Winners announced for 2022 AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest

November 25, 2022

The 22nd annual American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Assessment Contest (AWJAC) took place at North Carolina State University recently, with 225 registrants representing 23 universities from across North America completing in-person assessments of the welfare of animals in a variety of settings — including University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College, and Atlantic Veterinary College.

Participants included undergraduates, veterinary students, graduate students and AVMA member veterinarians, who were provided a structured opportunity to practice their assessment skills and present their findings to an expert panel of scientists and veterinarians with special expertise in animal welfare.

All three Canadian teams performed exceptionally well, placing in various divisions. Join us in celebrating their accomplishments — the winners can be found below.

Individual winners in the Undergraduate Senior Division were:

1st place — Anna Nicklas, University of Guelph

Team winners in the Undergraduate Senior Division were:

3rd place — University of Guelph Team Gold

Individual winners in the Graduate Division were:

2nd place — Gillian Power, University of Guelph
4th place — Hannah Spitzer, Atlantic Veterinary College
5th place — Kiana McDole, University of Guelph

Team winners in the Graduate Division were:

2nd place — University of Guelph

Individual winners in the Veterinary Division were:

1st place — Jacob Maxwell, Ontario Veterinary College
3rd place — Shaela Hurley, Ontario Veterinary College
4th place — Emily Merry, Ontario Veterinary College
5th place — Nena Stanekovic, Ontario Veterinary College

Team winners in the Veterinary Division were:

1st place — Ontario Veterinary College, Team Gold
2nd place — Atlantic Veterinary College, Team 1
3rd place — Atlantic Veterinary College, Team 2
5th place — Ontario Veterinary College, Team Red

Top Placing Individuals in the Live Assessment were:

Graduate Individual — Hannah Spitzer, Atlantic Veterinary College

Top Placing Teams in the Live Assessment were:

Veterinary Team — Ontario Veterinary College, Team Gold

Huge congratulations to all the winners! Full list can be found here.