WSAVA to offer pain management scholarship

Maria Sbytova/stock.adobe.comThe World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) is starting a scholarship competition to help one veterinarian and one veterinary technician with a demonstrated passion for pain management.

As a part of its initiative to increase the number of veterinary thought leaders in pain management, WSAVA's Global Pain Council (GPC) has launched a program called “Teach the Teachers,” with a vision of ultimately creating a global network of key opinion leaders in pain management.

Duncan Lascelles, BSc, BVSC, PhD, MRCVS, CertVA, DSAS(ST), DECVS, DACVS, chair of the GPC, says in the release announcing the competition that the organization hopes “to reduce the variation in the assessment and management of pain around the world through the creation of regionally specific resources and targeted education.”

The first step is the scholarship competition. Winners will travel to a host location where they will be trained for eight to 12 weeks on small animal pain management. Members of the GPC will teach them about pain pathophysiology, assessment and treatment and will show them how to approach clinical pain research. Afterwards, the candidates will return to their countries and run courses on pain management for local veterinarians and veterinary technicians/nurses as well as other WSAVA association members.

Full details of the application and selection process are available on WSAVA's website. The deadline for applications for veterinarians is Dec. 31 and, for veterinary technicians/nurses, June 20, 2020.

According to the release, priority will be given to candidates from tier 1 and tier 2 countries (based on World Bank country income levels, with Canada and the United States tier 1 countries) and to members of WSAVA-affiliated associations.

WSAVA represents more than 200,000 veterinarians worldwide through its 113 member associations and works to enhance standards of clinical care for companion animals.