The Association for Veterinary Informatics (AVI) has named Dr. Paul David Pion as the recipient of the 2026 Allen W. Hahn Lifetime Achievement in Veterinary Informatics Award. The organization presented the award during its 32nd Talbot Veterinary Informatics Symposium, which focused on artificial intelligence use in veterinary practice.
Dr. Pion was recognized for transforming veterinary information into clinical wisdom, most notably as a co-founder of the Veterinary Information Network in 1991. VIN was the first veterinary online case consulting service and online learning platform. Over 35 years, it has evolved to include many additional resources, including online continuing education, a major clinical database, a student center, toxicity calculators, and a drug and food recall center. Since 2023, it also includes AI-powered clinical search, allowing veterinarians to quickly find information to help manage cases.
Before spearheading VIN, Dr. Pion was part of the team of cardiologists and nutritionists that identified taurine deficiency as the cause of feline dilated cardiomyopathy. The finding led to the reformulation of cat foods and largely eliminated the most common heart disease in cats at the time.
“Paul spent 35 years convincing veterinarians to write down what they know and share it with each other,” said Brian Hur, president of AVI. “Almost everything our field can do with clinical data today rests on that.”