/Allied Industry Veterinarian of the Year Award. Established in 2008, the award recognizes swine industry veterinarians who have demonstrated an unusual degree of proficiency and effectiveness in delivery of veterinary service to their companies and their clients as well as given tirelessly in service to the AASV and the swine industry.

Dr. Polson is the Senior Veterinarian, Technical Resources for Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. In his position, Dr. Polson is committed to improving the productivity and profitability of swine farms and production systems. Over the last 20 years he has published and presented extensively on PRRS detection, measurement and management methods. He has directed the implementation of several large farm and system-level PRRS control and elimination projects.

Dr. Polson was instrumental in the development and subsequent gifting of the PRRS Risk Assessment Tool/PADRAP to AASV. This tool has become a fundamental utility to understand internal and external PRRSv risks inherent to farms, flows and systems as swine veterinarians and their clients design PRRS control programs. In addition, Dr. Polson has published many articles and is a frequent speaker at veterinary and producer meetings. He has served on a number of AASV and industry committees.

Dr. Polson joined the technical team at BIVI in 1997 when BIVI acquired NOBL Laboratories where he worked since 1993. Dr. Polson received his DVM (1982) from Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. He also completed a Master's program at the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana in 1988 and earned a PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1997.

Dr. Polson married his wife Kathy in 1987 and they have four children, Jessica, Ethan, Emily and Julia and currently reside in Ankeny, IA.

Dr. Amy Vincent received the 2011 Howard Dunne Memorial Award that recognizes an AASV member who has made important contributions and provided outstanding service to the association and the swine industry.

Dr. Vincent is a Research Veterinary Medical Officer at the USDA-ARS National Animal Disease Center in Ames, IA. Her research was instrumental in furthering the understanding of the 2009 Pandemic H1N1 influenza outbreak and its potential impact on the swine industry. Dr. Vincent is the author of numerous scientific papers on a variety of swine disease.

Dr. Vincent has been a member of the AASV since 2002, and currently serves on the AASV Influenza Working Group. She has received numerous honors since joining USDA-ARS in 2004 including the USDA-ARS Special Administrator's Award, the USDA Secretary's Award and the USDA-ARS Midwest Area Early Career Scientist Award.

Dr. Vincent attended Iowa State University where she received her Master's (1997) and DVM (2002, with honors). She went on to complete a PhD (2004) in Immunobiology, also at ISU.

Dr. Warren D. Wilson was named the 2011 recipient of the Meritorious Service Award that recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding service to the AASV.

Since 1973, Dr. Wilson has been an active member of the AASV, most recently serving as President of the AASV Foundation. Dr. Wilson has been an ardent supporter of the AASV Foundation and has been integral in its leadership and fundraising efforts. The Foundation supports research grants, veterinary student scholarships, externships, student travel stipends and the Heritage Award.

Dr. Wilson received his DVM degree (1969) from the University of Minnesota and MS degree (1999) from Iowa State University. He is also a graduate of the Executive Veterinary Program (1995) from the University of Illinois and is a Diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists. He also received his Board Certification in Swine Health Management with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in 2001.

Dr. Wilson was an associate veterinarian in practices in Minnesota and Wisconsin before founding the River Valley Veterinary Clinic in Plain, WI in 1972, where he practiced until 1994. Following practice, Dr. Wilson joined Bayer Animal Health in 1994 and is currently a Senior Swine Technical Service Veterinarian with Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health.

He and his wife share six children and fourteen grandchildren. They currently reside in Sun Prairie, WI.

Dr. John E. Baker was named 2011 Swine Practitioner of the Year by the American Association of Swine Veterinarians. The award is given to the swine practitioner who has demonstrated an unusual degree of proficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of veterinary service to clients.

Dr. Baker is the owner and founder of Warrick Veterinary Clinic in Boonville, IN. He is a 1981 graduate of the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine and initially practiced in Poseyville, IN. In 1984 he moved to Boonville to open a mixed animal practice currently employing three additional veterinarians.

Dr. Baker completed the Executive Veterinary Program in Swine Health Management at the University of Illinois in 1995.

"Receiving this award from my colleagues," said Dr. Baker, "is truly an honor. Working with pigs, swine producers and practitioners has been a very satisfying and rewarding career. The friendships I have made make this the best job in the world."

Dr. Baker has been an active member of the AASV since 1981. He has served in many leadership positions including as a member of the Board of Directors and on numerous committees including the Human Health and Safety Committee and the Operation Mainstreet Committee.

Dr. Baker's involvement in the veterinary profession is extensive and includes serving as the Swine Representative to the Indiana Board of Animal Health where he currently serves as Chairman of the Board. He also belongs to the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Indiana Swine Group and the Southwestern Indiana Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Baker is committed to providing the best possible health care to his clients' animals and to his clients' success. He produces a monthly electronic newsletter for his swine clients and conducts swine producer educational meetings. He and his wife, Andrea, currently reside at the family farm on which he and his twin brother grew up. Their son Jordan obtained his DVM (2010) from Purdue University and is currently practicing with Dr. Baker. Likewise, their daughter Natalie is in her first year of veterinary school at Purdue and is planning to work in the family business as well.