OVC Faculty Members Honoured by the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association

Drs. Jason Coe and Shane Bateman celebrated with OVMA Awards 

The Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) honoured two faculty members from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) for their work at this year’s OVMA conference and trade show. The OVMA awards are presented to veterinarians annually, honouring their dedication to improving the veterinary profession each and every day. 

Dr. Jason Coe 

Dr. Jason Coe received the Award of Merit, which recognizes individuals for their practice of and distinguished public service to veterinary medicine. Dr. Coe, a professor in OVC’s Department of Population Medicine and VCA Canada Chair in Relationship-Centered Veterinary Medicine, has established an international reputation for his leadership in veterinary communications, primary-care veterinary education and understanding of the human-animal relationship.  

A founding member and past chair of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges’ Primary Care Veterinary Educators, Dr. Coe has also sat on the boards of PetSmart Charities of Canada and the International Council for Veterinary Assessment – the organization that oversees veterinary tests and assessments to ensure animal health and welfare. In 2022, he founded the research program Relationship-Centered Veterinary Medicine at OVC, which examines human-animal relationships and the role of interpersonal communications on veterinary care outcomes. Their team has recently been exploring practice models to support the development of more sustainable business operations and enhance the functioning and well-being of veterinary teams. 

Dr. Shane Bateman 

Dr. Shane Bateman received the Outstanding Veterinarian Award, which is presented to a veterinarian for their outstanding contributions to the profession. Dr. Bateman is an associate professor in OVC’s Department of Clinical Studies and a specialist clinician in the Emergency and Critical Care Service at OVC’s Health Sciences Centre. Dr. Bateman is a leader in delivering a spectrum of high-quality care to made-vulnerable communities and providing low-cost preventative veterinary care to First Nations communities. 

In his role at OVC, Dr. Bateman leads research focusing on community medicine, the human-animal bond and innovative approaches to treating emergency and critical care patients in veterinary medicine. He also served as the Interim Director for the Community Healthcare Partnership Program (CHPP), which aims to provide student veterinarians with the necessary skills to care for companion animals in under-resourced and made-vulnerable communities.  

The OVC community extends our congratulations to both Dr. Jason Coe and Dr. Shane Bateman.