The Ontario Veterinary College celebrated the achievements of students, faculty and staff at the annual in-course awards ceremony.

The event, held Nov. 26, featured three new awards: the OVC ’59 50th Anniversary Leadership Prize, the Veterinary Business Excellence Scholarship, and the William Guy Walton OVC Scholarship.

John Pegg, a second-year DVM student, received the OVC '59 award that recognizes outstanding leadership and involvement in extra-curricular activities during the recipient's first year in the program. He was class president of the 2012 Silver Foxes during first year.

Ryan Machowski , a fourth year student, received the business excellence scholarship, established by Dr. John Tait, recognizing a student who demonstrates exceptional competency and interest in the business side of veterinary medicine.

The Walton scholarship, established to help students from the Scarborough, Ont. area and encourage support for agriculture, was presented to first-year student Jamie Imada.

Three faculty members were recognized as outstanding teachers and mentors.

Dr. Pavneesh Madan, one of the OVC’s newest faculty members who recently joined the Department of Biomedical Sciences, received the Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teaching Award which is based on results of a vote by the second-, third- and fourth-year classes.

Dr. Stephen Lee, a bovine reproduction and herd health specialist in the Department of Population Medicine, received the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Teacher of the Year award, chosen by students in the third year of the DVM program.

Dr. Henry Staempfli, a professor of large animal medicine in the Department of Clinical Studies, received the K.M. Bhatnagar Memorial Humanitarian Award. The award is presented annually by fourth-year students to the faculty member who demonstrates the qualities of the late Dr. Kumar Bhatnagar (OVC ’68): the recipient is active in University and student affairs, involved with students as a friend and counselor, and expresses genuine concern toward the well-being of students.

For a complete list of award winners, go to http://www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/dvm.

Dr. Trevor Lloyd Jones, a former principal of the Ontario Veterinary College and its first dean, died peacefully on Nov. 25 in Victoria, B.C. in his 101st year.

He is survived by his wife Marjorie, her children and grandchildren, step-children and their families, as well as many friends and relatives throughout Canada and the United Kingdom.

After graduating from the OVC in 1934, he became an instructor in the Department of Pathobiology and, apart from a six-year absence to serve as Alberta's first provincial animal pathologist and as a captain in the Canadian army during the Second World War, spent the rest of his career with the college.

After rejoining the Department of Pathology in 1946, Dr. Jones was appointed acting principal (1950-1952) of OVC, principal (1952-1964), and its first dean (1964-1968). He retired in 1974.

In a letter sent to Jones congratulating him on his 100th birthday on March 19, current OVC dean Elizabeth Stone wrote: "Throughout your leadership at OVC, you were known for practicality, charm and idealism. You were always a good example for students, faculty and staff. And your influence lives today in the students who learn at OVC, in the faculty who have been inspired by the innovations you implemented and the staff who are dedicated to the excellence of OVC."

See the obituary published in the Guelph Mercury.

University of Guelph scientists have made a discovery that may lead to more effective vaccines to protect poultry and humans from the deadly avian influenza virus.

"We have found one of the molecular determinants of the H5N1 avian influenza virus that can induce immune responses in chickens," said Prof. Shayan Sharif, a researcher in the Department of Pathobiology and lead author of the study published recently in the journal PLoS ONE.

"This molecular structure may be used in the future for protecting chickens against avian flu and possibly for control of transmission of the virus from birds to humans."

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An insidious disease that attacks parrots around the world is now one step closer to easy detection thanks to researchers at the Ontario Veterinary College and the Animal Health Laboratory at the University of Guelph. A new screening test for Avian bornavirus is now available in Canada only through the Animal Health Laboratory. Research to create the test was funded by Pet Trust Fund and a number of pet bird clubs.

"This screening test is a significant step forward to help identify and control this world-wide disease," said Prof. Dale Smith of OVC.

Proventricular dilation disease or PDD causes weight loss, digestive problems and neurological signs in affected parrots. Until now, there has been no easy way to test living birds for the disease --- often the diagnosis could only be confirmed at post-mortem.

