Nobel Prize winner visits Vet School

PA 30/10 He was told he couldn't do Biology at school because he was a boy, but at the age of 17 he was offered a place at the University of Queensland, and in 1973 he made a discovery in the field of immunology that was so profound he was awarded a Nobel Prize for medicine. Professor Peter Doherty, a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and the veterinary profession's only Nobel Prize winner, was at The University of Nottingham on Wednesday February 24 2010 to inspire vet school undergraduates to think about research as a career. Professor Doherty is touring the UK giving a seminar at each of the country's seven veterinary schools. The tour is being funded by the Clinical Veterinary Research Training Award (CVRT) — a £10.5m grant awarded by the Wellcome Trust in 2007 and run in partnership with the UK's veterinary schools — to support research training for veterinary undergraduates and postgraduates, with the objective of getting more vets into veterinary and biomedical research. Gary England, Foundation Dean of Nottingham's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science and Professor of Comparative Veterinary Reproduction said: "We are delighted that the Wellcome Trust is funding this initiative designed to inspire veterinary undergraduate students towards a career in research. Professor Doherty is a global leader in his field and we were privileged to have him visit us and share his experiences and passion for veterinary medicine and research." - The five year CRVT award recognises that there is a national need for veterinary-qualified researchers.