Uckele is Ironman once again
Bolton Uckele, MWI sales rep in western Michigan, and subject of “Rep Spotlight” in the November/December 2009 issue of Veterinary Advantage, finished the Ford Ironman Cozumel in Cozumel, Mexico, on Nov. 29 in 13:04:59. He completed the 2.4-mile swim in 1:07; the 112-mile bicycle portion in 6:26; and the 26.2-mile marathon in 5:2. “My marathon was a bit slower, but it was 100 percent humidity and mid-80s, and coming from Michigan was a bit of an adjustment,” he said.
Uckele extends a big thanks to his wife and kids for putting up with all the training involved, as well as MWI, which paid for his entry fee (as it had for Ironman Wisconsin some time ago). “I am in a pretty relaxed and confident state after doing Ironman last week, and I am playing some GREAT Ice Hockey,” he wrote in early December. Even so, “I won’t be doing another [Ironman] any time soon,” he added.

AVMA adds Fisher as grassroots coordinator
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) announced it has hired Stephanie Fisher as its grassroots coordinator. Fisher is one of two members of the AVMA Communications Division who work at the AVMA Governmental Relations Division offices in Washington, D.C. She will be coordinating the AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network (CAN) and other grassroots efforts in support of the veterinary profession. This will include recruiting AVMA members to participate in the AVMA-CAN and providing them with up-to-date information and reports. She’ll also be working to expand AVMA’s outreach through social media, including Facebook. Fisher has extensive experience working in social media. She comes to the AVMA after completing a paid internship with the Software and Information Industry Association. Previously, she worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the New Zealand Writer’s Guild and for the Social Times, a social media research and tracking publication. Fisher graduated from American University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science.

Banfield, The Pet Hospital® adds Elliot as medical specialist/nutritionist
Banfield, The Pet Hospital, added Denise Elliott, BVSc (Hons), PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVN, as its medical specialist/nutritionist. Elliott will serve as part of the Medical Quality Advancement team at Banfield’s main campus in Portland, Ore., where she will lead nutrition counseling for doctors and paraprofessionals as well as develop nutritional continuing education programs. This new position serves as a joint partnership between Banfield and Royal Canin, in an effort to help Banfield’s clients understand the role nutrition plays in the overall health and wellness of Pets. From 2004 until 2009, Elliott served as the director of scientific affairs, Royal Canin USA, and most recently, as health and nutritional sciences director for the Americas for Royal Canin SAS in France.