Pulse - February 2021 - 13

Dan
Baxter,
J.D.
Executive
Director,
CVMA

Emily
Beeler,
DVM
Los Angeles
County
Public Health

Jen Brandt,
Ph.D.
AVMA
Director of
Wellbeing

Stephen
Cital, RVT
Wearer of
Many Hats

Raymond
de Villa,
DVM
President,
SCVMA

Janet
Donlin,
DVM, CAE
Executive
Director,
AVMA

Anthony
Fauci, M.D.
Director,
National
Institute of
Allergy, Infectious Diseases
PULSE

FEBRUARY 2021

Baxter came aboard in September 2020 based on his 20 years as the California Veterinary Medical Association's legal counsel and a lifetime of using veterinary services. " I
have developed a deep respect for the practice of veterinary medicine and those working
within it, " he says. One of his primary goals is to ensure that the association continues to
serve as an authoritative messenger on legislative and regulatory issues affecting the profession. " The CVMA is the primary voice for California's veterinary community at the
state capitol and before the Veterinary Medical Board, and we want to continue to use
that voice in a clear and compelling way. "
Beeler, MPH, calls herself a zoonoses veterinarian and works primarily on animal disease surveillance at the Veterinary Public Health Program of the L.A. County Department of Public Health. She is an adjunct assistant professor at the Fielding School of
Public Health at UCLA. Her favorite topic is the eco-epidemiology of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases-an interest that can find her at the forefront of One Health
as we head into our second year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The health, economic and social stressors of 2020 have played havoc with veterinary
professionals, who have long been subject to clinical depression and suicide risk. Add in
retooling for contactless care, technology investment and staff safety, and hopelessness
can seem insurmountable. As director of Wellbeing, Inclusion and Diversity Initiatives
at the American Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Brandt, LISW-S, internationally
renowned in veterinary mental health, leads efforts to reduce the stigma of seeking
mental health services.
Cital, SRA, RLAT,VCC,VTS, is certified as a veterinary pain practitioner through the
International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, and is one of the nation's first
veterinary cannabis counselors. He lectures internationally on anesthesia, pain management, cannabis and best practices in research, and educates veterinarians on the safe and
effective use of cannabis for pet pain management. As more states legalize marijuana and
client demand for information grows, Cital is poised to become a leader in the field.

De Villa, the new president of Southern California Veterinary Medical Association,
looks forward to when the group can again hold face-to-face continuing education
meetings. " Veterinarians thrive from contact and communication with other veterinarians, " he says. " I also wish to have open discussions with regard to diversity in the veterinary field, not just locally but nationally. Finally, we plan to continually reach out to
veterinary students, technicians, assistants and other clinic support staff and remind them
that they are also part of the SCVMA family. "
Dr. Donlin's initiatives, including free webinars and virtual guidance, assist veterinarians
and animal owners in navigating new roads forged by COVID-19 obstacles. She notes
that the pandemic has driven home the importance of One Health and the interconnectedness of humans and animal health. Her plans include helping to implement 2020's call
to action on social justice and " the need for the profession to more fully reflect the diversity of society we have all taken an oath to serve. "

Both respected and reviled, the nation's top infectious disease expert has advised six
U.S. presidents on world health issues since 1984. Despite a tumultuous relationship with
President Trump, Fauci will advise the Biden administration on public health policy. As
the first vaccines against COVID-19 began to roll out in December, he predicted that if
the immunization effort is successful, the country might approach herd immunity and
" normality that is close to where we were before " by the end of 2021.
continued

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Pulse - February 2021

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