Who are we?
AFSCAN – Who We Are
Board Members
Dr. Gabriel Varga, President
Chairman
President of the WSAVA Foundation and Director of Business Operations and Strategy for NE at Zoetis heads the Project Board. Having trained in the Slovak Republic, Dr Varga has first-hand experience of how the creation of sustainable veterinary networks accelerated the growth of veterinary practice in Eastern Europe, an approach he replicated in Asia and Latin America during his term as President of the WSAVA in 2002-2004.
Mary Marcondes, DVM, M.Sc., PhD
Mary Marcondes qualified as a veterinary surgeon from the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, andcompleted a Residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine and Surgery at the same University. She holds an MSc in Clinical Veterinary Science fromSão Paulo State University (UNESP) and aPhD in Clinical Veterinary Science fromthe University of São Paulo (USP). Maryheld postdoctoral positions in infectious diseases at the Department of Pathology,University of São Paulo Medical School, and at Dr Janet Foley’s Laboratory in Infectious Disease, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis.Sheworked atSão Paulo State University from 1992 to 2018, from where she retired as an Associate Professor of small animal internal medicine and infectious diseases. Her research focuses on companion-animal infectious diseases.Currently, sheserves asthe Chair of theWSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) and is a member of the AFSCAN Project Board (WSAVA Foundation). She continues an active program of delivering continuing education in vaccinology and management of vector-borne and infectious diseases.
Dr. Kevin Stevens
Email: kvet@eastcoast.co.za
Cel: +27824486449
Biography
- Dr Kevin Paterson Stevens BVSc, BSc. Agric (Animal Science), MRCVS.
- Born in Newcastle, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa on 16th August 1962.
- Matriculated in 1979; Rotary Youth Exchange Programme-Australia 1980.
- University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg 1981-1984.
- Graduated with BSc. Agric. (Animal Science) in 1984.
- University of Pretoria-1985 to 1990.
- Graduated from Onderstepoort in 1990 with BVSc.
- Part time research employment in Department Parasitology under Prof. Reynecke from 1985 to 1988. Nematode research predominantly.
- Part time employment: 1987 to 1988 doing R and D work on new parasiticides.
- Private practice Vet House, Pietermaritzburg 1990.
- SA Defence Force National Service-National service: Allerton Regional Veterinary Laboratory; SA Police Dog unit; Durban SPCA 1991.
- Private practice Umhlanga Veterinary Clinic 1991-1992-mixed practice with large equine component.
- Purchased Ballito Veterinary Clinic in 1992-mixed practice including Bovine, Equine, Avian and predominantly Canine and Feline.
- Upgraded facility to Ballito Veterinary Hospital: 1998-2019 (current).
- Committees:
- Founder member Dolphin Coast SPCA(DCSPCA).
- Chairman DCSPCA-1998 to 2000.
- Exec member National Veterinary Clinicians Group 2001-2012.
- SAVA Congress 2000 organizing committee.
- SAVA FEDCO member 2002-2010.
- SAVA EXCO member 2004-2007.
- SAVA PR Chairman-2004-2008.
- Institute of Veterinary Practice Development Chairman, KZN, 2002-2004.
- Chairman National Veterinary Clinicians Group 2007-2010
- Local Host Chairman WSAVA 2014 South Africa
- Congress Steering Committee Chairman 2015-2019
- WSAVA L and C Committee 2015-2017
- AFSCAN Board member 2018-current
- AFSCAN Twinning Co-ordinator 2018-2019
Website: View bio on website
Committees
Congress Steering Committee(CSC): Chairperson
AFSCAN Board member 2018-current
AFSCAN Twinning Co-ordinator 2018-2019
Dr. Remo Lobetti
Remo Lobetti graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Onderstepoort, University of Pretoria in 1987. In 1990 completed a BVSc (Hons), 1995 an MMedVet (Med) degree, and a PhD in 2005. In 1997 achieved board certification by the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Remo worked in general practice before joining the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria in 1992 initially as senior lecturer, then associate professor and then as Section Head of Small Animal Medicine. From 2001 to 2022 has been an internist at Bryanston Veterinary Hospital in Johannesburg. Currently is an internist at Veterinary Specialists Ireland. He is actively involved in teaching and has presented numerous papers both locally and internationally and has written and co-authored numerous scientific papers, review articles and book chapters in various aspects of small animal medicine. Although Remo has a research interest in infectious diseases, his clinical interest is in all aspects of small animal internal medicine.
