Dr. Henry Ceelen, Bovine Practitioner of the Year
Established in 1978 and currently sponsored by Boeringer Ingelheim, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) Bovine Practitioner of the Year Award honors a single beef or dairy veterinarian for outstanding contributions to the industry.
This year, during the recent annual conference, AABP presented Dr. Henry Ceelen, a dairy practitioner from Kemptville, Ontario, with the prestigious award.
Dr. Ceelen grew up on an Ontario dairy farm and graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) in 1981. He joined a mixed animal practice of Dr. John Henry in Kemptville, and in 1985, assumed ownership of the practice. In 2009, Ceelen merged the large animal portion of the practice with that of Prescott Animal Hospital to form Rideau-St. Lawrence Veterinary Services.
Dr. Ceelen is the Past President of the Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners, as well as a Past President of the Central Canada Veterinary Association and has served on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association.
Ceelen enjoys providing veterinary care to all species of animals including dogs, cats and horses, but his passion has always been for dairy cattle. He was one of the first graduates of the Dairy Health Management Certificate Program hosted by OVC. This program revolutionized dairy veterinary practice by emphasizing preventative animal care in contrast to a treatment and emergency care model. Henry strives to improve the performance and welfare of his cattle patients through preventative medicine, nutrition, and facility and housing design.
