The Calvin W. Schwabe Award honours lifetime achievement in veterinary epidemiology.
Professor Stuart Reid CBE, President and Principal of the RVC, has received the prestigious 2026 Calvin W. Schwabe Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements in veterinary epidemiology.
The award was presented at the 2026 Schwabe Symposium, held during the 106th meeting of the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases in Chicago, USA.
Calvin W. Schwabe was a renowned scientist and philosopher, widely known as ‘the father of modern veterinary epidemiology’. He established the first department and graduate programme in veterinary epidemiology and was professor in the medical and veterinary schools at the University of California.
The Association for Veterinary Epidemiology and Prevents Medicine bestows the Schwabe award upon individuals for long-term commitment to scientific excellence and leadership in the discipline.
As part of the award, Professor Reid delivered a talk and invited a panel of experts to speak to the theme ‘Science’s Social Contract: Epidemiology in the Real World’.
Professor Reid said: “It is a rare honour to be able to curate a session at an international conference where the focus and invitees are one’s own personal choice. Colleagues and friends alike, over 30 years, it has been a privilege and a pleasure to work with so many amazing people in such a committed and supportive scientific community.
“For it to be the Schwabe Symposium made it a career highlight for me, a day that, I hope, highlighted the importance of One Health and our discipline to society, and a tribute to the legacy of Calvin W Schwabe.”
Besides the Schwabe award, Professor Reid is an RCVS-recognised specialist in veterinary epidemiology and in veterinary public health by the European Board of Veterinary Specialists.
He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in the USA in 2019 and holds Fellowships at the Royal Society of Biology; the Royal Society of Edinburgh; the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases in the USA, and the RCVS.
His work has also been recognised with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2018 and the RCVS Queen’s Medal in 2024.
Image (C) RVC.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
