BVA Members’ Day – outgoing President says all vets must shape the future as vets’ achievements are celebrated and Sean Wensley starts year as President
John Blackwell today concluded his year as British Veterinary Association (BVA) President with his final Presidential Address at BVA Members Day, in which he said that young vets are the future of the profession but all veterinary surgeons must drive change and shape a future in which the profession continues to be trusted and valued. John will continue on the Officer team as Senior Vice President.
In BVA’s AGM, charity veterinary surgeon Sean Wensley was today elected BVA President for 2015/2016. Small animal vet Gudrun Ravetz was elected Junior Vice President and will join Sean and John on the Officer team for 2015/2016.
Vets receive awards celebrating achievements
A number of awards were made to vets at BVA Members’ Day. These included BVA awards for outstanding contributions to veterinary science and services to the profession in the UK and in developing countries, travel awards for veterinary students and recent graduates, and contributions to BVA Council, as well as Veterinary Record awards recognising innovation and impact in the profession.
The Dalrymple-Champneys Cup and Medal for work of outstanding merit, which it is considered will encourage the advancement of veterinary science, was awarded to Devon cattle vet Andrew Biggs for the distinctive contribution he has made at a national and international level to clinical practice in cattle health and welfare, particularly in the field of mastitis.
The Trevor Blackburn Award was presented to Bryony Jones in recognition of her outstanding contribution to animal health and welfare in Africa, particularly her work helping to eradicate rinderpest from Sudan during the civil war. The award also recognises Bryony’s pioneering work training vaccination and surveillance teams, her community based epidemiology work, delivery of veterinary services in remote pastoral communities and her expertise and dedication to tackling animal disease - helping to improve both animal and human welfare in Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Egypt.
The Harry Steele-Bodger Memorial Scholarship was awarded jointly to two veterinary students entering their final year Eluned Hyde and Rob Hall; for her research project on orphaned elephant calves in Sri Lanka and his attendance at the Summer Dairy Institute at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in the United States, respectively.
BVA Overseas Travel Grants were awarded to Eluned Hyde and Liliana Heinrich for projects in Sri Lanka and to Will Humphreys for work in Fiji. Two further grants supported by Vetwork UK were awarded to Louise Curtis and Catrina Prince for projects in Kenya and Peru.
The John Bleby Cup was presented to Bedford vet Julia Boness in recognition of her outstanding contribution to BVA Council this year.
The Veterinary Record Impact Award went to Nathalie Porters and colleagues for two papers on prepubertal gonadectomy – or early neutering – in cats. David Smith and colleagues at Moredun Research Institute won the inaugural Veterinary Record Innovation Award for Barbervex, a vaccine against the roundworm parasite Haemonchus contortus.
