A warm greeting to all our members; doctors, technicians, students, and staff,
Every year we are gifted with new members and new leaders, and this year is no different. I have enjoyed the good fortune of being mentored by Dr. Michelle Meyer for the past two years in order to better serve this ever-evolving organization. After an incredible celebration of TEN YEARS of the Cat Friendly Practice® Program and an appropriately themed conference, Enriching Feline Care and the Veterinary Experience, the torch has been passed to me.
I’m an exclusive feline practitioner, Cat Friendly Veterinarian, mom to twin 2nd-grade girls, wife to a brilliant entrepreneur and amateur poker player, book club leader, classically trained singer, amateur composer, and a terrible piano player. We are currently owned by one cat – his name is Chet Cheddarson, and he lives to shred cardboard boxes and be chauffeured in a pink baby buggy. He, like all woke cats, also loves Churu (I personally receive no sponsorship and have no affiliation with this company, it’s just a true statement).
I attended my first AAFP conference in 2009 in Denver, and as I write this, I am actively flying back there to enjoy the holiday with my extended family (and also their cats who we delight in visiting and are named after characters from The Wizarding World). As a student at that first conference, I was overwhelmingly impressed with the doctors I met and spoke with. The lectures were entirely feline-focused, and I took copious notes for practical applications upon graduation. I was welcomed into this kitty-adoring community with open arms and offers of jobs, free drinks, dinners, and even karaoke. If you know me even a little, I just can’t say no to karaoke! I met with organizers and let them know I was very interested in volunteering, and 13 years later I am officially the AAFP President. I spent this past meeting opening my arms, enjoying dinner with early career veterinarians, meeting with our generous sponsors, chatting with doctors and students at the numerous cocktail receptions, and dancing with friends old and new at our offsite event.
Over the course of this next year, I am most excited to spread the word about our Cat Friendly educational certificates and programs, especially to new generations of veterinary and technical students through our new Student Engagement Committee. We look forward to increasing our presence in schools to better serve our feline patients and assess the needs of new graduates while continuing to provide world-class education through our Spring into Feline Medicine eConference, the Annual Conference (in Memphis!), and our new magazine The Feline Practitioner. The magazine was the first of new offerings. Stay tuned for the launch of the AAFP Podcast Channel, Guidelines Briefs, JFMS Monthly, and a new member discount center in late January.
I hope that you are enjoying the season with friends and family, and in the words of one of my favorite creators, Greg Kata, Find your Joy!
Kira Ramdas, DVM
AAFP President, 2022-2023