Contact:
Kim Ralston, MVMA Communications
573-636-8612
Email: kralston@movma.org
AREA VETERINARIANS ATTEND MISSOURI VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION’S 132nd ANNUAL CONVENTION
Over 600 veterinarians, veterinary technicians, practice staff and veterinary students attended the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association’s 133rd Annual Convention on January 30-February 2, 2025 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center, Columbia, Mo. The convention offered over 60 continuing education lectures to participants.
Newly installed officers include:
David Wilson, DVM – President, Columbia, Mo.
Lynn Martin, DVM – President-Elect, Columbia, Mo.
Jason Nickell, DVM – Vice President, Parkville, Mo.
Shelia Taylor, DVM – Secretary/Treasurer, Springfield, Mo.
Kacie Ulhorn, DVM – Board Chair, Hermann, Mo.
Julie Braun, Jefferson City, Mo., serves as Executive Director
Awards included:
Mel Falk, DVM, Independence, Mo., was honored as the recipient of the coveted 2025 Veterinarian of the Year Award. Matthew Silvius, DVM, Riverside, Mo., presented the award to Dr. Falk at the ceremony.
He is past-president of the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA). He has also served on several committees of the MVMA; including as the MVMA Political Action Committee Chairman where he helped greatly increase donations to the program. He was also a charter member of the first animal emergency clinic in Eastern Jackson County and on the executive board for several years.
Dr. Falk’s civic activities include volunteering as a nation officer of the YMCA’s Indian Guides, coaching many of his sons’ basketball teams, and continues to volunteer as elder and on the building committee at his church, Timothy Lutheran in Blue Springs, Mo. Dr. Falk enjoys traveling with wife, Koko, and spending more time with four sons and their families since retirement.
The Missouri Veterinary Medical Association’s Veterinarian of the Year award is the premiere recognition bestowed by the association. The award winner is determined annually by the MVMA Board members, who represent over 1,700 veterinary members of the MVMA in Missouri. The recipient of this highest honor is chosen based on their impeccable reputation as a skilled and knowledgeable veterinarian, their dedication and service to their patients and clients, their service as an integral participant in their community, the engagement and leadership in organized veterinary medicine, their mentorship to our future veterinarians, the admiration and respect held for them among their peers, and the positive impact they have had on the lives they have touched.
The MVMA’s annual President’s Award is given to individuals who were instrumental to the President’s efforts to advance the veterinary profession for the betterment of animal health in the state.
Kacie Ulhorn, DVM, Hermann, Mo., MVMA past president, presented this year’s award to her husband, Tim Ulhorn. Kacie and Tim have four children Leland, Logyn, Jentry, and Nelson. They have three dogs, a cat, and a small beef herd.
Laura Moon, DVM, Fayette, Mo., received the MVMA’s Ortu Stella Award. The award for early career leadership was presented to Dr. Moon by Dr. Lynn Martin, Columbia, Mo.
The Ortu Stella recipient must in some way shine brightly, aid comrades in navigating the veterinary profession, assist in illuminating the path for those around them, and/or demonstrate that they habitually strive to rise to the occasion.
Dr. Moon graduated from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 2018. She is currently a practitioner at Green Hills Veterinary Clinic in Moberly, Mo. She enjoys working with all species and has a passion for dentistry, and reproductive medicine. When not at work Dr. Moon can be found spending time with her husband Rodney and their dog Pretzel.
The MVMA 2025 Legislative Leadership Award was presented to Senator Lincoln Hough, Springfield, Mo. The award is in recognition for legislative leadership consistent with the MVMA mission; the protection of animal health and welfare; the relief of animal suffering; the conservation of animal resources; and the advancement of public health.
Senator Lincoln Hough was re-elected to the Missouri Senate in 2022. He began his public service career in 2011, being elected to the Missouri House of Representatives and later as the Greene County Commissioner.
He graduated from Missouri State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. A first generation rancher, he has solely owned and operated his cattle ranch since middle school. Senator Hough has volunteered for the Greene County and Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and currently serves on the Greene County Farm Bureau Board of Directors.
Marcy Hammerle, DVM, Troy, Mo., received the Distinguished Service Award from the Missouri Veterinary Medical Foundation (MVMF).Dr. Cindy Vedder, Fulton, Mo. presented the award to Dr. Hammerle.
Dr. Hammerle is a 2003 graduate of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. She is the owner of The Pet Doctor, an AAHA accredited, three doctor small animal practice in O’Fallon, MO. She is also past-president of the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association.
Robert Hertzog, DVM, Independence, Mo., received the MVMA Academy Distinguished Service Award. The award was presented posthumously to Dr. Hertzog’s son, Dr. David Hertzog, who accepted the award on his behalf. Dr. Pete Rucker, Excelsior Springs, Mo., presented the award.
Dr. Hertzog was a lifetime-retired member of the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA). He graduated from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 1969. He was a founding member of the MVMA Academy which recently celebrated it’s 50th anniversary.
MVMA Academy Distinguished Service Award recipients are individuals who have rendered meritorious service to promoting and advancing continuing education in the veterinary profession.
2025 MVMA Academy officers include:
Laura Moon, DVM – President, Fayette, Mo.
Erica Nowlin, DVM – Vice President, Blue Springs, Mo.
2025 Missouri Veterinary Medical Foundation officers include:
Philip R. Brown, DVM – Co-Chair, Springfield, Mo.
Scott Fray, DVM – Co-Chair, Boonville, Mo.
Marcy Hammerle, Vice-chair, St. Charles, Mo
Bruce Addison – Secretary/Treasurer, Fayette, Mo.
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The Missouri Veterinary Medical Association is the society for veterinarians in the state, dedicated to maintaining the highest standards for professionalism and ethics in animal healthcare in Missouri. The association was founded to help the veterinarian better serve the health and welfare of animals and their owners.
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