New Chief Veterinary Officer for Sask. Agric.
As of September 1, 2020,
Dr. Stephanie Smith will take on the role of Saskatchewan’s Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO).
She will be taking over the position from Dr. Betty Althouse, who will remain with the Ministry of Agriculture until her retirement at the end of September, allowing time for Dr. Smith to transition into her new role.
Dr. Smith graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015, and before joining the Ministry of Agriculture she worked as a mixed animal practitioner and poultry extension veterinarian at the University of Saskatchewan.
In 2018, Dr. Smith joined the Ministry of Agriculture as the inaugural Animal Health Veterinarian Intern. During her two-year term, she gained valuable experience in the areas of animal welfare, disease surveillance, and regulatory oversight of game/fur farms and meat inspections.
During this time, she also built provincial and national networks and represented the ministry on various provincial and national working groups. Following her internship, Dr. Smith remained with the ministry as the provincial Animal Health and Welfare veterinarian.
In addition to her veterinary experience, Dr. Smith and her husband own a mixed cattle and grain operation near Arelee, Saskatchewan. As a rancher herself, she understands the importance of developing programming and policy that meets the needs of Saskatchewan producers.
Saskatchewan’s CVO is responsible for leading the province’s animal disease surveillance and response, emergency planning and animal welfare. The CVO is also responsible for communicating important information to the public, and sharing information on emerging issues related to animal health.
Dr. Smith will be working out of the Ministry of Agriculture’s office in Saskatoon.