Dr. Sharman Hoppes is the 2022 Lafeber Avian Practitioner of the Year
It is with great pleasure that we announced that our very own Dr. Sharman Hoppes, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice) has been awarded the 2022 T.J. Lafeber Avian Practitioner of the Year Award.
Lafeber is a well-known US company that specialized in pet bird food manufacture. For the last two decades, the company has worked with veterinaries and nutritionists to develop nutritionally balanced foods for companion birds. Lafeber Co. also works to educate the pet bird owner community and the general public on a variety of topics related to pet bids such as proper housing, yearly veterinary checks, and bird enrichment activities. Additionally, the company supports psittacine conservation efforts in the wild and spreads the word about different research and conservation projects that work with pet bird species in the wild.
The “Lafeber Avian Practitioner of the year” award is presented every year to an outstanding practitioner who is advancing the quality of health care for companion birds. An independent committee of members from the Association of Avian Veterinarians selects the recipient from a pool of candidates that were nominated by the general public. The selection criteria include clinical excellence and innovation as well as promotion of the profession, contribution to the knowledge base and caring and compassion for avian patients and clients.
Dr. Hoppes is the owner of Texas Avian & Exotic Hospital in Grapevine, Texas, and Professor Emerita of the zoological medicine service at Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine. She has been part of The Macaw Society team since 2009 and has led the numerous US and international veterinary students on their wildlife rotations in our field site in Tambopata. She has been an instrumental piece in our wild macaw tracking research and especially in our wild macaws as foster parents’ program. Her dedication, knowledge, and extraordinary performance in the field have inspired many young veterinary professionals to participate in wild psittacine research projects like ours.
We are extremely excited about this recognition of her career and dedication.
Please, join us in congratulating Dr. Hoppes!
