Ceva communications director Martin Mitchell presents the award to professors David Argyle and Cathy Dwyer.

Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies recognised for commitment to animal welfare 

The University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies has been awarded the Veterinary School of the Year Award as part of the World Veterinary Association's Global Animal Welfare Awards 2020.

The awards, which are run by both the WVA and Ceva Animal Health, aim to highlight and reward outstanding welfare-related services within the veterinary profession.

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies was recognised for its ongoing investment into teaching and training activities related to animal welfare, delivered through both the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education, as well as the School's many outreach projects it runs globally.

Commenting on the award, Professor Cathy Dwyer, professor of animal behaviour and welfare at the school, said: “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.”

The award ceremony was livestreamed during the WVA's online webinar on ‘The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Veterinary Profession’ on 29 October 2020. A series of short videos highlighting the work of each of the award recipients was shown to attendees after the ceremony.

Dean of The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Professor David Argyle, added: “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.”

Image (c) University of Edinburgh.