Ontario Veterinary College professor Theresa Bernardo was recognized with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) XIIth International Veterinary Congress Prize during the recent AVMA Conference in Washington, D.C.
John de Jong, AVMA President, presents the XIIth International Veterinary Congress Prize to OVC Prof. Theresa Bernardo.
The AVMA XIIth International Veterinary Congress Prize recognizes an AVMA member who has contributed to international understanding of veterinary medicine.
An OVC DVM 1984 graduate, Bernardo is the IDEXX Chair in Emerging Technologies and Bond-Centered Animal Healthcare and a professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College.
Bernardo is a world renowned innovator in the areas of information technology and cutting edge processes with a decade of experience in the United Nations and Inter-American systems in health informatics. She co-developed multilingual disease surveillance/mapping software used in over 100 countries, and adopted by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the UN.
She also headed knowledge management and communication for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), part of the United Nations system. Working with PAHO, she looked at new ways to use technology to save lives in disasters, such as the worldwide flu epidemic (H1N1) and Haiti earthquake.
She has also served as director of information technology at Michigan State University and has contributed to numerous professional organizations, including the AVMA and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.
Bernardo is currently leading a Working Group on Informatics as part of a nascent initiative to develop the Global Burden of Animal Disease, with support from the Gates Foundation and the OIE.
The AVMA Excellence Awards are driven by members who nominate peers and colleagues for recognition, providing an opportunity to honor a mentor, colleague, or peer to have their accomplishments showcased to the entire profession.