Nave honored with AVMA Global Veterinary Service Award

The AVMA presented the AVMA Global Veterinary Service Award to Dr. James E. Nave Aug. 1 at a reception following the Global Health Summit at AVMA Convention 2022 in Philadelphia. The award recognizes outstanding service by an AVMA member who has contributed to international understanding of veterinary medicine.

Nominating Dr. Nave for the award were Dr. José Arce, 2021-22 AVMA president, and Dr. Douglas Kratt, 2021-22 AVMA immediate past president, citing “the significant impact that Dr. Nave has had throughout his career on the global veterinary profession.” Drs. Arce and Kratt highlighted a few examples of Dr. Nave’s impact as part of the AVMA’s global outreach efforts.

Dr. Nave (Missouri ’68), owner and manager of multiple animal hospitals in Las Vegas, served on the AVMA Executive Board, now called the AVMA Board of Directors, in the 1990s and served as 2000-01 president of the AVMA. While he was in these roles, he and others worked to build a strong relationship between the Mexican and U.S. veterinary professions. These efforts resulted in what is now known as the North American Veterinary Leadership Meeting, attended by leaders of the veterinary professions from the U.S., Mexico, and, since 2003, Canada.

At the same time, Dr. Nave was instrumental in strengthening the relationship among the AVMA, Canadian VMA, British Veterinary Association, Australian Veterinary Association, New Zealand Veterinary Association, and South African Veterinary Association through establishment of and participation in the group now known as the International Veterinary Officers Coalition.

Also in the late 1990s, Dr. Nave and others worked diligently to establish a relationship between the AVMA Council on Education and similar accrediting bodies in other areas of the world. Early interactions among these accrediting agencies led to the first meeting of the International Accreditors Working Group in 2002.

In June 2001, the AVMA Board established a new volunteer leadership position referred to as the globalization monitoring agent and appointed Dr. Nave to this position’s first six-year term. He was reappointed to a second six-year term in 2007.

In April 2007, the Board established the AVMA Committee on International Veterinary Affairs. Dr. Nave, as the AVMA globalization monitoring agent, chaired this new committee. Dr. Nave led early efforts to establish a centralized infrastructure for the AVMA’s international activities, anchored by the CIVA. These efforts included the following:

• Establishment of the Global Health Summit as an AVMA Convention event, held annually since 2009.
• Creating the staff position of associate director for international and diversity initiatives, which later evolved into two positions: director of global outreach and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer.
• Ongoing dialogue between AVMA leadership and leadership of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, which has resulted in the development of multiple joint position statements.
• The AVMA joining and establishing a formal liaison relationship with the World Small Animal Veterinary Association.
• Updating the description of the globalization monitoring agent to be more proactive and renaming the position as director of international affairs.

Dr. Nave’s tenure as director of international affairs concluded in 2013. “Yet his efforts to establish a centralized infrastructure to better coordinate the AVMA’s international activities live on today,” Drs. Arce and Kratt wrote. “Most importantly, his efforts and his vision have also helped create a more globally connected veterinary profession.”