Australian veterinary student wins Veterinary Evidence Student Awards

A veterinary medicine student from Australia has won the Veterinary Evidence Student Awards 2022, the first time an international submission has received first place. The awards, run by RCVS Knowledge’s peer-reviewed journal Veterinary Evidence, recognise and support students’ engagement with evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM) and its application into practice.

Sarah Daphne Foo, a final year veterinary medicine student from the University of Sydney, Australia, wrote the winning Knowledge Summary, which explores the evidence behind supraglottic airway devices versus endotracheal intubation for stable anaesthesia in rabbits. Sarah focused on this topic as rabbits are becoming more popular as pets, and as their numbers increase, so does the requirement for procedures that require a general anaesthetic. 

Sarah’s paper found evidence to support the use of both devices in maintaining stable anaesthesia in rabbits, concluding that the final choice of airway maintenance device should be based on the availability of equipment, the training of the practitioner and the procedure to be undertaken.

Upon winning, Sarah said, “'As a final year student hoping to publish my first paper, I was excited by the opportunity to participate in this competition, and I am honoured to receive this award. As someone very new to veterinary research and publication, I felt supported throughout the process, and feel much more confident in writing future Knowledge Summaries.

I chose my Knowledge Summary topic as I have a special interest in exotics and zoo medicine and hope to specialise in the future once I graduate from the DVM at the end of this year. It was a question I found myself asking whilst working in general practice throughout my degree, and I hope it is useful to others in the veterinary profession. I look forward to contributing future Knowledge Summaries to Veterinary Evidence.”

Second place has been awarded to veterinary medicine students Narakhanti Soenardi and Maxim Bembinov, from the Royal Veterinary College in London, for their Knowledge Summary titled ‘An assessment of client and clinician satisfaction in veterinary teleconsultation compared to in-person consultations’.

Maxim said, “As a student interested in research, I couldn't pass by such an exciting opportunity as the Veterinary Evidence Student Awards. It is a fantastic way to learn more about the inner workings of the process of publishing scientific literature, while simultaneously contributing to the knowledge base of the veterinary community. It is definitely an invaluable experience and I recommend all students to consider applying next year.”

Narakhanti said, “I've always had an interest in contributing to EBVM and was curious to see what the process of getting something published was like, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity. Safe to say, I really enjoyed it!”

The prestigious Veterinary Evidence Student Awards enable students to enhance their academic and research skills by writing a Knowledge Summary and submitting it to the Veterinary Evidence journal. The awards recognise the capability of undergraduate students to produce high-quality research, with all submissions subjected to the journal’s usual standards and peer-review process.    

Dr Kit Sturgess, Editor-in-Chief of Veterinary Evidence, said, “It gives me great pleasure to be involved in the Veterinary Evidence student awards again this year. The enthusiasm of the applicants and the quality of the work they produce is amazing and gives me great confidence in the future of the veterinary professions.

This year we have had a diverse group of submissions covering a range of species, diseases, and professional topics with submissions from around the globe, emphasising the value of Veterinary Evidence to the worldwide veterinary community. Huge congratulations to those students who have won awards and great respect for everyone who has used their time and energy to submit a piece of work for external scrutiny as this takes courage, resilience and commitment."

The winning paper is available to read on the Veterinary Evidence website. The award will be presented at the RCVS' Royal College Day on Friday the 8th of July, which will be live-streamed.

The 2023 competition is accepting applications until the 13th of January 2023. Any undergraduate student studying for a veterinary-related degree is welcome to apply and can find out more information on our website.