Spring 2003 Issue

Member News: Congratulations to...

Dr. Michael McGuill for being awarded the Tufts University Outstanding Alumnus Award at the TUVAA reunion this past September, 2002! Mike is currently the Director of Epidemiology for Decision Resources at Waltham in Massachusetts and provides competitive intelligence to the biopharmaceutical industry. He also chaired the Massachusetts Rabies Advisory group for 10 years and served as the Director of Zoonotic Disease Program for the MDPH’s Bureau of Communicable Disease Control. Mike is board certified in Veterinary Preventative Medicine, an Adjunct faculty member at Tufts Veterinary School’s Center for Animals and Public Policy, and has published and made presentations on topics involving reduction of pain and suffering in lab animals, surveillance and control of rabies, Lyme disease, salmonella in reptiles, and bioterrorism and animals. Also, Mike helped start a support program in Boston for pet owners with HIV/AIDS and often speaks to those living with HIV about "Safe Pet Ownership".

Dr. Avery Bennett on recently being named Chief of Surgery, Dentistry and Special Species at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Bennett says his experiences at U. Penn, as well as in Philadelphia, have been very gay-friendly since his arrival last December. Feel free to contact him if you need a liason in the area. 215-898-6068 or

LGVMA Gatherings Around the Country

Tufts Animal Expo, September 2002
LGVMA members, PAWS staff member and Phinney’s Friends staff members met for an evening of chatting, networking, and Mexican food. Oh, yeah, and somebody had a margarita, too.

North American Veterinary Conference, January 2003
At the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, about 18 LGVMA members got together for drinks and an all-you-can-eat buffet. Members (and groupies) from all over the Eastern US and Canada were in attendance Congratulations to Patrick Mahaney for winning his division in the NAVC Fun Run and to Ted Morris for winning the first round of the Talent Competition with his stand-up comedyroutine. Ted’s win was particularly noteworthy since he had to drop his bestmaterial for the family audience.

Mammoth Cave National Park, July 2002
LGVMA members took 2 tours of the cave and had some really cute tour guides. The cave was great, too. For more, see LGVMA Mammoth Cave trip

LGVMA and PAWS Sponsored Presentations

Tufts Animal Expo, Boston, September, 2002. Ilana Strubel and Nancy McElwain spoke on "Providing Care for Clients with Special Needs: Lessons Learned from the AIDS Epidemic." The presentation covered the history of support organizations such as PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support) and Phinney’s Friends, and the role of animal care professionals in supporting the human-animal bond and in providing education to clients.