2022 Awards for outstanding contributions to veterinary anesthesiology

It is our great pleasure to announce that two distinguished colleagues were recognized for their contributions to veterinary anesthesiology by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA) at meetings in October 2022. Professor William (Bill) W Muir III was presented the ACVAA 2022 Career Achievement Award for his long career of outstanding performance in advancing the art and science of veterinary anesthesia and/or analgesia. Dr. Lynne I Kushner was presented the President’s Award for meritorious service to the ACVAA in advancement of veterinary anesthesia and analgesia through leadership, service and outreach. Professor William (Bill) W Muir III obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Michigan State University in 1970 and in 1974 received his PhD from The Ohio State University Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology. He subsequently joined the faculty 1974–2006, serving as Department Chair in 1982–1993. He then served as the chief science advisor at the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, Jockey Club, KY, USA for 2 years and then as the chief Medical Officer at the Animal Medical Center in New York 2009–2013. Bill Muir joined the College of Veterinary Medicine Lincoln Memorial University, TN, USA as a professor of physiology in 2014 and where he is currently Professor and Associate Dean in Basic Sciences and Research. Other activities include roles as science advisor for several organizations, including Veterinary Centers of America Animal Hospitals (VCA Inc., CA, USA) in the US, Canada and Europe, and pharmaceutical industry companies. He is a diplomate of the ACVAA and the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC). Professor Muir’s research interests focus on application of research results from cardiopulmonary physiology/pathophysiology and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics studies on clinical practice. Specific research includes the cardiovascular effects of injectable and inhalant anesthetics, fluid therapy and resuscitation during hemorrhage, and monitoring. He has over 315 publications in refereed journals, books with several editions (Muir and Hubbell, 2008Muir W.W. Hubbell J.A.E. Equine Anesthesia: Monitoring and Emergency Therapy.2nd edn. Elsevier, USA2008Google Scholar; Muir et al., 2012Muir W.W. Hubbell J.A.E. Bednarski R.M. Lerche P. Handbook of Veterinary Anesthesia.5th edn. Elsevier, USA2012Google Scholar; Gaynor and Muir, 2014Gaynor J.S. Muir W.W. Handbook of Veterinary Pain Management.3rd edn. Elsevier, USA2014Google Scholar), over 60 chapters in books, and many educational articles for veterinary practitioners, editorials and proceedings. He has lectured in many countries across the world at meetings of the ACVAA, Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists, World Congress of Veterinary Anaesthesia, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, American Association of Laboratory Animal Medicine, American Association of Equine Practitioners, British Equine Veterinary Association, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and others. He is a member of many colleges and associations, for example, ACVAA, ACVECC, AVMA, AAHA, American Society of Veterinary Physiologists and Pharmacologists, and the International Veterinary Association of Pain Management. Professor Muir has won numerous awards including the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics Meritorious Achievement (2018); the ACVECC Scientific Achievement Awards: Traumatology (2004), Fluid Therapy (2011) and President’s Award (2013), The Ohio State Outstanding Service Award for Graduate Education (1995), and Beecham and Ralston Purina Awards for research excellence (1984, 1987). Professor Muir’s extensive contribution to promoting anesthesia care by involving industry and corporate practice groups in interaction with the veterinary anesthesia community was acknowledged by Professor William Tranquilli when he accepted the ACVAA 2021 President’s Award (Trim et al., 2022Trim C.M. Dunlop C. Bennett R. 2021 Awards for outstanding contributions to veterinary anesthesiology.Vet Anaesth Analg. 2022; 49: 1-3Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Google Scholar). When asked for comments on this award, Professor Muir had this to say. ‘I am extremely appreciative to be the 2022 recipient of the ACVAA Career Achievement Award. I have had the good fortune and opportunity to be employed by veterinary practices, academic organizations (The Ohio State University, Lincoln Memorial University), research (QTest Labs) and pharmaceutical organizations that have provided me with ready access to facilities and support required to have a productive career. Needless to say, none of my accomplishments could have been achieved without the effort and support of enthusiastic and dedicated colleagues, PhD and Masters’ students, residents, interns and technical and administrative support staff. I am particularly indebted to the many national and international friends I have met and collaborated with during my career including Robert Hamlin, John Hubbell, Roman Skarda, Al Gabel, Bob Copland, Bill Tranquilli, Mark Raffe, Peter Pascoe, Steve Haskins, Jamie Gaynor, Peter Rossdale, Kazuto Yamashita and Claire Sicluna. These individuals and many others have enriched my academic career with ideas, discussions and arguments that inspired me to focus my efforts in anesthesia, pain and pain management and perioperative medicine’. Dr. Lynne I Kushner was awarded the 2022 ACVAA President’s Award for outstanding service to the ACVAA as Executive Secretary/Treasurer 2016–2021. She participated in the busy and multifaceted work involving coordination of the various aspects of ACVAA business and is greatly appreciated for her contributions to ACVAA. In her tenure, the diplomate oral examination was eliminated in 2018, ways were developed to deliver the examination safely during the years of COVID restrictions, and relationships between ACVAA and the North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons were strengthening. Dr. Kushner entered the nursing program at the Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, MA, USA in 1977 and progressed to working as an intensive care unit nurse. Her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree was obtained in 1988 from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, MA, USA and was followed by an internship at Veterinary Specialists, West Hartford, CT, USA. An anesthesiology residency was completed at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA in 1993. Dr. Kushner worked in a faculty position at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, MS, USA in 1993–1998, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA in 1999–2010 and in 2011 at the American University of Antigua School of Veterinary Medicine. She subsequently enjoyed locum work at the Universities of Cornell and Illinois, USA, Université de Montréal, Canada and Ross University, St Kitts & Nevis. Lynne obtained diplomate status in the ACVAA in 1996. Her publications include studies of intravenous regional anesthesia in cats, interpleural bupivacaine in dogs and evaluation of signal averaged electrocardiograms in dogs. Lynne is now living in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, USA. A native Rhode Islander, she began playing the violin at age 10, attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 1969–1970 and played music for several years before considering a career in veterinary medicine. Now she is playing her violin again and volunteering her time for delivering ‘Meals on Wheels’ to seniors and helping at the local animal shelter. Previous award recipients ACVAA Career Achievement Award2021 Professor Wayne McDonell2020 Professor Peter J Pascoe2019 Professor Thomas J Doherty2018 Professor Cynthia M Trim2017 Professor EP Steffey2016 Professor E Wynne Jones2015 Professor CE Short ACVAA President’s Awards2021 Professor William J Tranquilli2020 Professor John W Ludders2020 Dr Pauline L Wong2019 Professor R Bruce Heath2019 Professor Lawrence R Soma2018 Dr Doris Dyson2017 Dr Lydia Donaldson ECVAA Morpheus Award2019 Professor RE Clutton2018 Professor Yves Moens2017 Professor KW Clarke2016 Professor EP Steffey2015 Dr PM Taylor The authors declare no conflict of interest.