
Call for 2009 Nominees
Penn Vet World Leadership in Animal Health
Penn Vet Student Inspiration Awards
Penn Vet World Leadership in Animal Health Award

The Penn Vet World Leadership in Animal Health Award of $100,000 is given to a veterinarian who has:
- Dramatically changed the practice and image of the profession and
- Substantially influenced the lives and careers of others.
The selection process involves experts in the nominees’ selected fields and brings distinction to the award and the profession by its rigor. Nominations are considered on the basis of merit alone, regardless of nationality, race, religion or gender. To be eligible, candidates must hold a degree in veterinary medicine from a school listed in the Handbook of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The deadline for 2009 nominations is Monday, December 1, 2008.
Dr. Bernard Vallat
Dr. Bernard Vallat, director general of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), received the first Penn Vet World Award in April 2008. Under Dr. Vallat’s leadership, the OIE has stressed the importance of sharing scientific information, as well as promoting veterinary services and a continued commitment to food safety and animal welfare. By clearly linking human and animal health, Dr. Vallat has emphasized the positive impact of animal health policies on poverty reduction and public health.
For More Information
For more information about the World Awards application process, visit our application page.

Penn Vet World Awards Program
Joan C. Hendricks, VMD, PhD
The Gilbert S. Kahn Dean, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.
Alan M. Kelly, BVSc, MRCVS, PhD
Dean Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Chairman Penn Vet World Awards.
The launch of a new awards program designed to recognize innovation, creativity and leadership in the veterinary profession was announced April 23, 2007 by the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. “I am delighted to announce the Penn Vet World Awards, a unique recognition for both members of the veterinary profession and students,” said Dr. Joan C. Hendricks, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “These awards will encourage and reward visionary thinking and life-changing accomplishment in our profession while emphasizing the importance of veterinary medicine to society. Nothing like it currently exists in the world, and we are honored to be the first school of veterinary medicine to make such an enduring statement in support of our profession and our students.”
The program offers two awards:
- The World Leadership in Animal Health Award presented to a veterinarian who has dramatically changed the practice and image of the profession and substantially influenced the lives and careers of others.
- The Penn Vet Student Inspiration Awards presented to two currently enrolled Penn Vet students who demonstrate the potential to significantly advance the frontiers of veterinary medicine. Penn Vet graduates earn the unique and prestigious Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris (VMD) degree, which recognizes the School’s roots in Penn’s School of Medicine.
Each of the awards provides $100,000 in unrestricted funding to the recipient, selected by an awards committee chaired by Dr. Alan M. Kelly, the Dean Emeritus of Penn Vet.
Vernon and Shirley Hill with Duffy.
A Major Gift From The Vernon and Shirley Hill Foundation
The awards program has been established with a major gift from the Vernon and Shirley Hill Foundation.
“My wife and I are excited to underwrite these prestigious awards, which will have a lasting and far-reaching impact,” said Vernon Hill. “The Penn Vet World Awards will help transform veterinary medicine." The Hills are residents of Moorestown, N.J. Vernon Hill is a graduate of the Wharton School at Penn.