Editorial: the WCVD7 congress. The 2012 Hugo Schindelka award granted to Professor Richard Halliwell.

The highly successful 7th World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology (WCVD7) was held in Vancouver, Canada from 24 to 28 July 2012. A record number of delegates participated in the Congress, with more than 1600 veterinarians, dermatologists, pathologists, basic scientists, exhibitors and accompanying persons in attendance. The World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology has become a global event of unsurpassed status in the international sphere of veterinary science and education. The World Congresses are organized under the auspices of the World Association for Veterinary Dermatology (WAVD), of which the American College and Academy of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD and AAVD), the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology (CAVD) and the European College and Society of Veterinary Dermatology (ECVD and ESVD) are founding members. More recently, Australia, New Zealand and Asia have joined the ranks, making this a multicultural and global association. Congress delegates from over 50 countries had the option of attending lectures from world-class experts delivering cutting edge, state-of-the-art research to an extensive programme of both advanced and comprehensive continuing education in dermatology for the veterinary practitioner. Seven concurrent streams of lectures and presentations covering many topics in veterinary dermatology were offered to the delegates in the high-tech atmosphere of the award-winning Vancouver Convention Centre. State-of-the-Art and Supporting Review presentations for the six major themes (allergy, immunology, skin biology, therapy, infectious disease and oncology) were delivered by invited guest speakers from around the world. Fourteen small workshops allowed for informal exchanges of ideas between experts and participants in wide-ranging subjects from otitis to parasites, as well as interactive cytology, comprehensive and advanced dermatohistopathology and parasitology/mycology laboratories. Company-sponsored forums presented the latest findings on pharmaceutical and dietary research as well as new thoughts on therapy and management of clinical disease. WCVD7 was also proud to present 2 day sessions with a focus on equine and feline dermatology and a 1 day exotic animal programme. These species-focused sessions were highly successful and well attended and presented cutting edge information regarding topics of specific interest to feline, equine and exotic practitioners. The Congress is a showcase for original scientific research, and 69 free communications and 122 posters were presented in Vancouver. Congress delegates were welcomed to Vancouver at the Opening Ceremony by Manon Paradis, the president of the Congress, and Didier Carlotti, the president of the WAVD. Of special note, the Hugo Schindelka Award was bestowed upon Richard Halliwell. The Schindelka award recognizes excellence in lifetime scholarship and publication in the field of veterinary dermatology. The spectacular social events included a ‘Meet and Greet’ evening, a Welcome Reception and a themed ‘From Sea to Sea – Canada’ event that presented quintessential Canadian cuisine and culture highlighting the beauty and artistic dexterity of Canada. Entertainment was provided by a Canadian folk trio and a ‘Cirque-du-Soleil’-style troupe. On the final evening was the Gala Dinner, with sumptuous food and dancing to the sounds of a high-energy band. The social events provided delegates with lasting memories of a fabulous meeting and a commitment not to miss the 8th World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology to be held in Bordeaux, France in 2016. The Organizing Committee of WCVD7 are indebted to those involved with the planning and execution of this prestigious meeting and are grateful for the support of the principal sponsors: Bayer Animal Health, Hills Inc., Novartis Animal Health, Pfizer Animal Health, Royal Canin, TEVA Animal Health, Virbac Animal Health and the WAVD. The WCVD7 Organizing Committee Left to right: Alan Hoey (Local Organizing), Stephen White (Secretary), Richard Halliwell (WAVD Rep.), Sheila Torres (Publications), Manon Paradis (President), Doug DeBoer (Fundraising), Chiara Noli (Programme), Rusty Muse (Publicity), Vincent Defalque (Local Organizing) and Rosario Cerundolo (Treasurer). Not pictured: Masahiko Nagata (WAVD rep-Asia) Hugo Schindelka Award Presentation Left to right: David Lloyd, Richard Halliwell (recipient), Didier Carlotti and Manon Paradis Hugo Schindelka, teacher of veterinary medicine at the University of Vienna published in 1903 the first scientific book on veterinary dermatology, Hautkrankheiten bei Haustieren Handbuch der Tierärztlichen Chirurgie und Geburtshilfe (Skin Diseases of Domestic Animals). Named in his honour, the award recognises excellence of scholarship and publication in Veterinary Dermatology. Scholarship includes organisation and development of the discipline, teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in universities and within other educational systems, and the development of diagnostic and therapeutic methods, courses and teaching material. Publication refers to a substantial volume of high quality material relating to veterinary dermatology with a significant impact on the discipline, including new discoveries. The Schindelka Medal and Prize were first awarded in 2008 to Dr. George Muller. Nominations for the second award were invited in 2011 and had to be received by 25th January 2012. Selection committee members were Doctors Peter Ihrke, Toshiroh Iwasaki, David Lloyd (chair), Leena Saijomaa-Koulumies and Julie Yager. Professor Richard Halliwell has had a long and fruitful career in Veterinary Dermatology. He received both his veterinary degree and his PhD from the University of Cambridge. He spent 16 years teaching in the USA, first at the University of Pennsylvania and then the University of Florida, where he was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medical Sciences. In 1988 he returned to the UK as William Dick Professor of Veterinary Clinical Studies at the University of Edinburgh, and served 6 years as Dean of the Faculty. Now a Professor Emeritus, he has served as President of both the American and the European Colleges of Veterinary Dermatology (1984–1986 and 1994–1996 respectively), and of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (2003–2004). He served four years as President of the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (1996–2000). In 2000 he was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences – an Academy limited to the top 1200 researchers in the Health Sciences in the UK, and he is Past-President of the World Association for Veterinary Dermatology. He is a past-chairman of the International Task Force on Canine Atopic Dermatitis and has authored in excess of 100 peer reviewed papers on dermatology and clinical immunology. At the Fifth World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology in Vienna in August 2004, he was presented with a Lifetime Career Achievement Award by the European College of Veterinary Dermatology. The 2012 Hugo Schindelka Medal and Prize were awarded to Professor Richard Halliwell on 26th July 2012 during the opening ceremony of the 7th World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They were presented by Professor David Lloyd and myself, as WAVD President. Needless to say, the moment was particularly poignant, because we all admire this exceptional man with his extraordinary human and professional qualities. This award was so well deserved and was recognized by the audience who gave a prolonged standing ovation to the recipient. We are all very proud of and grateful to colleagues who dedicate their life to the advancement of our beloved discipline. In addition to the many congratulations that Richard Halliwell deserves, we present him our sincere thanks for all the knowledge and enthusiasm he has brought, and still brings to the Veterinary Dermatology community. In simple terms, every dermatologist, every ‘dermoid’ in the world owes something to him. Congratulations and thank you, Richard!

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