Contacts:
Kelly Loftus, Agency of Agriculture, (802) 828-3829

Monday, July 6, 2009

Montpelier, Vt - Dr. Michael Wood, assistant state veterinarian with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is the 2009 recipient of the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association’s Dave Walker Award. This award was presented to Dr. Wood on June 18th by the Association during their recent summer meeting in Burlington. David Walker was a Vermont veterinarian who exemplified the highest standards of veterinary medicine in a rural setting most every day of his life. He was a strong advocate for animal health, agriculture, as well as the well-being of veterinarians themselves. He tirelessly served not only our state association, but the veterinarian profession as a whole.

The Dave Walker Award is not presented annually. Instead, it is offered only when the activities, energy, and contributions of a single Vermont veterinarian selflessly and continuously, year after year, go above and beyond the call of duty. Dr. Wood was nominated and unanimously selected by a decade of prior Dave Walker Award recipients.

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Wood’s accomplishments recognized with the Dave Walker Award,” said Agriculture Secretary Roger Allbee. “Working with him day in and day out we are fortunate to have the opportunity to experience first-hand his professionalism, compassion and thoughtfulness. It is gratifying that someone so deserving of this prestigious recognition is part of our team here at the agency of agriculture.”

“This year's recipient actually began his veterinary career in engineering. In fact, after giving the rigorous engineering program at RPI his all for almost a whole four weeks, our recipient soon found himself back on the family dairy farm in Saratoga County,” quipped Rick Baum, president of the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association at the awards ceremony.

Dr. Wood was raised on the family dairy farm in Saratoga County, New York and received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1969 from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. Upon graduation, he joined Middlebury Large Animal Clinic, where he practiced for five years before establishing the Cornwall Large Animal Clinic in Cornwall, Vermont. During Dr. Wood’s career in large animal ambulatory practice, he provided services for large dairies and smaller producers and livestock owners in Addison and Rutland Counties. Under Dr. Wood’s and his partner’s, Dr. Robert Taylor, ownership, Cornwall Large Animal Clinic’s steady growth necessitated the addition of five more veterinarians and facilitated a merger that eventually resulted in the formation of Valleywide Veterinary Services, a practice that still services the livestock industry of this area.

“In rural Vermont, with the closeness of communities, repeated visits to the family farms, and small town atmosphere, the large animal veterinarian, over time, serves more rolls than just medicine. Our recipient became a small animal practitioner, MD, marriage counselor, and therapist for the farming community. In fact, he was often “pre-consulted” by some as to whether they should call their regular family physician. Such responsibilities and consultations are not achieved through a title or college degree, but through honesty, compassion, patience, reliability, and the building of trust, all personal traits far to uncommon in the world today,” Baum further described Dr. Wood.

Dr. Wood’s additional professional accomplishments include having served as chairman of the Vermont Board of Veterinary Medicine and as president of the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association. In 2003, Dr. Wood retired from general practice and sought employment with the Agency of Agriculture as the assistant state veterinarian where he continues to serve Vermont producers and the state’s agricultural industry with the same dedication that he displayed in private practice. In addition to his role with the agency, Dr. Wood serves on the Board of the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association, where he is involved in making decisions that affect the veterinary membership as well as the clients and animals that they serve. The only thing that exceeds Dr. Wood’s commitment to veterinary medicine is his commitment to his family, his wife Nancy, three daughters, and six grandchildren.