Awards & Honorary Members

Originally the ‘Warner Lambert Award’, envisaged at 75th Council meeting on Dec 4th 1979 and initially presented for ‘Outstanding contributions in the field of Veterinary Care of Reptiles and Amphibians’. Warner Lambert agreed to sponsor the award of £50 annually along with a certificate for the person who had contributed most to scientific study of Reptiles. This was not necessarily to be a vet or a British resident. A panel was set up to judge the award, which was first presented at the 1980 BSAVA Congress. Subsequent awards were presented at BVZS meetings. BVZS Council agreed that Dr. Elkin should be first recipient. In 1982 the award became the ‘Parke Davies Award’. In 1994 the award was broadened to all ‘Outstanding contributions to the field of Zoological Medicine’. In 1996 it became the ‘Parke Davies (Upjohn) Award’ and later still the ‘BVZS/FZG Award’.

After several years where no Award has been made, the intention of BVZS Council is to resurrect the Award for the 2022 BVZS conference.

This prize was first presented to Ian Keymer for two papers published in the Veterinary Record on ‘Diseases of Tortoises and Terrapins’. His prize was the latest Edition of Murray Fowler’s book to be presented at Autumn meeting 1979. In 1985 BVZS prize became sponsored by Holt-Saunders, with defined criteria of being for ‘The best Zoological Medicine paper published in a Journal in English’.

After several years where no Award has been made, the intention of BVZS Council is to resurrect the Award for the 2022 BVZS conference.

Vic Simpson left a legacy to BVZS to promote and support research by BVZS members into conditions that affect free-living British wildlife. Although his wishes were not binding, he requested of BVZS Council that; the money should be ‘ring fenced’ to ensure that it is used entirely to promote and support research into conditions that affect free-living British wildlife; financial support should be offered to BVZS members for their work on British wildlife – this could take the form of a grant towards the cost of presenting a paper at a conference or publication charges; Council should feel free to use the funds for other purposes as they see fit providing this follows the principal objective of supporting research on British wildlife; priority should be given to applicants who have limited means or work largely at their own expense.

After discussion in 2019, BVZS Council agreed that the legacy would be used to fund up to two annual awards (the ‘Vic Simpson Awards’) to allow BVZS members to attend and present work focused on British wildlife at the annual BVZS conference as part of the Wildlife Health Day, with priority given to those who financially might otherwise be unable to do so. The first Awards were presented at the 2019 Conference in Manchester by Vic’s widow Jane. As a result of the covid-19 pandemic, no Awards were made in 2020 or 2021.

From time to time, other awards may be issued and announced to celebrate the diversity of recognition BVZS gives members for contributions to zoological medicine.