The 2009 award was jointly presented to Bill Ollier and Lorna Kennedy for their longstanding and combined studies into areas of canine medicine, comparative immunogenetics and common complex disorders in companion animals.
Bill is now Professor of Immunogenetics at the University of Manchester and Director of the Centre for Integrated Genomic Medical Research. He also currently holds the positions of Honorary Consultant Clinical Scientist with Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, and Honorary Professor in Veterinary Medicine, University of Liverpool. Over the last 15 years Professor Ollier’s research interests have focussed largely on investigating the genetic basis of common complex disorders, and he was instrumental in the establishment of the UK DNA Archive for Companion Animals.
Lorna, an Oxford graduate, is a Senior Scientist within the Centre for Integrated Genomic Medical Research. She has worked in the field of human immunogenetics with Sir Walter Bodmer for over 15 years, first in the Genetics Department at the University of Oxford and then at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London. During this time she has established an international reputation for the high quality of her research. Lorna is currently the chair of both the canine and feline MHC nomenclature committees.