British vet wins One Health WVA Global Veterinary Award
Dr Doherty has worked to support sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr Simon Doherty, a veterinary surgeon based in Northern Ireland, has been named as the winner in the One Health category of the World Veterinary Association (WVA) Global Veterinary Awards.
He was nominated for the award by the British Veterinary Association (BVA), with support from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr Doherty’s veterinary career started in farm animal and equine practice. He was later appointed animal health and aquaculture sector specialist at the Department of International Trade in the UK government.
He then went on to sit as president of the BVA, and as the founding chair of the UK One Health Coordination Group. He later chaired the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe Food Safety & Sustainability Working Group.
For the last 15 years he has worked with the Ripple Effect, an international non-governmental organisation involved in sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr Doherty’s expertise in livestock health & welfare has supported the organisation’s One Health work in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Zambia.
He now works as a senior lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Global Food Security at Queen’s University, Belfast.
Dr Doherty’s award is the first of five categories that will be announced ahead of the WVA Global Veterinary Awards ceremony on 17 April. Winners are due to be announced for the Animal Welfare, Veterinary Education, Medicine Stewardship and Veterinary Student of the Year categories in due course.
One category winner will also be named Veterinarian of the Year on stage during ceremony.
Dr Rafael Laguens, president of the WVA, said: “On behalf of the World Veterinary Association, I am pleased to extend congratulations to all the winners of this first edition of the Global Veterinary Awards.
“Together, with them, the WVA seeks to recognize the outstanding effort of veterinarians globally for the benefit of society, animals, and the environment.”
The awards ceremony will take place as part of the 39th World Veterinary Association Congress (WVAC) in Cape Town, South Africa on 17 April.
Image © World Veterinary Association
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