About us

In many regions of the world, dedicated veterinary teams struggle to receive the educational resources and medicines they need to look after the animals in their care. This problem is exacerbated in areas hit by conflict or natural disaster.

The impact on animal welfare is catastrophic, as is the effect on their owners and carers.

Our mission

The ProSalus Foundation is a global charity supporting veterinarians, animals, their owners and their environment.

We work to transform animal health and welfare in the world’s areas of greatest need by strengthening the skills, knowledge and resources of veterinarians.

What we do

We provide continuing education resources, research funding, mentoring and other support.

We facilitate the development of veterinary associations and networks in areas where few exist.

We support rabies vaccination campaigns and provide disaster relief in areas with acute animal health and welfare problems.

We do all this as part of an integrated One Health approach to improve the wellbeing of animals, people and their environment.

What makes us different?

We have an unrivalled track record in bringing veterinarians together and supporting animal welfare in Africa.

We’re now extending this to other places of need around the world.

Our leadership team brings together highly experienced veterinarians from around the world, each dedicated to supporting colleagues in under-resourced regions and advancing global veterinary education and collaboration.

Dr Gabriel Varga,
President

Dr Varga began his career in practice in the mid-1980s before moving into academia at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Košice, Slovakia. He later founded and sold a pharmaceutical distribution company in the country before moving on to hold senior roles in the veterinary pharmaceutical and pet food industries. His last role before retirement was Regional Director, Africa, for Zoetis. A past-President of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), Dr Varga helped expand its CE initiatives into new regions of the world.

Dr Mark Johnston,
Vice President

Dr Johnston worked in equine veterinary medicine before transitioning to veterinary publishing. He is currently CEO of Vetstream, a global provider of digital CE resources for veterinarians. He serves on the British Bee Veterinary Association committee and founded the Vets in Mind Alliance, which supports mental health and wellbeing in the veterinary community.

Dr Adriana López Quintana,
Director

Dr López began her career in small animal practice at her family’s clinic in Uruguay and is now Professor of Medicine & Surgery at St Clare’s College, Punta del Este. She is an instructor for the ABC Trauma Course, co-founder of the Latin American Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society and specialises in emergency and critical care medicine.
Laurell Kaddatz headshot

Dr Adriana López Quintana, Director

Dr Kaddatz practiced veterinary medicine in the USA for more than 40 years and was active in several professional associations, including chairing the WSAVA Financial Advisory Committee and serving on several American Veterinary Medical Association councils. He is a past-President and Treasurer of the North American Veterinary Community.
Umesh

Dr Umesh Karkare,
Director

Based in New Delhi, Dr Karkare owns the Happy Tails Veterinary Speciality and is a founding member of the Federation of Asian Small Animal Veterinary Associations and of the Federation of Small Animal Practitioners Associations in India. He is a passionate advocate of continuing education for veterinarians across the country.

Dr Mike Topper,
Director

A retired clinical pathologist from the USA, Dr Topper previously served as Director of Pathology & Global Clinical Pathology Lead at Merck & Co. Prior to this, he spent 22 years in the US Army Veterinary Corps. He is a past-President of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Alexandra Marko

Dr Alex Marko,
Director

Dr Marko works in small animal practice in Namibia, with a special interest in emergency and critical care and anaesthesiology. She is Chair of the Veterinary Association of Namibia, a role which sees her involved in the delivery of continuing education to veterinarians across the country and beyond.
PHOTO DR. MARTIN - edited (1)

Dr Martin Soberano,
Director

Dr Soberano is an Argentinian veterinary oncologist now living and working in Mexico City. He founded the Latin American Veterinary Oncology Society and set up and manages the Latin American Veterinary Oncology Certification scheme, which aims to raise standards for veterinary oncology across the continent. In addition to his clinical work, Dr Soberano manages the first veterinary newspaper in Latin America – El Cronista Veterinario – and an education-based veterinary website Vetebooks.com.

Close partnerships underpin the success of our work, so we’re grateful to be working with:

Circa Healthcare – an animal health-focused, strategic marketing and communications agency

Mission Rabies – a charity that runs mass vaccination and education programmes in rabies hotspots around the world, protecting both humans and dogs

NAVC – a nonprofit organisation delivering lifelong learning, encouraging growth and promoting wellbeing to advance animal care worldwide

WSAVA – a nonprofit global community of more than 200,000 veterinarians working to advance the health and welfare of companion animals worldwide

WVA – a federation of veterinary associations that promotes animal health, welfare and One Health globally

The ProSalus Foundation began life in 2011 as the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Foundation. It was established with the goal of advancing global companion animal care through science and education.

Since then, the Foundation has led pioneering initiatives to support sustainable veterinary practice, particularly across Africa. It has created ten national veterinary associations, delivered continuing education to countless veterinarians and supported many vital rabies vaccination campaigns.

Keen to build on these achievements, in 2024, the Board expanded the Foundation’s focus to include livestock as well as companion animal veterinarians and to extend its reach beyond Africa to other regions of the word where support is most needed.

To reflect its expanded mission – to transform animal health and welfare in the world’s areas of greatest need by strengthening the skills, knowledge and resources of all veterinarians – the Foundation was relaunched as the ProSalus Foundation in late 2024.

The name ProSalus comes from Latin, meaning ‘for health’ or ‘for wellbeing’, reflecting the Foundation’s commitment to advancing the welfare of animals – and the people who care for them – globally.

The ProSalus Foundation remains closely aligned to the WSAVA and its goals.

Our team

Our leadership team brings together highly experienced veterinarians from around the world, each dedicated to supporting colleagues in under-resourced regions and advancing global veterinary education and collaboration.

Dr Gabriel Varga,
President

Dr Varga began his career in practice in the mid-1980s before moving into academia at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Košice, Slovakia. He later founded and sold a pharmaceutical distribution company in the country before moving on to hold senior roles in the veterinary pharmaceutical and pet food industries. His last role before retirement was Regional Director, Africa, for Zoetis. A past-President of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), Dr Varga helped expand its CE initiatives into new regions of the world.

Dr Mark Johnston,
Vice President

Dr Johnston worked in equine veterinary medicine before transitioning to veterinary publishing. He is currently CEO of Vetstream, a global provider of digital CE resources for veterinarians. He serves on the British Bee Veterinary Association committee and founded the Vets in Mind Alliance, which supports mental health and wellbeing in the veterinary community.

Dr Adriana López Quintana,
Director

Dr López began her career in small animal practice at her family’s clinic in Uruguay and is now Professor of Medicine & Surgery at St Clare’s College, Punta del Este. She is an instructor for the ABC Trauma Course, co-founder of the Latin American Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society and specialises in emergency and critical care medicine.

Dr. Laurel Kaddatz,
Director

Dr Kaddatz practiced veterinary medicine in the USA for more than 40 years and was active in several professional associations, including chairing the WSAVA Financial Advisory Committee and serving on several American Veterinary Medical Association councils. He is a past-President and Treasurer of the North American Veterinary Community.

Dr Umesh Karkare,
Director

Based in New Delhi, Dr Karkare owns the Happy Tails Veterinary Speciality and is a founding member of the Federation of Asian Small Animal Veterinary Associations and of the Federation of Small Animal Practitioners Associations in India. He is a passionate advocate of continuing education for veterinarians across the country.

Dr Mike Topper,
Director

A retired clinical pathologist from the USA, Dr Topper previously served as Director of Pathology & Global Clinical Pathology Lead at Merck & Co. Prior to this, he spent 22 years in the US Army Veterinary Corps. He is a past-President of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Alexandra Marko

Dr Alex Marko,
Director

Dr Marko works in small animal practice in Namibia, with a special interest in emergency and critical care and anaesthesiology. She is Chair of the Veterinary Association of Namibia, a role which sees her involved in the delivery of continuing education to veterinarians across the country and beyond.
PHOTO DR. MARTIN - edited (1)

Dr Martin Soberano,
Director

Dr Soberano is an Argentinian veterinary oncologist now living and working in Mexico City. He founded the Latin American Veterinary Oncology Society and set up and manages the Latin American Veterinary Oncology Certification scheme, which aims to raise standards for veterinary oncology across the continent. In addition to his clinical work, Dr Soberano manages the first veterinary newspaper in Latin America – El Cronista Veterinario – and an education-based veterinary website Vetebooks.com.

Our partners

Close partnerships underpin the success of our work, so we’re grateful to be working with:

Circa Healthcare – an animal health-focused, strategic marketing and communications agency

Mission Rabies – a charity that runs mass vaccination and education programmes in rabies hotspots around the world, protecting both humans and dogs

NAVC – a nonprofit organisation delivering lifelong learning, encouraging growth and promoting wellbeing to advance animal care worldwide

WSAVA – a nonprofit global community of more than 200,000 veterinarians working to advance the health and welfare of companion animals worldwide

WVA – a federation of veterinary associations that promotes animal health, welfare and One Health globally

Our history

The ProSalus Foundation began life in 2011 as the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Foundation. It was established with the goal of advancing global companion animal care through science and education.

Since then, the Foundation has led pioneering initiatives to support sustainable veterinary practice, particularly across Africa. It has created ten national veterinary associations, delivered continuing education to countless veterinarians and supported many vital rabies vaccination campaigns.

Keen to build on these achievements, in 2024, the Board expanded the Foundation’s focus to include livestock as well as companion animal veterinarians and to extend its reach beyond Africa to other regions of the word where support is most needed.

To reflect its expanded mission – to transform animal health and welfare in the world’s areas of greatest need by strengthening the skills, knowledge and resources of all veterinarians – the Foundation was relaunched as the ProSalus Foundation in late 2024.

The name ProSalus comes from Latin, meaning ‘for health’ or ‘for wellbeing’, reflecting the Foundation’s commitment to advancing the welfare of animals – and the people who care for them – globally.

The ProSalus Foundation remains closely aligned to the WSAVA and its goals.

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