Fairmont, MN, swine practitioner Paul Ruen, DVM, was installed as the 41st president of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) during the association’s annual meeting in Omaha, NE, earlier this month.

Ruen has been a practitioner at the Fairmont Veterinary Clinic in Fairmont, MN, since 1992. The goal during his term is to keep the AASV focused on providing members with the necessary tools for professional growth and leadership.

Ruen has been active in the AASV since 1988 and a district director on the AASV board of directors from 2005-2008. He served as vice president of the AASV in 2008 and president-elect of the group in 2009.

He grew up in southeastern Minnesota and graduated in 1992 from the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Other AASV officers for 2010 include: president-elect, Randy Jones, DVM, Kinston, NC; vice president, Tara Donovan, DVM, Richland Center, WI; immediate past president, Butch Baker, DVM, Ames, IA; and executive director, Tom Burkgren, DVM, Perry, IA.

Eric Neumann, DVM, was named the 2010 recipient of the AASV’s Foundation Hogg Scholarship, established in 2008 in honor of Alex Hogg, DVM, who was a leader in swine medicine and pursued a master’s degree in veterinary pathology after 20 years in a mixed-animal practice. The $10,000 scholarship is awarded to an AASV member who has been accepted into a qualified graduate program to further education after years as a swine practitioner.

Neumann is a senior lecturer in pig medicine and epidemiology at the EpiCentre at Massey University in New Zealand where he is pursuing a PhD. His research interests involve the development of optimizing techniques for disease surveillance at a lower cost. He also serves as the project manager for the Masters of Veterinary Medicine/Masters of Public Health in Biosecurity at the university.

Neumann previously served as the director of swine health and information at the National Pork Board. From 1995 to 2003, he was the manager of veterinary services for Heartland Pork Enterprises in Iowa.