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BSAVA reveals 2025 award winners
Paulo Steagall wins this year's Bourgelat Award.
The awards celebrate unsung heroes in the veterinary profession.

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has revealed the winners of its awards for 2025.

Their contributions to the veterinary profession will be celebrated at an awards ceremony during the BSAVA Congress and Expo on Friday, 21 March. The ceremony will see 12 awards given to the ‘unsung heroes’ of the veterinary profession.

This year’s Bourgelat Award is awarded to Paulo Steagall, professor of veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia at the City University of Hong Kong. Prof Steagall is recognised for his contributions to pain management awareness, as well as his work raising global animal welfare standards.

It also commends his collaborative work in animal shelters and his mentorship of his students.

Richard Meeson is awarded this year’s Simon Award. Prof Meeson has worked with clinical practice to improve patient outcomes, as well as developing veterinary knowledge of feline orthopaedics.

The Woodrow Award goes to Holger Volk, professor of small animal diseases at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover. Prof Volk works in neurology, leading his team to investigate nutritional effects on epilepsy and the use of faecal implants to treat it.

The J.A. Wight Memorial Award will be awarded to Mark Morton. Presented by the Blue Cross, he is celebrated for his work with the RCVS Knowledge Canine Cruciate Registry, which has become a worldwide campaign to improve management of canine cruciate disease.

Recognised for her work as a registered veterinary nurse (RVN) is Tina Parnell, who receives the Bruce Vivash Jones Veterinary Nurse Award. Ms Parnell is recognised for her dedication to RVN training, which has seen her take on further education to improve her teaching skills.

The BSAVA PetSavers Clinical Research Abstract Award goes to Shona Bloodworth, while the BSAVA PetSavers Annual Research Award has been awarded to Sam Khan.

BSAVA honorary secretary Adam Gow said: “We had many outstanding nominations this year, and the awards have gone to some exceptional individuals.

“A huge congratulations to all our well-deserved winners, we look forward to presenting and celebrating the awards at Congress and Expo in March.”

Image © BSAVA

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.