Petplan celebrates top dogs in veterinary medicine

Hilary Wheeler, DVM, CVA, winner of the Veterinarian of the Year Award, with Ernie Ward, DVM, one of the judges for the veterinarian category. (All images courtesy of Petplan) Over 200 people attended the sixth annual Petplan Veterinary Awards Dinner on February 4 in Orlando, Florida, to celebrate the work of veterinary professionals providing extraordinary care to both pets and pet owners. The event, emceed by Andy Roark, DVM, MS, coincided with the 2017 North American Veterinary Conference.

Petplan fielded thousands of nominations from the candidates' peers and clients from all over the United States and Canada. The winners were chosen by judging teams consisting of past winners and other leaders in the veterinary field.

"This year's nominees were such a phenomenal group that the judges had their work cut out for them,” says Petplan co-founder and co-CEO Natasha Ashton in a company release. “But while every veterinary professional nominated brings something special to their work, our winners exemplify everything the Veterinary Awards are about. Being able to recognize individuals and teams making such a meaningful impact on pets' lives is truly an honor.”

Purvi Patel, RVT, winner of the Veterinary Technician of the Year award, with Julie Legred, CVT, of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians In America.Here is the list of this year's top dogs:

Pet Parent of the Year

Melody Fox, founder of Cause4Paws Pet Food Bank, Phoenix, Arizona

Receptionist of the Year

Amie Zimmerman, Deer Grove Veterinary Clinic, Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

Veterinary Technician of the Year

Purvi Patel, RVT, Laurelwood Veterinary Hospital, Waterloo, Ontario

Practice Manager of the Year

Andy Pertuset, CVPM, Western Carolina Regional Animal Hospital and Veterinary Emergency Hospital, Flat Rock, North Carolina

Veterinarian of the Year

Hilary Wheeler, DVM, CVA, The Whole Pet Vet Hospital, Los Gatos, California

Practice of the Year

Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center (VSEC), Levittown, Pennsylvania

Veterinarians from Veterinary Speciality and Emergency Center in Levittown, Pennsylvania, accepting the award for Practice of the Year. Pictured, from left to right: Rebecca Syring, DVM, DACVECC, Garret Pachtinger, VMD, DACVECC, Shelby Reinstein, DVM, MS, DACVO, and Caleb Frankel, VMD.National awards aren't new to VSEC in Levittown, Pennsylvania, which is open and staffed with veterinarians all day, every day, and was recently named a National Trauma Center. According to a release from VSEC, the hospital's Kristen Hoffman won Petplan's ‘Practice Manager of the Year' honor in 2014, and Robert Orsher, VMD, DACVS, co-medical director and co-founder of VSEC, has received the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association's Lifetime Achievement Award.

“The entire staff at VSEC/BluePearl Pennsylvania is humbled and honored to be named the Petplan Practice of the Year,” says Orsher in the hospital's release. “Frankly we were thrilled when we learned that we were nominated by our loyal and amazing clients. Personally, I am so proud of all of our associates who come to work every day with one overriding goal in mind, to make a better world for pets. We won this award because of their excellence, hard work and dedication.”