Stephen W. Barthold, Distinguished Professor of Veterinary and Medical Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine at California, Davis, Receives the Inaugural 2011 Merial-AAVMC Excellence in Research Award

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stephen W. Barthold, DVM, Ph.D., of the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine will receive the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges' (AAVMC) inaugural 2011 Merial-AAVMC Excellence in Research Award on Saturday, August 6, at the Merial-NIH National Veterinary Scholars Symposium in Florida.

The AAVMC board of directors established the annual award in 2010 to recognize outstanding research and scholarly achievements in the field of veterinary medicine.  It recognizes an individual who, over the course of his or her career, has demonstrated excellence in original research, leadership in the scientific community, and mentoring of trainees and colleagues in any discipline of veterinary medicine.  

Dr. Barthold researches the interaction between infectious disease agents and their hosts. While on the faculty of Yale University, he played a major role in coordinating a team of researchers that investigated and developed a vaccine for Lyme disease that can be used for both humans and animals. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded Dr. Barthold's research for over 30 years. Over the past 25 years, he has been highly successful in obtaining NIH funding and is ranked above the 95th percentile in total funding. Since 1997, he has directed the Comparative Medical Science Training Program for graduate veterinarians training in biomedical research, funded by an NIH T32 training grant. He also obtained funding for the Summer Training in Advance Research (STAR) program, a summer research program for veterinary students.  Having published close to 300 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and books, he is highly regarded by his peers, students, and those who have suffered from Lyme disease.  

Dr. Barthold received his bachelor's degree and DVM from the University of California in 1967 and 1969 respectively.  He was a captain in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine for four years, beginning in 1969.  Barthold studied experimental and comparative pathology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, earning his master's degree in 1973 and a doctorate in 1974.  He was appointed assistant professor of comparative medicine at the Yale School of Medicine in 1974, was promoted to full professor in 1989, and earned Diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 1976.  In 1997, he began his tenure as the director of the newly created UC Davis Center for Comparative Medicine, a unique joint venture between the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

"It's very fitting that Dr. Barthold has been selected to receive this inaugural Merial-AAVMC Excellence in Research Award," said Dr. Marguerite Pappaioanou, the AAVMC's executive director. "His scholarly achievements in veterinary and comparative medicine are extraordinary and he is highly respected as a visionary leader, inspiring mentor, and role model whose work has done much to advance biomedical research and demonstrate the important contributions veterinarian scientists make to advancing human and animal health."

Individuals are nominated for the Merial-AAVMC Excellence in Research Award by their individual institutions and a selection committee, appointed by the AAVMC board, chooses the international honoree.

Each year, Merial, the animal health division of Sanofi, contributes support to the veterinary profession in the form of scholarships to students at veterinary colleges, research grants, philanthropy, and products as part of its commitment to the future of the veterinary profession and educational mission of veterinary colleges.

The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) is a non-profit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals, people and the environment by advancing academic veterinary medicine. Its members include all 33 veterinary medical colleges in the United States and Canada, nine departments of veterinary science, eight departments of comparative medicine, two veterinary medical education institutions, nine international colleges of veterinary medicine, and five affiliate international colleges of veterinary medicine.  On the Web:  http://www.aavmc.org.

SOURCE Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges