Established in 1986, the Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award is an annual award recognizing the outstanding work of veterinarians in promoting the human-animal bond – the concept that pets and humans can be emotionally and physically beneficial to each other. The program is designed to highlight the role of the veterinarian in advancing veterinary science and medicine related to the human-animal bond.

Sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association, Delta Society, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc, the award is named for the late Leo K. Bustad, co-founder of Delta Society and Dean Emeritus of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University. Dr Bustad is widely recognized for his pioneering work in the use of animals to help people, particularly the elderly and handicapped. Each year’s winner is selected based on specific criteria and awarded a plaque and a gift of $5,000 to be distributed in equal amounts to the award recipient and the veterinary school of his/her choice to further work in the human-animal bond.