The recipient of the prestigious 2006 WSAVA Iams Paatsama Award was announced during the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Congress in Prague, the Czech Republic, as Dr Darryl L. Millis from Tennessee University, USA. Dr Millis receives the award in recognition of his outstanding clinical and scientific achievements in elevating the profile of both orthopaedic surgery and patient rehabilitation. His prospective studies have been of crucial importance in veterinary orthopaedics and this work is acknowledged as an important example of evidence–based surgery and physical rehabilitation.

Dr. Millis received his BS and DVM from Cornell University, MS from the University of Florida, and completed an internship and surgery residency at Tennessee University. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and is Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, where he serves as chief of surgery. Dr. Millis is a co-editor of the textbook ‘Essential Facts of Physiotherapy in Dogs and Cats, Rehabilitation and Pain Management’, and is a primary faculty member of the University of Tennessee Certificate Program in Canine Rehabilitation, which received the Outstanding Non-Credit Program Award from the Association for Continuing Higher Education. His primary areas of research interests include modulation of fracture healing with growth factors, osteoarthritis, and physical rehabilitation.  Dr Millis has delivered over 250 presentations at state, national and international meetings, and has authored over 34 refereed publications, 28 textbook chapters, and 75 abstracts/proceedings. Dr Millis has inspired many veterinarians in clinical research and he has been an outstanding role model and mentor to many others.

The 2005 Award was presented by Dr. Mike Hayek, The Iams Company, and Dr. Larry Dee, WSAVA president, to Prof. Dr. Herman A.W. Hazewinkel, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ECVS, Diplomate ECVCN in recognition of his outstanding contributions to clinical research in canine skeleton diseases at the WSAVA Congress in Mexico, June 2005.

Prof. Dr. Herman Hazewinkel became a member of the orthopaedic group of the Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals at Utrecht University in 1978. He completed his PhD studies in 1985 on “The influence of calcium intake on the skeletal development in growing dogs”. He became a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons and the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition. Since 1998 he has held the chair dedicated to “Diseases of skeletal development in companion animals”, which is partly funded by The Iams Company Research Foundation. He is president of the International Elbow Working Group (IEWG) and the European Society for Veterinary Orthopaedics and Traumatology (ESVOT). Prof. Dr. Hazewinkel has inspired many veterinarians and thanks to his findings, dietary management has helped to improve the well being of numerous dogs throughout the world.

Photo: From left to right Prof. Dr. H.A.W. Hazewinkel, Dr. Larry Dee and Dr. Mike Hayek at the WSAVA / Iams / Paatsama Award ceremony in Mexico City.

The recipient of the prestigious 2004 WSAVA Iams Paatsama Award for excellence in the field of orthopaedic medicine and surgery, was announced at the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Congress in Rhodes , Greece , as Dr Gail Smith from Philadelphia , USA .

Since graduating from The School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1974, Dr. Smith has contributed significantly to the field of orthopaedic medicine and surgery. Although he has contributed to many areas of veterinary orthopaedic research, his most notable and prolific contribution has been to the understanding, treatment, and population control of canine hip dysplasia (CHD).

Dr Smith's work on CHD has spanned many years and has produced exceptional publications. In so doing he has elevated the standards of research in this field and his work has made a major contribution to the welfare of canine breeds at risk of CHD. His development of a reliable and sensitive method for early detection of CHD and his critical assessment of the method has shed new light on the etiopathogenesis of CHD. His evaluation of the method of early detection of CHD has allowed the development of new treatment modalities, such as symphysiodesis. Dr Smith has inspired many veterinarians in clinical research and he has been an outstanding role model and mentor to many others.

The recipient of the annual WSAVA Iams Saki Paatsama Award for 2003 was announced during the official opening of the WSAVA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, by WSAVA President Dr. G. Varga and Dr. Richard C. Nap, Associate Director Technical Services Iams Europe. This year's Award winner is Dr. Åke Hedhammar, Professor of Internal Medicine, Uppsala, Sweden.

Dr. Åke Hedhammar graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in Stockholm, Sweden in 1970 and gained a M. Sc. in Nutritional Pathology from Cornell University in 1973, and a PhD in Veterinary Medicine (surgery) in 1974. He is Board certified by the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (small animals) and the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition. He has been scientific advisor to the Swedish Kennel Club since 1977 and has published widely in peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Hedhammar's scientific papers include work on over nutrition and skeletal development in Great Danes, canine hip dysplasia heritability studies in German Shepherd Dogs, the influence of growth intensity on skeletal development in dogs, environmental and heritability influence on skeletal development in dogs and nutrition related orthopaedic diseases and many epidemiological studies.

Dr. Hedhammar delivered a lecture as part of the main WSAVA Congress programme.