Dr. Michael Q. Bailey announces 2026 AVMA President's Award winners

(Schaumburg, Illinois) June 23, 2026-In one of his final acts as president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Dr. Michael Q. Bailey presented AVMA President's Awards to three exceptional individuals who have demonstrated unwavering commitment and dedication to the veterinary profession.

This year's recipients are Drs. Jody Lulich, Beth Sabin and Pamela Tuomi.

Dr. Jody Lulich

Dr. Jody Lulich is the Osborne/Hills Endowed Chair in Nephrology and Urology, director of the Minnesota Urolith Center and a professor of internal medicine at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, he has earned an international reputation as a clinical investigator and educator devoted to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of urinary tract disease in companion animals.

Dr. Lulich earned his veterinary degree from Tuskegee University and completed an internship, residency and doctorate at the University of Minnesota, where he has spent his career. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 200 book chapters and has secured more than $6 million in research funding. Among his most notable contributions is the development of voiding urohydropropulsion, a nonsurgical technique that removes uroliths from the urinary bladder in seconds. His research has advanced understanding of calcium oxalate and other urolith types, including their epidemiology, dissolution and prevention.

His work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Mark L. Morris Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine's Specialty Lifetime Achievement Award for Small Animal Internal Medicine and the Norden-Pfizer-Zoetis Distinguished Teacher Award. He was named 2007 Speaker of the Year at the North American Veterinary Conference and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Tuskegee Veterinary Alumni Association in 2009. Dr. Lulich also served as president of the Research on Calculi Kinetics (R.O.C.K.) Society, the first veterinarian to hold that office, and is the author of the memoir "In the Company of Grace: A Veterinarian's Memoir of Trauma and Healing."

"Dr. Lulich has distinguished himself as one of veterinary medicine's leading experts in nephrology and urology, dedicating his career to advancing the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of urinary tract disease in companion animals," said Dr. Bailey. "His groundbreaking research, exceptional teaching, and leadership of the Minnesota Urolith Center have improved the lives of countless animals and inspired generations of veterinary professionals. This award is a fitting tribute to his extraordinary impact on the profession."

Dr. Beth Sabin

Dr. Beth Sabin retired from the AVMA on January 31, 2026, after more than 27 years of service to the association. She joined the AVMA in 1998 as an assistant editor, serving as a scientific editor for the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Journal of Veterinary Research before advancing through a series of increasingly senior staff roles over the next quarter century.

From 2001 to 2012, Dr. Sabin served as assistant director of education and research, acting as a primary staff consultant to the AVMA Council on Research, the American Board of Veterinary Specialties, the Committee on International Veterinary Affairs and the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates. She went on to serve as associate director of international and diversity initiatives before being named director of global outreach in 2017, a position in which she served as primary staff consultant to the AVMA Committee on International Veterinary Activities.

Throughout her career, Dr. Sabin worked closely with AVMA staff and volunteer leaders to assess, develop and implement policies and programs supporting the association's international activities, and she helped launch the AVMA's earliest diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. She earned her veterinary degree from the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine and a doctorate in immunology from Cornell University, and began her career as an immunology scientist before joining the AVMA.

"This award recognizes Dr. Sabin's many years of dedication as an AVMA employee and her contributions to the profession through her work supporting the association's international activities and the initiation of the AVMA's diversity, equity, and inclusion programs," said Dr. Bailey. "Her longstanding service and commitment have had a lasting impact on AVMA members and the profession worldwide."

Dr. Pamela Tuomi

Over a career spanning more than five decades, Dr. Pamela Tuomi has shaped the veterinary profession as a clinician, mentor, researcher and leader, with an impact felt across small animal practice, emergency care and wildlife and marine mammal medicine. She earned her veterinary degree from Washington State University in 1970 as one of only three women in her graduating class, then founded College Village Animal Clinic in Anchorage, Alaska, where she built a lasting culture of learning and mentorship.

Dr. Tuomi developed an early interest in wildlife and exotic animal medicine that would shape much of her career. Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, she served as a staff veterinarian at otter rehabilitation centers in Alaska, responsible for the medical care of oil-contaminated sea otters from capture through release, and helped develop sea otter treatment protocols. She contributed to the "CRC Handbook of Marine Mammal Medicine" and remained active in marine mammal and bird research as a consultant on state and federal wildlife projects in Alaska and Canada.

When the Alaska SeaLife Center opened in 1997, Dr. Tuomi became its senior veterinarian, pioneering treatments for marine species and mentoring interns for more than two decades before transitioning to emeritus status in 2018. She also helped found Pet Emergency Treatment, Alaska's first 24-hour veterinary emergency hospital, and held numerous leadership roles, including president of the Alaska Veterinary Medical Association, member of the State Board of Veterinary Examiners and president of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine. Her fieldwork has spanned Alaska, Canada, Russia and Antarctica, encompassing the capture, surgery and health assessment of sea otters, seals, Steller sea lions and sea ducks.

"This award recognizes Dr. Tuomi's distinguished career, which spans companion animal practice, emergency medicine, wildlife and marine mammal care, and mentorship of countless veterinary professionals," said Dr. Bailey. "Through her expertise and unwavering commitment to animals, her colleagues, and the broader profession, she has had lasting impact in Alaska and far beyond. This award is well-deserved recognition for an extraordinary career dedicated to advancing veterinary medicine."

To learn more about the AVMA President's Award and past recipients, visit https://www.avma.org/awards.

For more information, contact Michael San Filippo, senior media relations manager, at 847-732-6194 (cell) or [email protected].