Congratulations to BSAVA Awardees!
The JA Wight Memorial Award has been presented to Luke Gamble BVSc MRCVS.
Each year at BSAVA Congress, individuals who have made outstanding contributions to small animal surgery and medicine are awarded with a series of awards. This year’s winners have just been announced and are detailed below. To see our gallery of images from the ceremony, please click here.
This year the Amoroso Award has been awarded to Anne Vaughan-Thomas (Deceased) BSc PhD.
This award was instituted in memory of the late Professor EC Amoroso of the Royal Veterinary College and is presented for outstanding contributions to small animal studies by a non-clinical member of university staff.
In her short life of 46 years, Dr Anne Vaughan-Thomas made important contributions to veterinary science, matrix biology and human health. Anne worked both at the University of Bristol Veterinary School, Cardiff University and the University of Liverpool Veterinary School with over 13 years of her working life spent within the veterinary sector. During that time, she supervised and assisted numerous PhD students, research assistants, post-docs and undergraduate students, several of whom are now well respected veterinary academics at UK universities. Anne helped to guide many early research careers and successfully taught them high-quality laboratory skills. Anne was diagnosed with abdominal metastasis of mammary carcinoma in 2007. Of course she had great insight into her condition and, on the recommendation of her oncologist, she became a patient representative on a NICE panel on developing national guidelines for care of patients with metastatic disease of unknown primary lesions; she was vociferous and insightful in her representation of future patients with the condition, and is sadly missed.
The Blaine Award has been awareded to Mike Martin MVB DVC MRCVS.
This award is presented annually by Royal Canin for outstanding contributions to the advancement of small animal veterinary medicine or surgery.
Mike Martin graduated from Dublin in 1986 and had gained both his Certifi cate and Diploma in Small Animal Cardiology from the Royal College by 1991. He gained recognition as a specialist in cardiology in 1995. He runs Martin Referral Services in Warwickshire and maintains a special interest in interventional cardiology, such as pacemakers, pericardiocentesis, angiography, balloon dilatation techniques, and PDA occlusion. Mike is well known for his belief in the importance of practitioner education and involvement in clinical research. His team has consistently provided research papers to the JSAP which have been nominated for best paper awards year after year.
Steve Withrow DVM DipACVS DipACVIM (Oncology) has been awarded with this year’s Bourgelat Award.
This award is presented annually by the BSAVA as the primary international recognition for really outstanding contributions to the field of small animal practice.
Steve Withrow is regarded as one of the foremost veterinary oncological experts on the planet. Many, if not most, of the leading oncological surgeons in the world have spent some time with Steve and taken the best of what they could learn. In addition, he is committed to the management of cancer in general. He runs a summer camp for children with cancer each year, and never lets his team forget the emotional and social burden of a cancer diagnosis both for the patient and the team of carers.
The Dunkin Award has been awarded to Mike Martin MVB DVC MRCVS
This award is presented to the author of the most valuable article published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice by a small animal practitioner during the 12 months ending October 31. The aim of the award is to encourage the publication of high quality research performed by a small animal practitioner.
The 2010 winning paper is Canine dilated cardiomyopathy: a retrospective study of signalment, presentation and clinical findings in 369 cases, and the award goes to Mike Martin, who wrote the paper in conjunction with MJ Stafford Johnson and B Celona.
Iona Mathieson BVMS MRCVS has won this year’s Frank Beattie Travel Scholarship.
This scholarship was established in 1988 in memory of Frank Beattie, a well respected veterinary surgeon and a long-standing member of the BSAVA. It is awarded annually from a generous gift given by Frank’s widow, Annie. The scholarship, worth £2000, is to help a BSAVA member undertake a trip abroad to study a particular aspect of veterinary practice.
This year’s award goes to Iona Mathieson to enable her to attend the William Magrane Basic Eye Science course at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Iona graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1997 then worked in mixed practice in the Scottish Highlands for a year. She has worked in small animal practice in Nottingham, Bolton, and Bury and is now working as a locum while studying for the Certificate in Veterinary Ophthalmology.
The Melton Award has been awarded to Mark Patteson MA VetMB PhD DVC CertVR MRCVS – RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology.
Since 1981 this award has been presented annually for meritorious contributions by veterinary surgeons to small animal veterinary practice.
Mark Patteson is the winner of the 2010 Melton Award. He is a Diplomate in Veterinary Cardiology and has been and remains involved with many very successful clinical trials, post graduate teaching and is a great supporter of The Veterinary Cardiovascular Society (VCS). Mark also examines and is a supervisor for many who have taken and are taking the Diploma and Certifi cate in Cardiology. Mark is heavily invested in the veterinary profession and takes a special interest in the personal development of his colleagues. He has made a massive contribution to cardiology over the years and offered invaluable help to many practitioners.
