Published: 28 Jul 2015 | Last Updated: 28 Jul 2015 09:01:13

Professor Peter Lees, Emeritus Professor in Pharmacology, has been awarded the European Association of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to Veterinary Pharmacology throughout his career.  This award was presented to Professor Lees at the 14th EAVPT Congress recently held in Nantes.

A distinguished veterinary pharmacologist, Prof Peter Lees’ research achievements are in the fields of inflammation, anti-inflammatory drugs and antimicrobial chemotherapy. His work has been instrumental in devising ethically acceptable methods to test the efficacy of drugs that reduce pain, inflammation and infection in target veterinary species.  He used these methods to understand the mode and duration of action of drugs at the site of inflammation and infection, generating data which informed improved safety and efficacy of a large number of products vets use every day in a wide variety of species to provide pain relief and therefore improve animal welfare.

Peter's meticulous scientific approach to defining the optimal dosing regimen is likely to be responsible for minimising the emergence of antimicrobial ,resistance in the years to come.  His contributions to science, animal welfare and public service have been recognised by numerous awards, such as the Lloyd E. Davis Award for lifetime excellence in the discipline of veterinary pharmacology by the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. He was only the ninth person to receive this award in 2007 (which has been in existence for 30 years) and only the third non-American recipient.   

In addition to these contributions to advancement of his subject through research, Peter has always encouraged others to share in his passion.  He served as Editor of the Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics for many years, painstakingly editing manuscripts and providing feedback to scientists all over the world who aspired to publish their work in this field. He has supervised numerous PhD students, many of whom he has inspired to remain active in the field either in industry or academia. Finally he has served as an officer of the European Association of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, organising the triannual conference held in Edinburgh in 1994 and leading the association to the strong position it is in today.  He is a true enthusiast for his subject and has been hugely influential in advancing many aspects of his discipline.

Congratulations Peter on this well-deserved award.