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The award is in recognition of the vet school’s investment in teaching and training activities in animal welfare at undergraduate and postgraduate level through its Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education, which was founded in 2011. The school also organises numerous outreach projects for veterinarians and organisations on a global scale.
Animal welfare is absolutely fundamental to everything that the Dick Vet does as a veterinary community. The centre’s outreach programme is a really important aspect of the school’s activities, particularly but not exclusively in Asia, where it supports other vet schools and their programmes to improve their animal welfare teaching. The centre has an extensive animal welfare research programme and, following concerns that vets’ voices were not strong enough in this area, the school supports students in their engagement in animal welfare and policies.
The official award ceremony, which was originally scheduled to take place during the 36th WVA Congress in Auckland, New Zealand earlier this year, was streamed live during the WVA’s webinar on ‘The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Veterinary Profession’ on 29th October 2020. The award ceremony was followed by a series of short videos highlighting the work of each of the award recipients in their respective fields under a single common goal - improving the welfare of animals.
Commenting on the award, Professor Cathy Dwyer, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the Dick Vet, says: “We’re absolutely delighted to have won the Veterinary School of the Year Award, which recognises our hard work in improving our animal welfare teaching and training, including our outreach and research activities.”
Professor David Argyle, Dean of The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, adds: “We have embedded animal welfare throughout the curriculum right from the start until when our students’ graduate and I would like to think that our graduates actually take animal welfare away as a lifelong learning opportunity. We’ve come a long way in the last 10 years, so I’m incredibly optimistic for the future.”
“We would like to congratulate the team at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies for its vision, dedication and hard work in improving the welfare of animals through its investment in teaching and training activities,” comments Cuneyt Seckin, Managing Director of Ceva Animal Health UK and Ireland.
The WVA and Ceva Animal Health are thrilled to work together in recognising veterinarians, veterinary paraprofessionals, veterinary students, and veterinary academic institutions for their outstanding work in and dedication to the advancement of animal welfare. The full list of recipients of the fourth annual Global Animal Welfare Awards are:
Australia: Professor Paul McGreevy
Professor McGreevy is Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science at the University of Sydney, Australia. He was awarded the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Impact Award 2019 for showing how the training of veterinary surgeons can lead to international impact on animal welfare.
He also works closely with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Australia.
Nigeria: Veterinary Technician of the Year, Paul Oluwadare
Paul Oluwadare is Chief Animal Health Technologist at the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Ibadan, Nigeria. He is the author of 14 text books addressing topics in animal health and welfare and is a leading exponent of animal welfare delivery in his country.
South Africa: Professor Gareth Bath
Professor Bath is Emeritus Professor of the Faculty of Veterinary Science South Africa and was elected to the Chair of the Livestock Animal Welfare Association in South Africa in 2009 and still leads the organisation in 2020. He has played a leading role in educating veterinary students in the subject of animal welfare and advises many other organisations in the country on animal welfare matters.
Veterinary School of the Year, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, Scotland
Since 2011 the School has been home to the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education. The Centre provides teaching and training activities in animal welfare at undergraduate and postgraduate level for the veterinary school and contributes to student engagement in animal welfare. The school also organises numerous outreach projects for veterinarians and organisations on a global scale.
Student of the Year: Maya Cygańska
Maya is a student at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Poland and has been an active member of the International Veterinary Students’ Association (IVSA) since she joined in 2014. She was a key member of the team behind the organisation of the Ethical Dilemmas in Veterinary Education Conference which was launched in 2017 and and also took place in 2018 and 2019.
Sri Lanka: Dr. Tharanga Thoradeniya
Dr. Thoradeniya is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. She was nominated for her role in improving veterinary medicine and animal welfare and the ethics of laboratory animals.