Dr Ceclilia Villaverde will co-chair the WSAVA's Global Nutrition Committee.

Dr Cecilia Villaverde will co-chair the organisation's Global Nutrition Committee.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has named Dr Cecilia Villaverde as co-chair of its Global Nutrition Committee (GNC).

Dr Villaverde, who succeeds Dr Gregg Takashima, will work alongside fellow co-chair Dr Marge Chandler and GNC members to provide continuing education and resources to support optimal nutrition for dogs and cats.

Commenting on her appointment, Dr Villaverde said: “Owners want the best for their pets but face an onslaught of confusing or simply wrong information about nutrition, and it can be hard for them to navigate their way. Veterinary healthcare teams should, of course, be the first port of call for advice on nutrition.”

A European specialist in veterinary and comparative nutrition, Dr Villaverde currently works as a nutrition consultant in Ireland. Before this, she undertook a small animal nutrition residency at the University of California, Davis, and led the nutrition service at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain. She has been a member of the GNC for the past eight years.

As chair of the GNC, Dr Villaverde will head up one of the WSAVA’s longest-serving committees - advocating the importance of high-quality nutrition for companion animals and the role of veterinary professionals as expert sources of nutritional information. Key to this will be promoting the WSAVA’s Global Nutrition Guidelines and Global Nutrition Toolkit, which have been created for use by veterinary teams.

Dr Villaverde continued: “We hope they will find that the educational resources we have created in the Global Nutrition Guidelines and accompanying Toolkit, give them the confidence to engage proactively with owners on the subject of nutrition and put them on the right path to feeding their pets an appropriate and well-formulated diet.”

GNC’s members are based across the globe and hold various roles within the profession. They also lecture and publish widely on all aspects of nutrition for companion animals. 

Commenting on Dr Villaverde’s appointment, Dr Marge Chandler said: “Working with Gregg Takashima was a joy, and we miss him very much. He made an immeasurable contribution to the GNC.

“I am delighted to welcome my new Co-Chair, Dr Cecilia Villaverde, an ACVN and ECVCN diplomate. The GNC has already achieved a great deal this year, including the updating of the resources in our Global Nutrition Toolkit. We have even more planned for the second half of 2021.”