Dr. John Been of Prairie du Sac – WVMA President 2016
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. John Been
Personal
Information
My family and I reside in the country outside of Prairie
du Sac, Wisconsin. My wife of 38 years, Ranjana, is a medical technologist at
UW Hospital and Clinic and we have three grown sons, Mark, Clint, and Travis
who have all gone on to careers in medicine as a physician, dentist, and optometrist.
I attended the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and
graduated in 1988 with my DVM degree. I practiced as a food animal
veterinarian, dairy predominant, at the River Valley Veterinary Clinic in
Plain, Wis. for 24 years. Currently, I am doing relief large animal service for
area veterinary medical clinics. We are active members of our local Methodist
Church and my hobbies include woodworking, outdoor sports, gardening, cooking,
wine making and gospel singing.
Involvement in the
WVMA
As immediate past president, I am currently serving the
WVMA on the executive committee and chair the personnel committee. I also am
the ex-officio member of the Food Armor® Committee. Besides the previous two
years as president and president-elect, I served as the district 6 executive
board representative for 5 ½ years from 2007 until 2012. I was the interim
Treasurer of the WVMA after the untimely passing of Dr. Tom Howard in 2015. I
also have served on the Budget and Auditing, Public Health and Food Safety,
Member and Membership Services, Grievance, and Academic Admissions Committees.
I have been a continuous member of the WVMA for 28 years and serve on the Board
of Visitors for the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. I really treasure my
service to the WVMA. Being involved has given me a unique and broad
understanding about the value and importance of organized veterinary medicine
to its membership. I very much value the relationships with colleagues that
have formed through my involvement.
Involvement on the
Executive Board
I have served for 5 ½ years on the executive board from
2007 to 2012 as the representative from district 6. I was elected vice chair of
the executive board in my last year. I also served as ex-officio member of the
Grievance committee and the Budget and Auditing committee during my executive
board years. During those years, I worked with Drs. Tom Gilligan, Ray Pawlisch,
Steve Erickson, Phil Johnson, and Doug Kratt during their presidencies.
Additionally, I stepped in as the interim WVMA Treasurer in 2015 after the
death of Dr Tom Howard.
Annual
Meeting/Convention
The WVMA convention and annual meeting this year was held
on October 14th and was once again at the Alliance Energy Center in Madison.
The professional education committee scheduled another outstanding set of
presenters with valuable practical CE available for our membership. The WVTA
(Technicians) and WVPMA (Practice Managers) also held their annual conventions
at the venue as well.
Our exhibit hall was in full swing with our vendors on
hand with reception events taking place on Thursday and Friday nights. Mr.
Scott Zimmer was our Saturday keynote speaker and presented a message on
generational communications.
Our annual business meeting took place on Friday
afternoon. We were proud to honor six members with 50 year awards this year.
They were Drs. Thomas Beckett, John Fritsche, Marvin Rohm, Lawrence Sirinek,
Larry Smith, and Robert Swingen. Other awards included: Gold sponsor – DeWitt,
Ross, & Stevens s.c., Meritorious Service – Dr. Jim Ziegler, Friend of
Veterinary Medicine – UW School of Veterinary Medicine, Presidential – Dr.
David Jeans, and Veterinarian of the Year – Dr. Sheila McGuirk. One change to
the by-laws was voted on and passed by the attending membership. Life Member
status is now attained by a member who has reached the age of 70 years (it was
65) and having been an active member of the WVMA for at least 35 continuous
years (was 30).
A summation of the year's highlights, WVMA and WVMF
financial reports, and 2015 minutes were presented and approved. Dr. Robert
Leder was elected by unanimous consent as our new president-elect. The
presidency was transferred to Dr. Scott Spaulding prior to adjourning.
Challenges/difficulties
faced throughout Presidency
The WVMA worked closely with our legal/legislative
lobbyist team to influence positive outcomes regarding the complete move of the
Veterinary Examining Board (VEB) from DSPS to DATCP, retaining the Wisconsin
Veterinary Diagnostic Lab within the UW system, and keeping tenure as the
standard for the clinical teaching staff at the VMTH. All these items were in
jeopardy with budget cuts at the state legislature level in the current
biennial budget.
Pursuant to the goals of this the second year of our
current five-year strategic plan, the executive board has move forward with
several new initiatives. These would include:
- The formation of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical
Foundation (WVMF) which will represent the philanthropic arm of our
organization. We are in the process of populating the board of directors for
the foundation which will direct its action.
- Separating the Food Armor® HACCP program from the WVMA
into the Food Armor® Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation. Food Armor®
has drawn nationwide interest and will function as a stand-alone program with
its own board of directors lending great advantage for its sustainability and
outreach. Dr. Katie Mrdutt is currently managing the program as a full-time
employee of the WVMA.
- Establishing the Business Management Task Force to
address issues that pertain to the business side of private practice. In March
2017, this group scheduled a practice profitability conference in Madison to
address finance and economic strategies for our membership.
- We also have initiated the OSHA Task Force which will
create awareness of potential hazards to increase safety in the veterinary
workplace. The WVMA is in the process of forming a formal alliance with OSHA
(the first VMA in the nation to do this) to educate our membership on safety
concerns and on compliance.
- Online CE is now available on the WVMA website to
members.
- The WVMA continues to maintain close ties with the UW
School of Veterinary Medicine through our sponsorship of the Blue Coat Ceremony,
Vets to Vet School luncheons, clinic tours, and sending students to Washington
D. C. for the AVMA Fly-In experience.
- We also once again sponsored a young veterinarian to
the emerging leader opportunity at the AVMA winter convention in Chicago. Dr.
Scott Earnest was this year's emerging leader attendee.
- Our leadership team also attended both AVMA conventions
(Chicago and San Antonio, as well as the Heartland Conference in Kansas City
Final Thoughts
I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience as President of
the WVMA. It was such an honor to have been chosen to serve and lead in the
101st year of this professional organization. I especially have enjoyed being
able to network with so many dedicated and capable professionals in and around
veterinary medicine. The WVMA gives such value to our membership in its
constant attention to current topical professional and legislative issues as
they arise. I am so proud of the leadership that our VMA has taken on
nationally and I witnessed first-hand how well respected we are among our peers
at national meetings. Our WVMA staff is lean and efficient. I extend my
appreciation to our entire staff team that helped to make my term as WVMA
President proceed smoothly and effectively. That team included:
Kim Brown Pokorny - Executive Director
Torrie Kennedy - Office Manager
Bailey Quam - Communications and Project Specialist
Jeremy Panizza - Development and Marketing Manager
Dr. Katie Mrdutt - Food Armor Outreach Specialist
Heather Klinkhammer - Advertising Assistant
I learned a great deal about the "larger
picture" of our profession as compared to the perspective from routine
private practice life. I truly appreciate the collaboration among peers that
comes together to advance the goals of the WVMA – the most unique and effective
voice for veterinary medicine in Wisconsin. I am humbled to have continued the
great work of those who have served before me and I wish the best of all things
to those who follow as the WVMA continues on into its next century of service
to the profession. As I said in all of my monthly newsletter messages: Isn't is great being a
Veterinarian?.........Yes, it is!
