The founder of Thailand’s first private equine surgery practice has been named the first female president of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, a conglomeration of 113 veterinary organizations across the globe.
Siraya Chunekamrai, DVM, Ph.D., is a former president of the Veterinary Practitioners’ Association of Thailand. She earned her veterinary degree from Kasetsart University in Bangkok and her Ph.D. from Cornell University.
“I am humbled and grateful to have been elected as the WSAVA’s first female president, a move that reflects the steps our community has taken to become much more representative of our profession globally,” Dr. Chunekamrai said.
“During my [two-year] presidency, I will be leading efforts to increase our inclusivity and attract more volunteers to support our committees and other activities. We have already made great progress in transforming ourselves into an offline-to-online association and recently held this year’s assembly meeting successfully online.”
WSAVA’s next World Congress is scheduled to take place in March 2021 in Warsaw, Poland, as a hybrid event — in person and online.
The organization’s new vice president is Ellen van Nierop, DVM, a Dutch veterinarian practicing in Ecuador.
Named to the executive board were John de Jong, DVM, and Jim Berry, DVM, CVPP. Dr. de Jong served as the 2018-2019 president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Berry is a former chair of WSAVA’s Congress Steering Committee and a past president of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.
WSAVA represents more than 200,000 veterinarians through its member associations, which include the AVMA and the North American Veterinary Community, publisher of Today’s Veterinary Business.
Did you know a subscription to Today’s Veterinary Business is free to qualified veterinary professionals? All you have to do is sign up here (and renew each year). You also can sign up to receive the Today’s Veterinary Business weekly e-newsletter.