The ICVA established an award in 1999 to recognize people who have made significant personal contributions to the national examination program. Twenty-three (23) awards have been presented to date.
At the June 2022 ICVA Board of Directors Meeting the ICVA Award was given to an individual who has volunteered his time and talent to the veterinary community and to ICVA for over 20 years, Dr. Gary Gackstetter.
Beginning as an item writer and committee member in 1998, Dr. Gackstetter has held many roles with the NBEC (National Board Examining Committee), NBVME (National Board of Veterinary Medical Examinerss), and now ICVA—including acting as an item writer, serving on the Examination Development Advisory Board (now the Assessment Development Committee), being a member of the Board of Directors (including a stint as Board Chair), working on the Collaboration Strategic Planning Group, and playing a large role in the 2017 NAVLE Practice Analysis process.
“Dr. Gackstetter was critical in helping shape the NAVLE through his highly successful work on our practice analysis surveys of veterinarians in the U.S. and Canada.” - Kathy Bowler, ICVA Board Chair 2022-2023
A South Dakota native, Dr. Gackstetter received his DVM from Iowa State University in 1979. His career has ranged from the United States Air Force, to the Department of Defense, with a stint teaching at the Uniformed Services University of Health Services and spearheading the creation of the DVM program at South Dakota State University (his undergraduate alma mater). Dr. Gackstetter says he is “Officially and Formally Retired” as of January 1, 2022.
In addition to his plaque, a donation was made in Dr. Gackstetter’s honor to the South Dakota State University Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Gackstetter was instrumental in the creation of the program at SDSU in 2019, and taught there until his retirement in 2022.