BSAVA announce award winners for 2023
1 February 2023
The BSAVA has announced the award winners for 2023. The BSAVA awards recognise outstanding contributions in the field of small animal veterinary practice, celebrating the veterinary profession’s unsung heroes. The recipients of 2023 will receive their awards in a ceremony at BSAVA Congress 2023, taking place in Manchester in March.
The Bourgelat Award – Dr Greg Lisciandro DVM DipACVECC DipABVP
This is the BSAVA’s primary recognition for outstanding international contributions to the fields of small animal practice or science in their widest context.
Dr Lisciandro was awarded this for several reasons. The first edition of his book “Point of Care Ultrasound Techniques for the Small Animal Practitioner” has changed and improved how veterinary practitioners diagnose and manage patients.
Not only has he recently published a multi-author second edition, but he has also collaborated with other world-leading veterinary surgeons, researching point of care ultrasound (POCUS) and published these findings in a range of well-respected veterinary journals. Dr Lisciandro and his wife Stephanie regularly run courses to train veterinary surgeons with their global FAST examination and produce monthly webinars.
The Simon Award – Dr Philipp Mayhew BVM&S MRCVS DipACVS
This award, sponsored by Vet Instrumentation is for contributions to the advancement of all small animal surgery in its widest context.
Dr Philipp Mayhew (BVM&S ’96; The Royal Dick School of Veterinary Medicine) has pioneered adapting minimally invasive surgical techniques to specific differences in canine and feline anatomy and physiology. He also developed novel techniques that avoid the need for open abdominal or thoracic surgery.
He is experienced in many other aspects of soft tissue surgery of dogs and cats and has contributed this clinical knowledge extensively to authoritative texts widely used by practicing veterinarians and trainees. This includes contributions to five BSAVA Manuals.
The Woodrow Award – Dr Emi Barker BSc(hons) BVSc(hons) PhD DipECVIM-CA MRCVS
This award is for contributions to the advancement of small animal medicine in its widest context.
Dr Emi Barker was one of the first cohort of Veterinary Pathology intercalators at the Royal Veterinary College. Emi started her research career working with Professor Joe Brownlie and colleagues at the RVC. She completed her residency in Small Animal Medicine at Bristol, gaining her Diploma in 2016, and now works as a referral clinician at Langford Vets. Dr Barker has won the Woodrow Award for her molecular studies of haemoplasma infection and research into the diagnosis and treatment of FIP.
The Amoroso Award – Jenny Hammond BA VetMB BSc MRCVS
Sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, this award is for contributions to undergraduate teaching of small animal studies (preclinical or clinical) in its widest context.
After starting a career in clinical practice, Jenny moved into researching, developing, and delivering undergraduate veterinary education at the University of Glasgow. She has been at the forefront of curriculum reform at the University of Glasgow and is one of the unsung heroes of veterinary undergraduate education. Her compassion for undergraduates combined with the clarity of her communication with them marks her out as an outstanding teacher, administrator and mentor. She has also published several papers and conference abstracts.
The Blaine Award – John Innes BVSc PhD CertVR DSAS(Orth) FRCVS
This award is for contributions to the advancement of small animal science in its widest context and sponsored by Royal Canin.
John’s early career was spent at Bristol Vet School, followed by a PhD allowing for three years immersed in a medical rheumatology unit, opening his eyes to clinical and laboratory research. John was professor of surgery at Liverpool from 2001 to 2013 and worked with valued collaborators to investigate a range of orthopaedic conditions. Between 2013 and 2022, he developed specialist referral services for a large corporation and was fortunate enough to work with many outstanding veterinary colleagues. John has pioneered many surgical procedures and has researched their efficacy prodigiously.
The Bruce Vivash Jones Veterinary Nurse – Lis Oram RVN
This award is presented annually by the BSAVA as the primary recognition for outstanding contributions to the advancement of small animal veterinary nursing.
Lis is a veterinary nurse who helps pet owners to understand their pet’s behaviour and welfare. She also volunteers for a rehoming charity, advising adopters of dogs from Romania. This is a much-needed recognition for all of her hard work towards the improvement of companion animal welfare.
