We are seeking TWO new veterinarians to be members of the WSAVA Hereditary Disease Committee (HDC):
- An active practitioner or clinician who has a developed interest in feline hereditary disease.
- An active practitioner or clinician who has a developed interest in companion animal hereditary disease.
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association formed a WSAVA Committee on Hereditary Disease with the following goals:
- Facilitate clinician diagnosis, treatment and control of hereditary diseases and genetic predispositions in dogs and cats, thereby improving the health of patients now and in future generations.
- Focus on clinical information, such as clinical signs, course of disease, diagnostic tests, therapy and genetic control relevant to the clinician.
- Assist in collaboration with national and international organizations regarding guidelines pertaining to hereditary disease and the responsible breeding of companion animals.
- Provide and facilitate scientific information on the genetic health of pedigreed and mixed-breed dogs and cats to educate veterinarians, veterinary students, breeders, breed organizations, governmental agencies, and the public.
- Collaborate on developing minimal competency standards regarding hereditary disease, genetic testing, and genetic counselling for graduating veterinary students and practicing veterinarians.
- Provide and facilitate continuing education on practical and novel clinical genetic aspects at the WSAVA conferences and other international & national conferences as well as on the web.
For more information, visit the website: https://www.wsava.org/Committees/Hereditary-Disease-Committee
Expectations of the HDC Member
- The candidate should be an active practitioner or clinician with experience and desire in addressing companion animal hereditary disease. Advanced qualification in genetics, relevant activities, productive research, and/or publication in peer-reviewed journals will be considered positively but is not a requirement.
- Ideally, the candidate will also be a member of a WSAVA association. However, exceptions may be made to allow for required expertise.
- The candidate should be knowledgeable about and willing to work closely with international organizations.
- The candidate needs to make themselves available to participate in periodic HDC meetings including virtual/online and face-to-face meetings as deemed necessary by the committee and chair.
- The candidate needs to be willing to work on HDC projects towards the improvement of the genetic health of companion animals.
Time Commitment
- The tenure of committee members is a three year term, with an option for a second term. The average time required each month will be dependent on the committees’ activities, which may be more or less at certain periods of the year, or at times when the committee is actively working on project(s). Committees may have one, sometimes two, face to face meetings per year, and virtual meetings as needed. On average, you can expect to provide from two to four hours of time to the role each month, including e-mail communications and working on projects.
Renumeration for this role
- All WSAVA committee members are volunteers. However, reasonable expenses occurred whilst carrying out WSAVA duties will be reimbursed, in accordance with our travel and expenses policy.
Application Process
- Applicant must provide, in English and via this dedicated link:
- Complete Application form
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letter of Intent
- Declaration of any Conflicts of Interest
- Letter of Support from WSAVA Member Association*
- Applications should be submitted via this link: https://form.jotform.com/240654422981458
- Uncomplete applications will not be considered
- Applications should be submitted before April 21, 2024
*All nominees for membership of any WSAVA committee/group are required to provide a letter of Good Standing from the WSAVA member organisation of which they are a member. This requirement does not apply to nominees who are not members of a WSAVA organisation (e.g. non-veterinarians) whose expertise may be necessary for specialist committees/groups. A person of Good Standing is defined as someone who has complied with all explicit obligations of the association and who is not subject to any form of sanction, suspension or disciplinary censure. This letter is not a recommendation from the association that the nominee is the best person for the position. WSAVA committee positions are not chosen by member organisations – the Committee Chair ultimately decides on the best candidate for the position and the choice is ratified by the Leadership and Nominations Committee and the Executive Board. This letter indicates only that the WSAVA member association has no objection to the nomination.