Lieutenant Governor's Award in Animal Care and Veterinary Medicine Awarded to Dr. Bob Curtis
The 2nd Annual Lieutenant Governor's Award in Animal Care and Veterinary Medicine was presented during a gala dinner April 7 by Her Honour, The Honourable Myra A. Freeman, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. This year's award, which is sponsored by the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI, was presented to Dr. Bob Curtis before a gathering of approximately 200 veterinarians, veterinary industry representatives, former colleagues, and students during a ceremony honouring his considerable achievements.
"Dr. Curtis is well known and respected throughout the Canadian veterinary profession as a leader in large animal medicine, and as a man who has dedicated his life to the education of hundreds of veterinary students at both the Ontario Veterinary College and the Atlantic Veterinary College," says Dr. Tim Ogilvie, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI. "He is a respected teacher, mentor and veterinarian with a career spanning more than 50 years and two veterinary colleges. Bob Curtis is truly one of our great Canadian veterinary legends."
A resident of Charlottetown, PEI, Curtis' career in animal care and veterinary medicine began in his youth on his family's farm near Orangeville, Ontario. He went on to study at the Ontario Veterinary College from which he graduated with First Class Honours in 1961, receiving the Andrew Smith Gold Medal for First in Class.
Curtis would go on to become a professor and researcher at both the Ontario Veterinary College and the Atlantic Veterinary College. As founding Chair of the Department of Health Management at the Atlantic Veterinary College, Curtis played a critical role in recruiting many of the department's faculty and designing Health Management's clinical services.
Regarded as a pioneer in his profession, Curtis introduced many of the concepts of herd health in North America. Curtis is also known throughout Canada as a much loved educator, receiving seven awards for teaching excellence. He has also been awarded life memberships to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and the PEI Veterinary Medical Association in recognition of his distinguished career and outstanding contributions to veterinary medicine.
"Bob Curtis is a man that has shaped the lives of countless students and veterinarians in our country," says Dr. Ernie Prowse, Chair, Atlantic Provinces Veterinary Conference, Truro, NS. "His passion for nurturing a love of education and animal care is remarkable and has contributed significantly to the development of competent veterinarians and a stronger veterinary medicine profession."
Funded by the four Atlantic provinces, the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI is committed to excellence and innovation in education, research and service. Over the past 20 years, the College has graduated approximately 1,000 doctors of veterinary medicine, has become known around the world for its research capabilities, and is the Atlantic region's only full service veterinary
referral hospital.
