Global canine health awards announce winners

Winners of the world's largest international awards recognising excellence in canine research, health and welfare, have today, 3 July 2024, been announced by The Kennel Club Charitable Trust. The International Canine Health Awards, underwritten by a major gift from the international banker and philanthropist Vernon Hill, and his wife Shirley, celebrate and foster the latest scientific innovations benefitting dogs with seven award winners.

This year is the 12th iteration of the KCCT global awards, which are renowned in the veterinary field as offering generous prize money of over $180,000 (£140,000) to further the recipients' contributions to both canine medicine and One Health. The awards were presented via a virtual ceremony on Wednesday 3 July from The Kennel Club in London. This year, the magnificent trophies have been personally designed and donated by Mrs Shirley Hill.

Winners this year are a British-born professor making amazing advances in canine immunotherapies from the University of Pennsylvania; a distinguished canine genetics researcher from the University of Cambridge who is well-known to British dog breeders; a postgraduate student at the University of California, Davis, undertaking exciting work on canine brain tumours; an undergraduate veterinary student from Singapore based at the Royal Veterinary College in London who has a passion for pain control in dogs, and a UK Breed Health Co-Ordinator working to improve the health of Leonbergers. There are two Special Awards – the first to a faculty member of University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine who has dedicated a lifetime to working and service dogs on the front line and the second to the Ishikawa Veterinary Medical Association in Japan for their brave mission caring for pets affected by the devastating earthquake that struck the region in January. 

Applications were judged by an eminent international panel of veterinary and scientific experts across a range of research sectors, with a focus on nominees demonstrating a commitment to the unifying One Health approach, for the benefit of both humans and dogs. 

Dr Nicola Mason has been awarded a trophy and $100,000 as recipient of the highly prestigious Alan Kelly International Achievement Award. Dr Mason's achievements in developing vaccines and cellular immunotherapies to treat dogs with cancer have been described as pioneering, and she continues to bring cellular and biological therapies that harness the power of the immune system into the canine clinic to tackle other canine disease processes such as allergy and autoimmunity. Exemplifying the One Health approach, Dr Mason's nationwide clinical trial into responses to treatment of dogs with osteosarcomas, a malignant and aggressive form of bone cancer, drew the attention of paediatric oncologists treating children with the same condition – this has led to a clinical trial currently underway to evaluate Dr Mason's vaccine approach in children with relapsed, refractory metastatic disease.

On receiving her award Dr Mason shared: "I am absolutely delighted and extremely honoured to receive the Alan Kelly International Achievement Award for 2024. Throughout my career, I have focused on bringing the most promising immunotherapeutic advances into the canine health space, in an effort to improve canine health and welfare. The award is an extremely special endorsement of my efforts.

"Our canine companions enrich our lives beyond measure and contributing to their health and well-being continues to be an immense privilege for me. I am thrilled that my contributions have been recognised by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust and I would like to thank the selection committee and the Trust for this wonderful and deeply meaningful award."

Dr Cathryn Mellersh has been awarded a trophy and $50,000 as recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr Mellersh is the first person to receive two Canine Health Awards – in 2015 she was co-recipient of the International Award and this year she wins the Lifetime Achievement Award - a reflection of her sheer dedication and commitment to dog health and welfare.

Passionate to investigate the genetic basis of inherited diseases in dogs, Dr Mellersh has dedicated a lifetime to research and is widely known among dog breeders for the genetic research she has undertaken for nearly 20 years, which has led to the identification of over 30 different disease-associated variants, most of which form the basis of DNA tests that are offered globally.

While at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, in the 1990s, Dr Mellersh played a leading role creating the first linkage map of the dog genome and has continued to lead in the field publishing over 130 research papers and is widely considered one of the top canine geneticists in the world. Furthermore, with many canine genetic disorders mirrored in human disease, her research team's findings can improve our understanding of human conditions as well as those that affect dogs.

Dr Mellersh shared on her achievement: "This award means a huge amount to me, and I would like to thank everyone who nominated me for it. I have been lucky enough to spend my career combining my fascination with genetics with my love of dogs, and to achieve this award, for doing a job I love so much, is fantastic.  I am extremely grateful to everyone who has helped me throughout my career, including many incredible colleagues, collaborators and of course all the dog owners who have shared their dogs' stories with me. But most of all I would like to thank members of my research team, past and present, whose hard work, passion and loyalty are behind all the success stories. Together we have helped improve the genetic health of countless dogs and we should all feel very proud of that."

Daniela Jimenez, a current DVM/PhD student in the Veterinary Scientist Training Programme at University of California, Davis, has been awarded a trophy and $20,000 as recipient of the Postgraduate Student Inspiration Award. Daniela, who previously completed a B.A in Biology at Washington University in St Louis, wants to pursue a career as a practicing clinical scientist focussed on comparative neuro-immuno-oncology.

Daniela is interested in the intersection of immunology, oncology and neuroscience and how immune cells can alter the progression of glioma, an aggressive brain tumour that has a median survival time of just 1.5 years in both dogs and humans. Daniela aspires to further veterinary understanding of treating canine cancer and work closely with hospitals to help patients as widely as possible.

Daniela commented: "I'm grateful and honoured to receive this prestigious award. I'm excited to build a career where I can conduct clinically relevant research that can make a positive impact in the veterinary field. This award will open up opportunities for me to ask questions and conduct research that can improve our understanding of canine brain tumours and hopefully provide treatment insights for these patients."

Hailing from Singapore, Simone Ku has been awarded a trophy and $10,000 as recipient of the Undergraduate Student Inspiration Award. Simone is currently in her fourth year studying as a veterinary student at the Royal Veterinary College, London. Simone is on a mission to advance canine pain therapy through a holistic perspective to enhance all aspects of dog well-being.