The Ray Butcher Award – Ian MacFarlaine RVN
This award is for an individual who has been an ‘unsung hero’ by making a significant contribution to animal welfare in the community award. This award is in memory of Ray Butcher, President of the BSAVA between 1993 – 1994.
Ian has worked for over 30 years with and for multiple charities such as Mayhew and Wood Green, Cats Protection, and International Cat Care, internationally and within the UK, as well as for local authorities. He has had a huge impact on feral cat welfare, not just through his work; but also through the hundreds of volunteers and veterinary professionals that he has trained. He is a qualified RVN and is compassionate to both animals and people.
The J.A. Wight Memorial Award – Sean Wensley BVSc MSc FRCVS
This award is for a qualified veterinarian who has made an outstanding contribution to the welfare of companion animals in its widest context. This award is presented annually by the Blue Cross Animal Welfare Charity.
Dr Sean Wensley BVSc MSc FRCVS is an advocate for small animal welfare. He has contributed to animal welfare and conservation projects on five continents and is an Honorary Lecturer in Animal Welfare at the University of Nottingham, as well as a Guest Lecturer in Animal Welfare at Queen’s University Belfast. He chairs the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe’s (FVE) Animal Welfare Working Group and was President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) from 2015 to 2016. He has recently published a book called “Through a Vet’s Eyes: How We Can All Choose a Better Life for Animals” as well as publishing numerous scientific papers.
BSAVA PetSavers veterinary achievement award – Ellyn Groat BVSc MRCVS
To the first named author of the most valuable peer-reviewed research paper, with respect to veterinary practice, published following a BSAVA PetSavers grant in the previous 12 months.
Ellyn Groat is the 2023 winner for her paper ‘UK dogs eating raw meat diets have higher risk of Salmonella and antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli faecal carriage’, which was published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP). The work was carried out as an undergraduate student project at the University of Liverpool, under the supervision of Dr Vanessa Schmidt. This research was thought to have a high impact on a globally important public health issue.
BSAVA PetSavers clinical abstract award – Emily Blackwell
To the first named author of the most valuable clinical abstract funded by a BSAVA PetSavers grant, presented at the preceding year’s BSAVA Congress.
Emily Blackwell is the winner for her presentation of an abstract entitled ‘Exploring recording of adverse drug reaction reporting in veterinary free-text clinical narratives’ at BSAVA Congress 2022. This work was carried out as an undergraduate student project at the University of Liverpool under the supervision of Heather Davies.
The Melton Award – Eirik Kvale
To the first named author of the best published paper in the JSAP in small animal surgery during the 12 months ending 30th September (including all aspects of anaesthesia and surgical aspects of NTCA, neurology, ophthalmology).
Eirik Kvale is the winner of this award for his paper published on Epicondylar plate fixation of humeral condylar fractures in immature French bulldogs: 45 cases (2014-2020). The objective of this study was to report outcome and postoperative complications following stabilisation of humeral condylar fractures in skeletally immature French bulldogs with a transcondylar screw combined with locking or hybrid locking plates.
This award is kindly sponsored for 2023 by Royal Canin.
The Dunkin Award – Christiane Weingart
To the first named author of the best published paper in the JSAP in small animal medicine during the 12 months ending 30th September (including all aspects of internal medicine, cardiology, and oncology NTCA, medical aspects of neurology, ophthalmology).
Christiane is the winner of this award for her paper Chocolate ingestion in dogs: 156 events (2015–2019). The objective of this paper is to describe the clinical features and outcome of dogs after chocolate ingestion.
BSAVA Honorary Secretary, Krista Arnold said: “Congratulations to all our award winners this year. There were some exceptional nominations and it’s great to celebrate everything our winners have achieved. We look forward to formally presenting their awards at Congress 2023.”
The BSAVA Awards ceremony will take place on Friday 24th March at BSAVA Congress 2023. You can register for BSAVA Congress here: www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2023.