SDSU’s Chase garners SDVMA honor

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SIOUX FALLS – The South Dakota Veterinary Medical Association held its 131st annual meeting at the Ramkota Convention Center in Sioux Falls Aug. 7-10. 

The meeting included continuing education opportunities for over 200 veterinarians and veterinary technicians, recognized outstanding accomplishments by professionals in the veterinary fields, and included the annual membership meeting. The SDVMA also presented various awards at the meeting to recognize the commitment to, and excellence in veterinary medicine in South Dakota.

2022 Distinguished Service Award – Dr. Chris Chase

The Distinguished Service Award is awarded to honor an individual who has brought distinction to the veterinary profession through devotion to the care and well-being of animals, support for the profession, and contributions to the community. 

This individual exemplifies the profession, both personally and professionally, through support of veterinary medicine, research, colleagues, and/or students and through civic participation. This individual’s contributions have advanced the profession and serve as an inspiration to veterinarians and the clients he serves.

Dr. Chris Chase was presented with the 2022 Distinguished Service Award. Chase exemplifies every category this award seeks to honor:

• support of veterinary medicine,

• support of research,

• support of colleagues,

• support of students, and

• participation in the profession through involvement.

From his earliest education, he showed an interest and enthusiasm for animal health. He attended pre-veterinary medicine at South Dakota State University for two years prior to his early acceptance into the Iowa State University DVM program. Following graduation from Iowa State University veterinary medicine, he served as associate veterinarian in southeastern South Dakota for five years, honing his skills as a practicing veterinarian.

Ultimately, his intellectual curiosity and desire to “do more” for veterinary health led him to a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, during which time he also continued to practice as a relief veterinarian while pursuing his graduate research.

His ability to keep active in both basic research and practical veterinary service makes him one of the most practical research experts in the field of bovine immunology and virology and is the key to his strong networks of collaborating researchers and diagnosticians. He is sought after as an expert by both grant and journal review panels, as well as animal health practitioner and producer organizations.

Following postdoctoral work with the USDA Arthropod Borne Diseases Unit, he returned to SDSU as a faculty member of the Department of Veterinary Science and the Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Lab, a position he has held for 30 years.

According to an SDVMA release, Chase truly exemplifies service to the animal health industry. He has been an instructor of numerous undergraduate and graduate courses at SDSU. He has served as thesis adviser to 37 graduate students and has advised 22 non-thesis masters students. His laboratory at SDSU has also served as a fertile training ground for undergraduates to gain practical research experience, training over 80 undergrad research assistants to date. Chase’s students routinely receive awards for their work, which clearly illustrates his ability to support and nurture the next generation of scientists.

At a broader level, Chase has served as a reviewer of multiple journals, served as both panel member and panel manager for a number of wide number of granting agencies, and is a frequent and sought-after speaker in the animal health community, presenting locally, nationally, and internationally in his chosen field of bovine Immunology and virology.

He served as president of the South Dakota Veterinary Medical Association, as well as the president of the Board of Governors of the American College of Veterinary Microbiology. He has served as president of both the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists and the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases. Most recently, Chase took a pivotal leadership role in establishing the South Dakota Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine in conjunction with the University of Minnesota, serving as its interim Director during the first year of the program.

Chase and his wife Mary have been married for over 40 years and are the parents of children Christopher, Erin, Stephanie and Jennifer and  grandparents of six grandchildren. He is an very involved member of the Newman Center in Brookings.

2022 Veterinarian of the Year – Dr. Holly Roe-Johnson

The Veterinarian of the Year award recognizes an SDVMA member for service and accomplishments benefitting the profession of veterinary medicine. Dr. Holly Roe-Johnson received the 2022 Veterinarian of the Year award.

Roe-Johnson has a unique and personal commitment to rural veterinary practice in South Dakota. She began her education at SDSU and graduate from Iowa State University with her DVM. She returned to South Dakota as part of the tuition reimbursement payback program, and she has paid back that investment many times over with her commitment to rural practice.

She started with a small practice and has grown that into a multi-doctor, multi-clinic practice that maintains veterinary services in four rural communities. She has also mentored a number of young veterinarians and employed a number of community members, contributing to the overall economy of the communities she serves.

She is an accomplished businesswoman and a veterinarian who is hailed as “tremendously talented,” “an excellent example of veterinary medicine in our state”, and an “example for us all.”

2022 Emerging Leader Award – Dr. Jamie Zuidema

The Emerging Leader award is made to an SDVMA member who graduated from veterinary school in the last 10 years and has displayed outstanding accomplishments in veterinary research, private practice, regulatory services, civic activities, and/or organized veterinary medicine.

Dr. Jamie Zuidema received the 2022 Emerging Leader Award. Zuidema is a 2014 graduate of Iowa State University. She served an internship with Dakota Large Animal Clinic from 2014–2015, and that internship turned into a full-time position. She is now a part owner of the practice.

Zuidema has a busy equine clinic with a large referral base due to her excellent work and personality that puts her clients at ease. 

2022 Outstanding Veterinary Technician – Debra Buttke

This award is made to a registered veterinary technician who has provided outstanding support to veterinary medicine through dedication to the care and well-being of animals and professional knowledge and execution in service to the profession.

The 2022 SDVMA Outstanding Veterinary Technician, Debra Buttke, is a graduate of NDSU and started her veterinary technician career in Milbank in 1980. Though the clinic she serves has changed names over the years, Buttke, has remained a constant for decades. 

According to the SDVMA release, for 40 years, Buttke has been a steady force for the veterinarians she works with. Her dedication to the work is unsurpassed. She has done almost every duty that a vet tech can do through mixed animal work. She is dedicated to the details needed to get positive results for her patients. She can strike up a conversation with clients about anyone who steps through the door. Over four decades, she remains as passionate and as compassionate about her work as the first day she started.

2022 Bill Davis Award – Trudy Lickfelt

The Bill Davis Memorial Award is given annually to a sales representative of a veterinary supply company who has demonstrated an unusual degree of service and assistance to veterinarians and the veterinary profession in South Dakota.

The 2022 Bill Davis Memorial Award went to Trudy Lickfelt with MWI Animal Health. Trudy grew up on a dairy farm near Hutchinson, Minnesota, and developed a love of working in the veterinary world early on. She began her career in the early 2000s with the Glencoe Veterinary Clinic working in a variety of capacities, ultimately serving as the practice’s manager. In 2015, she began her career as an outside sales representative, covering practices in northeast South Dakota and western Minnesota for MWI Animal Health. She has been described by her clients as “dedicated and enthusiastic about seeing her clients succeed.” Her knowledge of her products and industry programs makes her stand out in her field. SDMVA is proud to recognize her level of commitment to her customers and our members with her work.

SDVMA Foundation auction

The SDVMA Alliance raised almost $10,000 in a benefit auction as part of the event. The money is used for scholarships for veterinary and veterinary technician students.

Board members elected

The following board members were elected for the coming year: Dr. Matt Stork, Sioux Falls, president; Dr. Heather Lerseth, Groton, president-elect; Dr. Lisa Stanley, Fort Pierre, vice president; Dr. Broc Mauch, Redfield; Dr. Anna Braunschmidt, Garretson, District 1 representative; and Dr. Heidi Sorensen, Watertown, District 2 representative;

Other board members are Dr. Sandra Wahlert, Hots Springs, District 3 representative. Dr. Chris Chase, Brookings, AVMA delegate; Dr. Cindy Franklin, Yankton, AVMA alternate delegate; and Dr. Carolyn Geis, Groton, past president.