RVN Katie Whalley has been awarded the MSD Animal Health Research Bursary trophy

Deputy Head Veterinary Nurse, Chipping Norton Veterinary Hospital, RVN Katie Whalley, has been awarded the MSD Animal Health Research Bursary trophy, as well as £1,000, in addition to her original bursary; in recognition for her research and presentation on quantifying and observing practice cleanliness.

This year’s awards day had to be held online due to social distancing measures.

Mrs Whalley stated: “I am very grateful to MSD Animal Health for awarding me the research bursary and prize. Cleanliness is such an important subject area for the veterinary field and I’m pleased I can hopefully inspire others to monitor it effectively, enabling us to continually improve our standards across the industry. I am excited to be the first veterinary nurse to take part and win and hope I can encourage other nurses to take an interest in research and help improve standards.”

Michelle Townley, MSD Animal Health veterinary advisor, responsible for managing the research bursaries, stated: “It was wonderful that this year everyone could present, no matter where they are working in the world and despite the event having to be virtual this year, there was a huge amount of energy in the room that shone through from the enthusiasm of the presenters. Their love of their work and commitment to research was apparent to everyone on the judging panel. It was a great day all round. We’re excited and delighted to have awarded the top prize to our first veterinary nurse and Katie’s extremely valuable and practical work on monitoring clinical hygiene.”