Dr. Ian Dohoo honoured for contributions to epidemiology

Dr. Ian Dohoo, professor emeritus of epidemiology at the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) at UPEI, has been recognized by his peers for his contributions to the field of epidemiology through the commissioning of a portrait.

Unveiled at a recent celebration at AVC, the portrait depicts Dohoo relaxing at his home on Prince Edward Island. Painted by Grazyna Adamska-Jarecka, of Guelph, Ontario, it will hang in the AVC Department of Health Management, Dohoo’s academic department.

Dr. Wayne Martin, Dohoo’s PhD supervisor and mentor, was also honoured with a portrait by the same artist, which is now hanging in the Ontario Veterinary College’s (OVC) Department of Population Medicine. Martin was founding chair of that department. Martin and Dohoo are considered by their colleagues to be the “father and son” of veterinary epidemiology in Canada.

The Martin-Dohoo portrait project was initiated in August 2014 by epidemiologist Bruce McNab, an alumnus of OVC, with the support of epidemiology colleagues and the Canadian Association of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine. The project was led at AVC by Dr. Javier Sanchez, Department of Health Management.

Colleagues and former students from 12 countries contributed more than enough funding to commission the portraits. Not only was the project completed within budget, but the extra funds will be used to help epidemiology graduate students travel to present their work at future conferences.

Dohoo graduated with a degree in veterinary medicine from OVC in 1976, and in 1982 with his PhD. He joined AVC in 1985 and led the development of the College’s internationally recognized research program in veterinary epidemiology, becoming the first director of the renowned UPEI Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research at AVC.

He has won numerous awards for teaching and research, including appointment as a Fellow of the prestigious Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, professor emeritus at UPEI, several honorary doctorates and lifetime achievement awards from both the American and international veterinary epidemiology societies. With Martin and Dr. Henrik Stryhn of AVC, he authored the standard research text used for epidemiology curricula in veterinary schools around the world, among other publications. Dohoo continues to teach graduate-level epidemiology courses around the world.

Martin holds a degree in veterinary medicine and a master of science degree from OVC, and a PhD from the University of California at Davis. Like Dohoo, he has received numerous awards and honours for his contributions to epidemiology, including appointment as a Fellow of the prestigious Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, designation as professor emeritus at the University of Guelph, and honorary degrees. He continues to practice and consult in the field of veterinary epidemiology.