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  • AAVI Documents
American Association of Veterinary Immunologists
  • Home
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    • Awards
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    • Old newsletters
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Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist Award

The highest honor bestowed by the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists (AAVI) is the Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist (DVI) Award. This award honors an immunologist for outstanding contributions to veterinary immunology. Recipients are individuals whose contribution to veterinary immunology is widely acknowledged as significant and important to the understanding of the immunology of domestic and/or wild animals. The award recognizes all specialties of veterinary immunology and is open to members and non-members of AAVI.

The AAVI Board selects the awardee from the three nominations put forward by the Nominations Committee. The award consists of a plaque and is presented at the Conference of Research Workers on Animal Diseases (CRWAD) meeting. The DVI recipient presents a lecture at CRWAD when receiving their award.
Eligibility
This award is open to AAVI members and non-members with a record of significant and sustained achievement in veterinary immunology research. Posthumous awards will not be considered.

Candidates must be nominated by General or Lifetime AAVI members in good standing. Members may not nominate themselves. Members of the AAVI Board of Directors are not eligible for nomination but may nominate or recommend candidates.
 
Nomination Instructions

Please include the following in the nomination package:
  • One (1) nomination letter, not to exceed three (3) pages, signed and submitted by a General or Lifetime AAVI member in good standing, indicating the nominee’s qualifications for the award. The letter should efficiently summarize the nominee’s major contributions to veterinary immunology. The nomination letter must be from a single individual and not include multiple endorsements. It should reflect the observations and opinions of the author. Please refrain from extensive reliance on quotations and observations of others.
  • Up to three (3) additional letters of recommendation, not to exceed three (3) pages, from 3 different individuals and not including multiple endorsements within them. These letters must be signed and included in the package.
  • The nominee’s CV or biosketch.

The deadline for nominations will be announced shortly, but it is expected in July 2026. Packages must be submitted as a single combined PDF file via the online nomination form. Incomplete nomination packages or nominations that do not comply with the stated instructions will not be considered. AAVI will not accept materials sent separately or through email or regular mail. Final award decisions are at AAVI's discretion.

Candidates may be re-nominated annually, with complete nominations submitted for each year of nomination.

PAST DISTINGUISHED VETERINARY IMMUNOLOGIST AWARDEES:

1988-1999
1988 - Ron Schultz 
1989 - Alex Winter 
1990 - Bennie Osburn 
1991 - Travis McGuire 
1992 - Loren Babiuk 
1993 - William Davis 
1994 - Ivan Morrison 
1995 - Linda Saif 
1996 - Joan Lunney 
1997 - James Roth 
1998 - Lance Perryman 
1999 - Wendy Brown 
2000-2009
2000 - Doug Antczak
2001 - Lynette Corbeil 
2002 - Cynthia Baldwin 
2003 - Chris Howard 
2004 - Chuck Czuprynski 
2005 - Gary Splitter 
2006 - Mark Jutila 
2007 - John Butler

2008 - Lorraine M. Sordillo
2009 - Mark Estes

2010-2019
2010 - Frank Blecha
2011 - Patricia Shewen
2012 - Mike Murtaugh
2013 - Ian Tizard
2014 - Hyun Lillehoj
2015 - Philip Griebel
2016 - Subramanian Srikumaran
2017 - W. Ray Waters
2018 - Laurel Gershwin
2019 - Bettina Wagner


2020 - To date
2020 - Scott McVey
2021 - Gary Entrican
2022 - no meeting -
2023 - Amelia Woolums
2024 - Chris Chase
2025 - Armin Saalmüller
2026 - Jodi L. McGill
​2027 - Noah D. Cohen