A Brazilian veterinarian working at the Université de Montréal, Canada, Dr Bea Monteiro, PhD, PgDip, ISFM, AdvCert, FB, has been announced as the new chair of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Global Pain Council.
Bea, a current member of the Global Pain Council, succeeds Dr Duncan Lascelles in leading the efforts to raise global levels of confidence and competence among veterinary professionals in recognizing and managing pain in companion animals.
A key focus for the Global Pain Council this year is to launch an updated version of its Global Pain Guidelines. The current version is the WSAVA’s most frequently accessed free resource for veterinary professionals.
Following graduation from São Paulo State University (Unesp – Botucatu), Brazil, Bea Monteiro moved to Canada, where she completed two internship programs at the University of Guelph and obtained a PhD on chronic pain from the University of Montréal. She works as a research advisor at the University of Montréal, focusing on the assessment and treatment of pain in animals to enhance welfare. The laboratory in which she works has developed globally recognised pain management tools, such as the Feline Grimace Scale.
Commenting on her new role as WSAVA Global Pain Council Chair, she said: “It is an exciting time to become Chair of the Global Pain Council. Our first set of Global Pain Guidelines have proved a benchmark for veterinarians around the world so we are excited to be launching our updated Guidelines later this year, during WSAVA World Congress in Lima, Peru.
“I’m particularly delighted to become Chair at a time at which the veterinary profession is engaging with the concepts of both One Health and One Welfare. It is my hope that the WSAVA’s global community can help to drive understanding of these important subjects so that we can improve the lives of animals, people and the beautiful planet we live on. We are all ‘nature’ and need to take care of all that surrounds us.”
The work of the Global Pain Council is kindly supported by Zoetis.
The WSAVA’s Hereditary Disease Committee has also announced new member Dr Becky Murphy. Becky, a graduate of Massey University, New Zealand, owns TCI GlenBred, a veterinary practice limited to canine inherited disease screening and theriogenology and has been the Dogs New Zealand (NZ Kennel Club) Veterinarian since 2016.
The WSAVA Hereditary Disease Committee aims to facilitate the clinical 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. Its work is kindly supported by the Purina Institute.
