Dr. Ian Gardner, CERC in Aquatic Epidemiology
Dr. Ian Gardner, a professor of epidemiology and Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Aquatic Epidemiology at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College, is being honoured with the prestigious Calvin W. Schwabe Award for lifetime achievement in veterinary epidemiology and preventive medicine.
The Association for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (AVEPM) will present Gardner with the award at the 2017 Schwabe Symposium on December 3rd in Chicago, Illinois. Gardner was nominated by Dr. Ian Dohoo, professor emeritus of epidemiology at AVC and a past winner of the award. His nomination was supported by Dr. Matthias Grenier, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany, and Dr. Wesley Johnson, professor emeritus, University of California, Irvine.
In his nominating letter, Dohoo said that it was Gardner’s stellar reputation as a veterinary epidemiologist that enabled the University of Prince Edward Island to garner one of only 19 CERCs awarded to universities in Canada in 2010.
Before taking on the CERC, Gardner was professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He served as the president of both the Association for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (AVEPM) and the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CRWAD). He was an associate editor of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and on the editorial board of six other journals.
Dr. Gardner and his collaborators are world leaders in diagnostic test evaluation and validation in the veterinary sciences. An important focus of his work has been the fields of evaluation of diagnostic tests in the absence of a perfect reference test, developing quality standards for diagnostic tests, and pooled testing for detection of diseases in animals. His work with collaborators has led to a widespread acceptance of the legitimacy of the approach for test evaluation for chronic infectious diseases of animals.
He is internationally recognized for developing methods to assess disease risk in terrestrial and aquatic food animals. These methods have been used in global veterinary and public health activities, and have influenced policies at the United States Department of Agriculture and the World Organization for Animal Health.
He is among the most cited researchers in his field, with more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific publications in leading journals, such as Preventive Veterinary Medicine, American Veterinary Medical Association, and Veterinary Pathology.
“Besides his outstanding achievements as scientist, researcher, and scientific leader and his superb records of research grants and academic awards, it is his reputation as academic teacher, his specific interpersonal attitude, the inspiration he is able to provide and deep humanity that makes him a role model for professionals truly engaged in knowledge generation and knowledge transfer,” said Dr. Greiner in his letter of support.
The Calvin W. Schwabe Award is presented annually by the AVEPM. Previous recipients include Drs. Calvin Schwabe, Robert Anderson, James Steele, S. Wayne Martin, Clive Gay, David W. Hird, Hollis Erb, Preben Willeberg, Dale Hancock, Ian Dohoo, Yrjo Grohn, Roger Morris, and Will Hueston.