Olaf Reinhard Schaaf BVSc MACVSc has been awarded the Petsavers Award.
This award is presented to the author of the best clinical research paper published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice in the preceeding year to November.
The award goes this year to Olaf Schaaf for the paper A secure Aberdeen knot: In vitro assessment of knot security in plasma and fat, written with M Glyde and RE Day. Olaf graduated in veterinary science from the University of Sydney in 1997 and has since worked in practice in Sydney and Brisbane. He now works at North Coast Veterinary Specialists, Queensland, Australia.
This year’s Simon Award has been presented to Malcolm Ness BVetMed CertSAO DipECVS FRCVS.
The Simon award is presented annually to a member of the BSAVA for outstanding contributions in the field of veterinary surgery.
Malcolm Ness has vast experience in the field of small animal surgery, particularly neurosurgery, and is a regular publisher in peer-reviewed journals. Malcolm is a 1982 graduate of the Royal Veterinary College. He travelled as a locum for some time, before settling back in his native Northumberland, where, along with his wife, Judith a veterinary dermatologist, he started Croft Vets. As Croft Vets grew, Malcolm pursued his interest in small animal surgery, specifically orthopaedics and neurosurgery, gaining first the RCVS Certificate in SA orthopaedics then a Fellowship Diploma in SA spinal disease and later passing the European Surgical Board exams in 1995. Specialist recognition by ECVS and RCVS followed. A full time referral surgeon, current research interests include canine elbow disease and implant failure. Malcolm is a partner in IVOA LLP, a group dedicated to the design and development of novel veterinary orthopaedic implants. He is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Small Animal Practice.
David Church BVSc PhD MACVSc MRCVS has been awarded with this year’s Woodrow Award.
This award is presented to a member of the BSAVA for outstanding contributions in the field of small animal veterinary medicine and is in memory of CE Woodrow, a founder member of the Association and, of course, its first President.
David Church has earned a reputation as an outstanding teacher, making major contributions to furthering our profession’s understanding of endocrine disease. He graduated with a BVSc from The University of Sydney in1975. After graduating he was appointed as Small Animal Clinical Instructor at The University of Sydney and then enrolled in a PhD programme in the Faculty of Medicine. David was appointed as Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine at The University of Sydney in 1983, promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1991 and Associate Professor in 1999. He was Hospital Director of The University Veterinary Centre from 1991 until his departure in 2001 to take up the Chair of Small Animal Studies at the Royal Veterinary College. David is currently the Vice Principal of Academic and Clinical Affairs at the Royal Veterinary College.
The JA Wight Memorial Award has been presented to Luke Gamble BVSc MRCVS.
This award is presented annually by the Blue Cross Animal Welfare Charity and celebrates the memory of Alf Wight, otherwise known to millions as the fictitious James Herriot. It recognises outstanding contributions to the welfare of companion animals.
Luke is a young veterinary surgeon who has already achieved great things in the field of animal welfare. He graduated from Bristol University in 1999. After working in mixed practice for a couple of years, Luke undertook a clinical scholarship in large animal medicine and surgery at Cambridge University before locuming and setting up the international animal charity Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) at the beginning of 2003 which he runs on a voluntary basis. Over the last seven years WVS has developed into a global provider of veterinary support to non-profit organisations and animal charities around the world. In 2009, WVS sent out 53 veterinary teams, assisted over 220 charities and distributed nearly £400,000 worth of medicines and equipment to its associated organisations.
Clinical Research Abstracts 2009
Three awards are given in this category: one for the best Surgical Clinical Research Abstract, one for the best Clinical Research Abstract presented by a practitioner and one for the best Medical Clinical Research Abstract. These were awarded to Jamie Wignall BSc BVetMed MRCVS for his abstract: The effect of suture tension and arytenoid lateralisation techniques on pressure in the canine cadaver larynx, Simon Godsall BVSc CertSAO MSc (VetGP) DMS PGDSM MRCVS for his abstract: Prevalence of canine parvovirus in dogs presented with diarrhoea to PDSA PetAid hospitals and Jenny Stavisky BVM&S MRCVS for her abstract Canine enteric coronavirus prevalence and shedding in kennelled dogs respectively.
Veterinary Nursing Awards
Each year, BSAVA presents awards to the student nurses achieving the highest marks in the NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 examinations. This year the awards will be presented at the BVNA Congress in October.
Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.