Dr. Derick Mwinambo Chibeu
VETERINARY SURGEON, Sercombe Veterinary Surgeons, Karen, Nairobi, Kenya (1997 – Present)
ASSISTANT COURSE VETERINARIAN, JOCKEY CLUB OF KENYA.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
- 1992 – 1997 UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI, KENYA (BACHELOR OF VETERINARY MEDICINE, BVM).
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
- KENYA SMALL AND COMPANION ANIMAL VETERINARY ASSOCIATION:
- Secretary 2015 – 2019;
- Chairman 2019 – present.
- KENYA VETERINARY BOARD:
- Vice-chair of the CPD sub-committee 2009 -2013;
- Member ad hoc committee for developing Veterinary Telemedicine guidelines (2020);
- Member Board of Directors (2023- 2026)
- World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA):
- Co — Chair Professional Wellness Group
- Continuing Education Coordinator for Southern Africa
- AFSCAN Country Ambassador for Kenya (2018 – 2022)
- AFSCAN Board Member (2023 – )
Derick qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 1997 from the University of Nairobi’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. He immediately went into full time private practice as a veterinary surgeon by joining Sercombe Veterinary Surgeons, a family – owned, mixed equine-companion animal practice in the Karen suburb of Nairobi. He still practices at Sercombe Veterinary Surgeons and has overseen its growth from an initially “two-vet” practice to currently a five –vet practice.
Derick has been actively involved in veterinary matters. He was pivotal in the development of veterinary continuing education guidelines in Kenya. He has also served as a member of the East African Community panel for negotiating the veterinary profession Mutual Recognition Agreement among veterinarians in partner states. In 2014, Derick teamed up with some 10 other Kenyan colleagues to form the Kenya Small and Companion Animal Veterinary Association (KESCAVA) which has successfully grown to have a membership of 140, is an AFSCAN member country as well as a full member of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). In 2018, Derick was appointed as Co-chair of the WSAVA’s Professional Wellness Group whose objective is to develop global wellness and wellbeing guidelines for veterinary professionals. He is also a member of the WSAVA Continuing Education committee and a board member of AFSCAN.
His passion in the course of public service is eradication of Rabies and public education on responsible pet ownership and companion animal welfare.
Derick loves traveling; and prefers to listen to Rhumba, Classical and Old School / soul music. He is a wildlife enthusiast and enjoys reading novels. He is a sports fanatic of football, rugby, cycling and Liverpool FC – YNWA!
Dr. Rafael Vieira
Dr. Rafael Vieira is currently an Assistant Professor of One Health in the Department of Public Health Sciencesand Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks CIPHER at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC-Charlotte). He completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) at Federal Rural University of Pernambuco(UFRPE) in 2005, andResidency in Veterinary Laboratory Diagnostics at São Paulo State University (Unesp) from 2006-2008. He completed his Masters at the Federal University of Parana (UFPR) in 2009, andPhD at Londrina State University (UEL), Brazil, in 2012.Dr. Vieira worked in the Department of Veterinary Sciences at the Federal University of Paraiba (UFPB) from 2011-2014, as an Associate Professor of Zoonosis and Epidemiology, and later at the Department of Veterinary Medicine at UFPR from 2014-2023. Dr. Vieira is the PI of several research projects in Brazil, USA, and Sub-Saharan Africa, and he is engaged in research and teaching focuses on One Health, ecoepidemiology of ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBD), genetic diversity of tick-borne pathogens, tick microbiome, and pathogen discovery. Over the last 13 years his research has focused on zoonotic diseases, with emphasis in the epidemiology of vector-borne and transboundary infectious diseases, genetic diversity of TBD pathogens, pathogen discovery, One Health, molecular detection and characterization of novel hemotropic Mycoplasmaand Anaplasmataceae species and evaluation and validation of diagnostic tests for zoonotic infectious diseases. His research summary includes more than 110 peer-reviewed publications on Medline and Scopus databases, and book chapters. His professional goal is to apply his background to approach global health issues at the human-animal-environment interface from a One Health perspective, with a special focus on vector-borne and zoonotic diseases.