The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement Learning Center
The COVID-19 Response: Using Science to Separate Fact from Fiction
Recorded On: 06/16/2020
What started as a small meeting of animal welfare leaders and veterinarians in late February, evolved into the North American Coalition for COVID-19 Response with nearly 40 veterinary leaders from Canada, Australia, and the United States collaborating with animal welfare leaders from The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, American Pets Alive!, ASPCA, Association of Shelter Veterinarians, AVMA, Best Friends Animal Society, Humane Canada, The Humane Society of the United States, National Animal Care and Control, RSPCA, and shelter medicine leadership programs from University of California, University of Florida, University of Wisconsin, and Cornell University.
This collaboration was the first time many of these organizations worked together and the partnership achieved extraordinary results: a unified voice for how animal welfare organizations should navigate a public health crisis. Propelled by a goal of providing animal welfare professionals and pet owners with accurate and timely information regarding COVID-19, these leaders advised veterinarians, public health officials, shelter leadership, and policymakers to continue lifesaving innovation in animal sheltering in the face of a rapidly spreading and deadly pandemic. The panelists will discuss their experiences during the response.
Panelists:
Michael Lappin, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, Director, Center for Companion Animal Studies, Colorado State University; Chair, World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s One Health Committee
Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine), Fran Marino Endowed Professor of Shelter Medicine Education, University of Florida
Sandra Newbury, DVM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine), Director, Shelter Medicine Program, University of Wisconsin
J. Scott Weese, DVM DVSc DipACVIM, Professor, Ontario Veterinary College
This session was recorded during the Spring Conference for Animal Welfare 2020.
This session is approved for
• CAWA CEs
• Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) CEs toward ACO CE requirements per Ch. 829 of the Texas Health and Safety Code
• NACA CEs
Michael Lappin, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Director, Center for Companion Animal Studies, Colorado State University; Chair, World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s One Health Committee
Dr. Michael Lappin is a Professor of Infectious Disease in the Colorado State University Department of Clinical Sciences. His laboratory studies immune responses to vaccination against respiratory viruses in cats and immune responses to feline vaccines. He oversees a large diagnostic service for feline infectious agents. Dr. Lappin is also Director of Shelter Medicine and investigates disease outbreaks and management in shelter settings. He serves as Chair of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s One Health Committee.
Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine)
Fran Marino Endowed Professor of Shelter Medicine Education, University of Florida
Dr. Julie Levy is a professor of Shelter Medicine at the University of Florida, where she focuses on the health and welfare of animals in shelters, feline infectious diseases, and humane alternatives for cat population control. She founded Operation Catnip, a nonprofit university-based community cat trap-neuter-return program that has spayed, neutered, and vaccinated more than 65,000 cats in Gainesville since 1998. In 2008, she co-founded Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program, and in 2014, she joined Dr. Kate Hurley to launch the Million Cat Challenge, a shelter-based campaign to save millions of cats in shelters across North America.
Dr. Sandra Newbury
Director of the University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program
Dr. Sandra Newbury is the Director of the University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program and Associate Professor of Shelter Medicine in the School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Newbury helped to build the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the University of California, Davis from 2006-2014. Her academic work has focused on clinical studies in infectious disease, immunology, and population medicine.
J. Scott Weese, DVM DVSc DipACVIM
Professor, Ontario Veterinary College
Dr. Scott Weese is a veterinary internist and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. He is a Professor at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph; Director of the University of Guelph Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses; and Chief of Infection Control at the Ontario Veterinary College Teaching Hospital.
