Drawn from around the world, the AWWC team comprises:
Committee Chair: Dr Melinda Merck
American vet Melinda Merck assists investigators of animal cruelty with crime scene investigation, examination of live and deceased victims, frequently testifying as a veterinary forensic expert. She speaks around the world on the use of veterinary forensic science and medicine in the investigation and prosecution of animal cruelty cases and the link to crime against humans. She has helped to develop several online veterinary forensics courses and is the editor and contributing author of the textbook, ‘Veterinary Forensics: Animal Cruelty Investigation, 2nd edition.’ by Wiley publishing.
Dr Melinda Merck
Committee Chair
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Vice Chair: Dr Natasha Lee
Natasha Lee is a vet from Malaysia with over 15 years of experience in animal welfare. She also holds an MSc in International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law from the University of Edinburgh. Natasha is highly experienced in advocating science-based humane animal welfare to many Asian governments and organisations. She has provided animal welfare training to more than half of the 250 veterinary schools in Asia and created a network of animal welfare educators.
Dr Natasha Lee
Vice Chair
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Dr Heather Bacon
Heather Bacon is responsible for animal welfare and ethics education at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) school of Veterinary Studies in Scotland. She continues to work as a clinical veterinarian alongside her educational and outreach activities and is especially interested in behaviour, welfare and clinical health issues relating to captive wildlife species, and free-roaming dogs. Previously, she has lived in China working as the Veterinary Director at the Animals Asia Foundation, an NGO working to end the trade in bear bile across Asia. She was one of the AWWC team members who helped to create its welfare guidelines.
Dr Cheryl Good
Cheryl Good owns and practices at Dearborn Family Pet Care in Dearborn, Michigan (USA). She was medical director of her local animal shelter run by Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit for 25 years. She has been a member of the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) Board of Directors for more than five years and is currently the Immediate Past President. She holds a range of other leadership roles, including serving on the Scientific Advisory Committee of American Humane for the Humane Certified Puppy Project.
Dr Susan Hazel
Susan Hazel worked in mixed and small animal practice in Australia and the UK and completed a PhD in medical research and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health. She now teaches animal behaviour, welfare, and ethics at the School of Animal & Veterinary Sciences at the University of Adelaide. She is Program Coordinator for the BSc (Animal Behaviour), teaches animal science and veterinary students, and actively researches human-animal interactions, focussing on dogs and cats.
Dr Ann Therese (Tess) Kommedal
Tess Kommedal held senior roles in shelter medicine in the US before returning to her home country of Norway where she now works in animal welfare while continuing to work internationally to educate veterinarians and owners about shelter medicine and animal welfare. In 2018 she released the Field Manual for Small Animal Medicine with Katherine Polak, a textbook for veterinarians and volunteers working in low resource communities. She works with AWAKE International, a Swedish NGO working to educate veterinarians in the third world.
Dr Katherine Polak
Katherine Polak is double-boarded in Shelter Medicine and Preventive Medicine and is currently Head of Stray Animal Care – Southeast Asia – for charity FOUR PAWS International based in Bangkok, Thailand. As part of her role, she operates a Southeast Asia Partnership Program to help local animal welfare groups to build capacity, train local veterinarians and operate community engagement programs. She also teaches in the Maddie’s Online Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida.
Dr Abdul Rahman
Abdul Rahman has a long and distinguished track record in animal welfare. Among other roles, he is the former Chairman of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Animal Welfare Working Group and a former Chairman and Member, OIE Ad hoc Group on Stray Dog Control and former Chairman of OIE Ad hoc Group on Welfare of Working Equids. He has served as a Consultant to Compassion in World Farming and World Animal Protection.