Dr Doherty is the first category winner to be announced in the run up to the Awards ceremony which will take place on the 17th April during the 39th World Veterinary Association Congress (WVAC), in Cape Town, South Africa.

He was nominated by the British Veterinary Association, with the support of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and of the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association for his outstanding contributions to One Health.

Dr Doherty is a Senior Lecturer (Education) in Animal Health in the School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast.

His expertise focuses on a One Health approach to global health challenges to balance and optimise the health of people, animals and ecosystems, sustainable livestock agriculture and aquaculture - including animal welfare, environmental impact and antimicrobial resistance.

Dr Doherty began his veterinary career working in progressive farm animal and equine practice and was later appointed the Animal Health and Aquaculture Sector Specialist for the UK Government’s Department for International Trade.

He is a Past-President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and was the founding chair of the UK One Health Coordination Group, later chairing the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) Food Safety and Sustainability Working Group.

For the last fifteen years, he has been working with the international NGO, Ripple Effect (formerly Send a Cow) which is involved in sustainable development in six sub-Saharan countries – Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Zambia bringing his expertise in livestock health and welfare, and One Health, to the organisation.

Commenting on this recognition, Dr Doherty said: “It is a huge honour to receive this award but, in the collaborative spirit of One Health, it’s recognition of the support and encouragement I’ve experienced from organisations I’ve had the privilege to work with across the UK and Ireland, and globally, over the last decade.

“One Health recognises the interconnectedness of people, animals and their shared environment but achieving solutions to some of the challenges we face – including tackling infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance – necessitates a joined-up approach between professions, and this is what I’ve sought to facilitate.”

One overall winner will be named as Veterinarian of the Year on stage during the ceremony later this year.

Speaking on behalf of the WVA, President Dr. Rafael Laguens, 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.

“This recognition spans a diverse array of fields within our profession, interconnected through the One Health approach. We express our gratitude to Ceva Santé Animale and its CEO, Dr. Marc Prikazsky, whose remarkable commitment to the One Health strategy has made these awards possible.”

For Ceva Santé Animale, Chairman and CEO Dr. Marc Prikazsky added: "We are delighted to have worked with our long-term partners, WVA, to bring a "new look" to the Global Veterinary Awards. The previous awards highlighted the incredible work many of my fellow veterinarians do to protect animal welfare. However, together with the WVA President, Dr Rafael Laguens and his team, we felt it was time to draw attention to the equally important 3 other areas where WVA has a strategic focus - One Health, Medicine Stewardship and Veterinary Education.

“Ceva has been committed to work as a One Health company for well over a decade and I'm personally delighted to see Dr Simon Doherty recognised for his major contribution in helping to promote a truly One Health approach."

Media

Media inquiries to Sian Devlin at s.devlin@qub.ac.uk