Dr Ellen van Nierop

Board Member Status: President

Dr Ellen van Nierop is a Dutch veterinarian. She qualified from Ghent University in Belgium and now lives and works in Ecuador where she runs a small animal clinic in partnership with her husband who is also a veterinarian. In addition to her veterinary qualifications, Dr van Nierop has studied accounting and auditing and, in 2016, achieve a degree as an Engineer in Accounting and Auditing from the Ecuadorian Universidad Particular de Loja.

Dr van Nierop has been the Ecuadorian representative of the WSAVA for AMVEPE since 2009 and joined the WSAVA Executive Board, initially as Seventh Board Member and later as Treasurer.

Dr Siraya Chunekamrai

Board Member Status: Past President

Dr. Chunekamrai fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming an animal doctor as she was accepted into the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart university and upon graduation received a scholarship to further her studies at Cornell University. Her research and interests were in equine medicine and surgery, the field in which she based her practice on once she returned to Thailand in 1989.

Apart from her 2 practices, The Animal Farm Veterinary Hospital and the Horsepital Equine Surgery the first equine hospital in Thailand, she has founded the Thai Pony Foundation (formerly Lampang Pony Welfare Foundation) and Cambodia Pony Welfare Organization in 2003 and 2008.

She was elected President of the Veterinary Pracitioners Association of Thailand (VPAT) for 2 terms from 2006-2010, established the Thailand Animal Hospital Standards and Accreditation and now serves on its advisory board.

Dr. Chunekamrai was elected onto the executive board of The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) since 2011. She is currently the first female President of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association.

Dr Jim Berry

Board Member Status: Vice President

I graduated from the University of Guelph with a MSc in Wildlife Parasitology before pursuing a veterinary degree at the Ontario Veterinary College, Ontario, Canada in 1990. I worked in a mixed animal practice for one year before moving to a companion animal practice in the Ottawa valley. Over the next 5 years, I developed an interest in orthopaedic medicine and exotics.

My wife, daughter and I moved to the East coast of Canada in 1996. Over the following 11 years, I have expanded my interest in orthopedics and performance evaluations by branching out into acupuncture, massage and rehabilitation medicine.

Currently, I am the past president of the New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association, and the president-elect of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Associaton. I have also been a board member of the local SPCA and a marathon trainer for the Arthritis Society's Joints in Motion program.

Dr Oscar Umana

Board Member Status: Honorary Treasurer

Dr. Oscar Umaña is a Honduran/ Nicaraguan citizen, he graduated as a Veterinarian from the School of Veterinary Medicine of Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica in the year 2000, he began his professional career with a series of business ventures, with the conviction of maximizing the value offered to the community he serves.

In 2002 he was co-founder of Veterinarios Asociados in Managua, Nicaragua, a company dedicated to veterinary services in equine practice and companion animals. In 2007 services were extended to Costa Rica where he founded Hospital Veterinarios Asociados in San José, where he currently lives and works. In 2010 he co-founded Consulab (Grupo Albeitar), a company dedicated to services in Veterinary Clinical Pathology and Microbiology in Costa Rica.

In 2013 he completed an Executive MBA from INCAE Business School. Since then he participated in the creation of MEVEPES (Veterinary Companion Animal Association of Costa Rica) and has been a board Member since then, and consequently started his involvement in WSAVA. He has special interest for topics such as Leadership, Organizational Culture, Strategy and Pricing. He recently received his ICF Coaching Certification from Ignite Global and is currently working as a consultant for Private Practice owners throughout some countries in Latin America.

Dr Nalinika Obeyesekere

Board Member Status: Board Member

My association with WSAVA over the years enabled me to gain enriching technical knowledge, understanding of global issues, and opportunities to forge rewarding friendships with international colleagues. These rich experiences are a fundamental motivator to give back. To ensure others around the world can enjoy such impactful opportunities. I have dedicated my career to the WSAVA's goals. I believe I can contribute to the further advancement of these goals, particularly in Asia.

Dr Jerzy Gawor

Board Member Status: Board Member

Dr Jerzy Paweł Gawor (1966) graduated in April 1992. He received his PhD in 1996. Since January 2009 Fellow Academy of Veterinary Dentistry. In 2015 successfully completed re-quirements and became Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) and European Veterinary Dental College (EVDC). At present Dr Gawor provides dental teaching services in European School of Advanced Veterinary Studies in Europe and Asia.

His main field of professional activity is dentistry, head and neck surgery and oncology. Several hundred advanced dentistry procedures a year have resulted in a wealth of skill and practical knowledge. Published and presented over 120 publications in veterinary dentistry.

Felisbina Queiroga

Board Member Status: Board Member

Professor Felisbina Queiroga (1968) graduated in 1994 and obtained her doctoral degree in the same year. As of 2023, she has conducted 15 veterinary academic studies in Spain and Portugal, serving as both a leader and advisor in clinical trials for companion animals. Professor Felisbina Queiroga has also achieved numerous accomplishments in teaching and other related academic fields. She has published 58 papers on companion animal medicine and served as a member of editorial boards and peer reviewers for international scientific journals.

Currently, Professor Felisbina Queiroga is a member of the following professional associations:

- Ordem dos Médicos Veterinários (Veterinary Medical Association), the regulatory body for the veterinary industry in Portugal (since 1995)

- APMVEAC – Associação Portuguesa de Médicos Veterinários Especialistas em Animais de Companhia (Portuguese Association of Veterinary Specialists in Companion Animals) (since 1996)

- ESVONC – European Society of Veterinary Oncology (since 2002)

- Honorary member of ABROVET (Brazilian Veterinary Oncology Association) (since 2016)

- Honorary member of AMONCOVET (Mexican Veterinary Oncology Association) (since 2018)

Richard Casey

Executive Director

Prior to joining the veterinary world in 2011 Richard’s career was focussed in human resources for a variety of household names. Today, he is the Executive Director of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, and, Senior Vice President of VMG, the UK's leading veterinary leadership and management association. He holds an Executive MBA, Post Graduate Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management and an Associate of the CIPD. He is currently researching his Doctorate in Business Administration with a focus on strategic thinking. He believes anyone can achieve success in their careers regardless of their background, and that the key to this is having courage and kindness.