Page 39 - Eclipse - Autumn 2021
P. 39

MOVERS AND SHAKERS



        RVC VetCompass researcher wins


        International Canine Health Awards



               his year’s prestigious       in Australia, New Zealand, the
               International Canine Health   US, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan
               Award has been won by        and Ireland. Dr O’Neill will use the
        Tthe RVC’s Dan O’Neill in           £40,000 prize money from this award
        recognition of his contributions to the   to encourage and inspire the next
        welfare of dogs.                    generation of canine epidemiologists
                                            and to make his research findings even
        Dr Dan O’Neill, Senior Lecturer in   more accessible to dog owners in
        Companion Animal Epidemiology,      many new formats.
        was announced as the winner of the
        International Award for his ground-  Dr Dan O’Neill said: “I am honoured
        breaking work on exploring canine   that the VetCompass work at the
        health from a quantitative perspective.   RVC has been recognised with this
        This includes his work co-leading the   fantastic and generous award. This will
        RVC’s VetCompass programme that     help hugely to encourage and inspire
        shares clinical data from veterinary   canine epidemiologists of the future.
        clinics for research that will benefit   My view is that everybody wins when
        the long-term health and welfare    we share ideas and data – this is the
        of animals. Dr O’Neill has built a   VetCompass ethos. The aim now is
        programme of undergraduate and      to extend the VetCompass concept
        postgraduate research projects that   even further to benefit the health and
        includes over 20 projects annually   wellbeing of greater numbers of dogs
        and is working with collaborators to   across the world.”
        introduce the VetCompass concept




        The RVC’s new Associate Dean for


        Postgraduate Teaching and Learning




                  e are pleased that RVC    interns/residents, our postgraduates
                  alumnus Dr Stuart         showcase the best of the RVC, and offer
                  Patterson has recently been   examples of just some of the progression
        Wannounced as the Associate         routes beyond our undergraduate
        Dean for Postgraduate Teaching and   degrees. Our PG interns and residents
        Learning at the RVC. Stuart originally   carry out crucial roles in the provision
        graduated from the RVC with a BVetMed   of our clinical services and teaching.
        in 2007 before working for five years in   Mirroring those clinically focussed
        farm animal practice. He has since gained   students, our MSc cohorts boost the
        further qualifications from the RVC and   research outputs of the RVC, as well as
        elsewhere, most recently his Postgraduate  acting as a focal point around which we
        Certificate in Veterinary Education. He   can build dedicated teams of researchers
        started working for the RVC in 2017 as   and research practitioners. I am looking
        our lecturer in Wild Animal Health, after   forward to working with all of these
        completion of his PhD.              groups and developing our programmes”.
        Commenting on his new role, Stuart said:   Congratulations Stuart, we wish
        “In terms of numbers, Postgraduates (PG)   you all the best in your new role.
        make up a minority of RVC’s student body,
        but their impact and prestige more than
        makes up for this. Whether we are talking
        about taught PG students or clinical
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