Dr. Dale Bjorling of Madison - WVMA President 2005
My first
formal involvement with the WVMA was being appointment to the Convention
Committee in 1991. This was a great opportunity for me to meet veterinarians
around the state and gain a greater appreciation for the dedication of WVMA
members and staff to the veterinary profession. One immediate and enduring
impression was that the WVMA is very much a member-lead organization. The hours
members commit to work in support of the organization is impossible to calculate
but is the primary reason for the strength of the organization. I subsequently
served as chair of the Convention Committee twice, in 1994 and 2000.
I consider my election as President of the
WVMA in 2004 one of the true highlights of my career. This was an incredible
honor and provided additional opportunities for meeting veterinarians involved
in organized veterinary medicine across the country. There were certainly
differences of opinion regarding the best direction forward for the profession
during my term, and many of these same issues continue to be debated. My
participation in the WVMA left me with the reassurance that ours is a
profession populated by highly intelligent people who are equal to the
challenge of providing exceptional care to animals and significantly
contributing to the health and welfare of people in a multitude of ways. I
remain confident that the WVMA will continue to provide excellent leadership
for veterinarians in the state as we seek to address increasingly complex issues
of animal and human health.
Personal
Information
I grew up on a farm in Illinois
where we raised hogs, beef cattle, and just enough dairy cows to learn that I
didn’t want to milk cows by hand the rest of my life. After undergraduate work
at the University of Oklahoma , I received my veterinary degree from the University of Illinois University
of California , Davis ,
and a small animal surgery residency and graduate work at the University of Georgia University
of Georgia
Involvement in the
WVMA
As a
result of my clinic work and research, I have had the opportunity to speak at
several meetings and serve on the program committees for the North American
Veterinary Conference and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. I served
2 terms on the WVMA Annual Convention Committee (1991-1994 and 1998-2000). This
was very enjoyable, because I got to meet and work with several WVMA members,
and also because we were able to attract national-caliber speakers to the
meeting to allow members access to this information without the need to go to national
meetings. One of the aspects of the WVMA that I found most impressive was the
participation of committees in the operation of the organization. This has
provided significant opportunities for members to become involved, and I was
particularly appreciative of all the work members put into the organization
during my term as President. Discussions of appointments to committees also
focused on trying to include younger members to develop a pool of committed
members who would logically progress into leadership positions. When I was
privileged to serve as President, it became rapidly apparent through
discussions with officers and members of veterinary medical associations at
other states that the WVMA was a model organization that was highly regarded
throughout the country. It was also gratifying to note that during the year I
was past-President, the WVMA had the 5th highest total membership
among all state veterinary medical associations, despite the fact that
Wisconsin is not a highly populous state.
Annual
Meeting/Convention
The 2004 Annual Meeting was the
first held at the Monona Terrace in downtown Madison. Although the meeting
space was appreciated, problems with parking, housing and accessibility were
fairly predictable for the first time any meeting is held at a new venue. A
highlight of the 2004 Annual Convention was the introduction of the report of
the Best Practices Taskforce headed by Dr. Dave Rhoda. The 2005 Winter Retreat
was held in Green Bay, and the tour of recently renovated Lambeau Field was a
definite highlight.
Challenges/difficulties
faced throughout Presidency
The WVMA
worked closely with the state Department of Licensing and Regulation to develop
guidelines for continuing education requirements for maintaining licensure. This
was instituted in 2005, and Dr. Bob Klosterman, as the Chair of the Legislative
Committee, deserves a huge vote of thanks for his efforts on this topic.
In 2004, a
young woman in Fond du Lac contracted rabies through contact with an infected
bat and became one of the very few individuals to survive a fulminant episode
of rabies, albeit with some residual neurological effects. This significantly
raised awareness of the existence of rabies within the state, as well as
increasing the appreciation for the role of veterinarians in protecting public
health. This was further reinforced by identification in 2005 of a strain of
influenza that infected dogs.
It is also
interesting to note how many issues persist, including concerns regarding
practice of veterinary medicine by lay individuals (e.g., equine dentistry),
the scope of veterinary practice (e.g., treatment of animals by chiropractors),
the activities of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues
(NCVEI), and concerns regarding the sale of raw milk. The 2005 Annual
Convention included a presentation by Dr. Charlotte Lacroix on the legal
implications of Pet Guardianship vs. Ownership, and this remains topic of
considerable debate. The persistence of these issues reinforces the need for an
effective, active organization that represents the interests of veterinarians
in Wisconsin.
Final Thoughts
I would be remiss if I didn’t
mention the exceptional efforts in support of the WVMA by Drs. Rene' Carlson,
Jerry Quilling, and Randy Schuette. Their thoughtful, professional
representation of the WVMA on various AVMA committees and the House of
Delegates have contributed greatly to the exceptional national reputation the
WVMA enjoys. On a daily basis, I think we all tend to take certain things for
granted. However, I hope that veterinarians in Wisconsin
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