Simone was inspired to dedicate her career to dogs after her close canine companion, Smudge, was diagnosed with Fanconi syndrome and arthritis. Simone witnessed the crucial difference a quick diagnosis and tailored medication can make to a beloved dog's quality of life. Simone secured a place on the renowned VetCompass project focussed on researching the potential uses of gabapentin, the medication that helped Smudge, which is widely used in treating humans and canines alike.

Speaking on her achievement, Simone said: "I am delighted and incredibly grateful to receive this award. It not only reaffirms my commitment to advancing canine health but also serves as a powerful endorsement of the importance of research into canine pain management, a cornerstone of compassionate care. This recognition inspires and empowers me to continue striving towards bettering the lives of our canine companions."

Sharon Springel has been awarded a trophy and £5,000 as recipient of the Breed Health Co-ordinator Award for her vital voluntary role in spearheading campaigns improving the health of Leonbergers. Sharon has been involved in the breed for 27 years, through owning, breeding, showing and judging, and has been a member of the main committee for the Leonberger Club for seven years, and chair of the health sub-committee for more than ten years.

Under her guidance, the Leonberger Club of Great Britain has organised multiple blood sampling opportunities at club events and shows for DNA research, arranged seminars on breed relevant topics, coordinated health surveys and produced pamphlets, website data and videos, as well as new schemes for safeguarding the genetic diversity of the breed.

Sharon has encouraged the Leonberger community to participate in various international research studies. Uniting the breed overseas she has led on an international fertility study, helped establish an international DNA bio-banking scheme and become a founding member and chair of the International Leonberger Union's first international health committee. Sharon continues to disseminate her knowledge to educate breeders worldwide through digital platforms and in-person events in an aim to increase and safeguard the breed's genetic diversity.

Sharon shared: "I am delighted to receive this prestigious award on behalf of all of my outstanding colleagues among the Breed Health Co-ordinators team. It is an often challenging role and I am gratefully inspired by their courage and dedication and I am proud to have been part of such a group."

A Special Award aims to recognise an exceptional activity related to the health and welfare of dogs. Recipients must demonstrate quite unique qualities to justify the recognition. This year, there are two recipients.

The first is Dr Cindy Otto, a faculty member of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine since 1991, who was awarded a trophy and $10,000 for her pioneering work on the health and welfare of working dogs.

Dr Otto's research interests are focused on the health, genetics and behaviour of detection dogs. She joined the US Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Task Force in 1994 to use her skills as an emergency and critical care veterinarian to support search dogs, and on September 11, 2001, she deployed to New York City to care for dogs at Ground Zero. As a result of this experience, she saw the need for clear scientific analysis to identify the risk factors for working dogs associated with a large-scale disaster responses and so she created the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, that not only supports the scientific research, education and training of working dogs but increases the availability of these uniquely trained dogs at times of crisis.

Embracing the concept of One Health, Dr. Otto enhances human and canine health not only through search and rescue but also law enforcement and scent detection such as narcotics and explosives and medication detection of cancer, infections, and other human, animal and environmental diseases.

Cindy shared: "It is a true honour to receive this prestigious, international, special award. I am grateful to the ICHA, Vernon and Shirley Hill, and The Kennel Club Charitable Trust, but mostly I am grateful to the amazing dogs and their human partners who have inspired me, supported me, and enriched my scientific journey as well as my life."

A second Special Award this year goes to the Ishikawa Veterinary Medical Association which has also been awarded a trophy and $10,000. After the 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the Ishikawa Prefecture of Japan on Honshu island on January 1 2024, the Association provided rapid response, rescue, protection, and free treatment of the very many animals affected by this devastating earthquake. Between January and March this year many hundreds of dogs were treated by a team of no less than 78 volunteer veterinarians. The work is ongoing reflecting the complexity and infrastructure damage in the disaster-stricken areas.

The teams operate out of a dedicated mobile clinic and, with the cooperation of volunteer groups and local residents, have also set up a shelter where affected families can safely leave their animals and where free spay/neuter and microchipping services are provided.

The Award is made for outstanding public service to care for injured, lost and distressed dogs in the face of catastrophic disaster.

The President of the Ishikawa Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Koichiro Miyano, said: "I believe it will take a considerable amount of time to return to our normal lives, but we would like to continue working together with the members of the Veterinary Association."

Dr Andrew Higgins, Chairman of the International Canine Health Awards panel and trustee of The Kennel Club Charitable Trust which has run the Awards for the last 12 years, said: "We are incredibly proud to be unveiling the 2024 winners of the International Canine Health Awards. With the generous prize money from Vernon and Shirley Hill we can continue to fund vital research and ensure improvements for canine health and welfare.

"With the judging panel's focus on the One Health concept, we are pleased to recognise another incredible cohort of individuals leading the way in increasing understanding, advancing diagnosis and trailblazing treatment options for a range of medical ailments that impact both canines and humans.

"I would like to congratulate all the winners for their impressive work so far and everyone involved in the awards are excited to see what is next for these talented individuals."

Vernon Hill, renowned international banker, who together with his wife Shirley underwrites the awards, said: "Congratulations to the fantastic winners of the 2024 awards. We were very pleased to donate the prize money and trophies in recognition of the outstanding work of these motivated and dedicated individuals who are devoting their lives to our canine friends. As a global recognition, and with the focus on One Health, we are looking forward to seeing how these awards will continue to make a difference to canine and human health across the world. Thank you all."

  
More information about the International Canine Health Awards is available at kennelclubcharitabletrust.org/dog-health/icha.