The new screening test was developed in conjunction with researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, who identified the virus that causes the disease. Dr. Smith and Dr. Michael Taylor, of the Ontario Veterinary College, have been studying this disease for a number of years and are delighted to be able to apply this new information in a practical manner.

It appears that some parrots are carriers of or chronically infected with the disease and may not show clinical signs, but can shed the virus to other birds, which may become seriously ill. The new screening test will be of benefit to aviaries, breeders and hobbyists.

Avian veterinarians can request the test through the Animal Health Laboratory.

At Convocation Saturday, Dr. Parvathi Basrur received the Medal of Merit for her outstanding and lasting contributions to the University of Guelph and her commitment to student development. The Chancellor conferred the distinction of University Professor Emeritus upon Dr. John Leatherland. Here are the statements as the two were presented to the Chancellor:

Dr. Parvathi (Pari) Basrur

We honour Dr. Basrur for her outstanding and lasting contributions to the University of Guelph and her commitment to student development. In the words of one of her colleagues: "Pari Basrur epitomizes all the qualities that one could possibly hope for in a member of the University of Guelph faculty ... (she) has enhanced the stature of this institution over a period of more than 45 years."

Dr. Basrur joined the faculty of Ontario Veterinary College in 1959. Today she is a world recognized and highly respected authority on veterinary genetics and its application in livestock production. A pioneer in her field, she established veterinary medical genetics as a core course in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, which was a first for DVM programs in North America.

As a recipient of more than $1.8 million in research grants during her academic career, she has published 189 papers in refereed journals, presented more than 200 papers at scientific meetings, contributed 10 chapters to books, written a textbook on veterinary genetics and co-edited five books.

Dr. Basrur is a particularly positive and inspiring role model. Her career is one of firsts: the first woman to be appointed a professor at OVC, the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Executive Service Organization, the first woman to receive the Norden Award for Distinguished Teaching in the DVM program, and the first non-veterinarian woman to be voted Honorary Class President for the graduating DVM class in 1995, an award she received for a second time 10 years later.

She is known for her personal generosity in supporting students at all levels, including counseling students from developing countries. She has been a research advisor for 46 graduate students, many of whom have gone on to achieve international recognition for their own scientific work.

Since her official retirement in 1995, Dr. Basrur has continued her teaching and studies as a University Professor Emerita, actively volunteering for undergraduate teaching and graduate student guidance in the Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Throughout her career, Dr. Basrur has also been an extraordinary ambassador for the University of Guelph and Canada, participating in numerous international development endeavours. Her remarkable contributions have garnered numerous honours, culminating in her membership in the Order of Canada in 2004.

To these accolades we are pleased to add the 2008 Medal of Merit Award in recognition of Dr. Basrur's continuing contributions to the academic life and reputation of the University of Guelph.

Dr. John Leatherland

Dr. Leatherland is a renowned scientist who has devoted more than 35 years of outstanding service to the University of Guelph. He is an internationally recognized leader in the field of vertebrate endocrinology, with more than 270 articles to his credit in refereed journals, including Nature and Science. His co-authored, seminal paper in the American Zoologist on the structure of the teleost pituitary gland is recognized as a Science Citation Classic. He founded Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, one of the most important journals in his field and he continues to serve on the editorial boards of several other journals.

Dr. Leatherland joined the faculty of the University of Guelph in 1971. Over the course of his career, he has held a number of faculty and administrative positions, including assistant dean of the College of Biological Sciences and chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences. His collegial nature and genuine desire to do what is best for the department, the college and the university is a source of inspiration and an example of outstanding, progressive academic governance.

Dr. Leatherland's leadership and achievements will continue to benefit our research community for many years to come. Most notably, he spearheaded our successful $27-million proposal to the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Innovation Trust for the redevelopment of facilities for translational biomedical research at the Ontario Veterinary College.

He has also had a remarkable and extensive impact on graduate and undergraduate education, including supervising or co-supervising 30 graduate students, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in academia and public service.

In summary, John Leatherland epitomizes the very ideal of a scholar-educator, and has served this university exceptionally well throughout a long and outstanding career.

In recognition of his enormous, lasting contribution to the University of Guelph, I ask you, Madame Chancellor to confer upon him the distinction of University Professor Emeritus.