Michael Paton is a Senior Veterinary Officer with the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Qualifications: BVSc., MACVSc (Epidemiology), Grad Certif Animal Welfare, PhD Michael was born and completed his Veterinary degree in Brisbane is married to a Western Australian and has 3 children all now in the work force. Michael is a University of Queensland graduate who worked in private veterinary practice, in Australia and the UK. He joined the then Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia in the 1984. Gained Australian College of Veterinary Scientists qualification in epidemiology in 1989. He led a team studying the epidemiology of Caseous Lymphadenitis (CLA) in sheep and has published two book chapters, 21 scientific papers and 41 international and national conference papers and his PhD on CLA and other topics. He was a Councillor and Honorary Treasurer of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists and president of the Animal Welfare Chapter. He was WA AVA President in 1991 and 2017/18 and is currently a policy councillor. He has been an AVA mentor since 2005 and assisted the development of the AVA’s National Mentoring Program. He is also a deputy member of the Western Australian Veterinary Surgeons’ Board.