Douglas and Williamson Award 2012

2012 Douglas and Williamson Award - Ruth Dennis

At the 16^th IVRA-Annual EVDI meeting held in Bursa Turkey, Ruth Dennis received the EAVDI Douglas and Williamson Award. This is the most honorable tasks of the EAVDI President in the last year of term, the award is given one of our members in appreciation for their work towards the Association and Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging. 

Ruth Dennis is an outstanding and very well known in The Association who has been for many years an extremely active member, Ruth’s contributions to Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging are vast, we will always be grateful for such a great additions to our field that will remain forever. Ruth’s has always been able to share her expertise via numerous journal publications, textbooks and expert lecturing. 

The award was presented at the gala dinner at the IVRA-EVDI Conference in Bursa, Turkey at the beginning on the 31^st of August 2012.

Ruth says: “I am very honoured to receive this award, especially since, as a vet student in Cambridge in the late 1970s, I was taught by Sidney Douglas and David Williamson. EAVDI and BID have played a large and important part in my life since I started studying radiology in 1984. The international imaging community seems to be exceptionally warm and friendly, and I have benefited enormously from this, both professionally and personally. I hope that in some way I have contributed to this as well as being a recipient, and that I can continue to do so in the future.”

 This award was established in the 80’s in recognition of the pioneering work in Radiology initiated in the fifties by Douglas and Williamson. 

Sidney Douglas was a lecturer in small animal medicine at Cambridge Vet School for many yearsand ran the radiology department as well. He was a pioneer in veterinary radiology and  he was an examiner of the DVR (Diploma in Veterinary Radiology) when the RCVS set up the Diplomas, 3 Foundation Diplomates were appointed - Sidney Douglas, Donald Lawson, and Kevin Kealy.  They examined the first few batches of Diploma candidates, together with an eminent human radiologist, George duBoulay. 

The Cambridge Veterinary School Radiology Department in 1978 is from left to right: David Cullis-Hill: Mike Herrtage: Noreen Lewis: Sidney Douglas: Annette Jordan: David Williamson

David Williamson was a medically-trained radiographer (Diploma of the College of Radiographers) and worked with Sidney for many years. He retired about the same time as Sidney. Unfortunately David died a few years later. He was a very talented artist.

Sidney was a quiet, reserved person, but thoughtful, perceptive and kind - not one to stick his neck out.  David Williamson was an excellent foil - an enthusiastic extrovert, who never hesitated to speak his mind.  They made a sort of double act for the promotion of Radiology as a Veterinary discipline, and were very successful.

Together they published the seminal work on veterinary radiography, ‘Principles of Veterinary Radiography’ in 1963. This must have been ground-breaking at the time and has been very widely referenced over the years.

 

Sidney Douglas viewing a radiograph in the 1950s and radiographing a dog in the 1970s