This is such a fun editorial to write. It brings great joy to see our next generation of authors rewarded for their hard work that has culminated in a published manuscript. This is only our second year of Journal Awards for students, interns, and residents, and we were pleased to receive numerous nominations. The level of scientific rigor was impressive, and the final decision was not easy. Nominated manuscripts were reviewed by a panel from our Associate Editor Board and ranked on the basis of potential impact and clinical relevance. When you look through the list below, I hope you notice that there are no 2 manuscripts from the same institution—a testament to mentors and leaders at all our wonderful veterinary medicine colleges. It is my sincere pleasure to announce the recipients of the 2023 JAVMA and AJVR Journal Awards:
JAVMA Students
Kelsea E. Guest—University of Georgia
Performing an ovariohysterectomy at the time of c-section does not pose an increase in risk of mortality, intra- or postoperative complications, or decreased mothering ability of the bitch
doi.org.10.2460/javma.23.01.0012
Mentoring coauthors: Robyn E. Ellerbrock, Daniel J. Adams, and Rachel A. Reed
Nominator: Janet A. Grimes
Poyu Lai—Kansas State University
Elective ovariohysterectomy or castration can proceed in shelter dogs despite mild to moderate presurgical leukocytosis
doi.org.10.2460/javma.21.10.0455
Mentoring coauthors: Kate S. KuKanich and Nora L. Springer
Nominator: Katherine Stenske
JAVMA Intern
Emily A. Gavic—BluePearl Veterinary Partners
Trypanosoma cruzi infection diagnosed in dogs in nonendemic areas and results from a survey suggest a need for increased Chagas disease awareness in North America
doi.org.10.2460/javma.22.10.0445
Mentoring coauthors: Sarah E. Achen, Phillip R. Fox, Eduardo J. Benjamin, Jonathan Goodwin, Tamilselvam Gunasekaran, Karsten E. Schober, Sonja S. Tjostheim, John Vickers, Jessica L. Ward, Duncan S. Russell, Mark Rishniw, and Sarah A. Hamer
Nominator: Ashley B. Saunders
JAVMA Residents
Marejka H. Shaevitz—Purdue University
A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial comparing the incidence and severity of gastrointestinal adverse events in dogs with cancer treated with piroxicam alone or in combination with omeprazole or famotidine
doi.org.10.2460/javma.259.4.385
Mentoring coauthor: George E. Moore
Nominator & coauthor: Christopher M. Fulkerson
Juliet M. Ross—University of Tennessee
Evaluation of the perioperative analgesic effects of grapiprant compared with carprofen in dogs undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy
doi.org.10.2460/javma.22.08.0353
Mentoring coauthors: Stephanie A. Kleine, Christopher K. Smith, Rebekah K. DeBolt, Jennifer Weisent, Emma Hendrix, and Reza Seddighi
Nominator: Leah Moody
AJVR Student
Molly R. Cohen – University of Florida
Endoscopic application of fibrin glue may be a feasible method of treatment for postintubation tracheal lacerations in cats
Mentoring coauthor: Alexander E. Gallagher
Nominator & coauthor: Elizabeth A. Maxwell
AJVR Residents
Ching Ching Shirley Kot—University of California-Davis
Biomechanical evaluation of locking versus nonlocking 2.0-mm malleable L-miniplate fixation of simulated caudal mandibular fractures in cats
Mentoring coauthors: Frank J. M. Verstraete, Tanya C. Garcia, and Susan M. Stover
Nominator & coauthor: Boaz Arzi
David A. MartÃnez—Auburn University
The titers, duration, and residual clinical protection of passively transferred nasal and serum antibodies are similar among beef calves that nursed colostrum from vaccinated or unvaccinated dams and were challenged experimentally with bovine respiratory syncytial virus at three months of age
Mentoring coauthors: Thomas Passler, Laura Huber, Paul H. Walz, Merrilee Thoresen, Gage Raithel, Scott Silvis, Ricardo Stockler, and Amelia R. Woolums
Nominator & coauthor: Manuel F. Chamorro
Winners were announced at the AVMA convention in July, earning profession-wide recognition for the authors and their mentors. Recipients also received a Certificate of Achievement and a cash prize of $500.00. We will also interview the authors in our podcast, Veterinary Vertex. Here is the link to our interview with the 2022 Journal Award winners: https://jav.ma/VeterinaryVertex. Finally, we will waive the Open Access fee ($1,200.00 value) for their next manuscript published in JAVMA or AJVR! That means free access for readers anywhere in the world.
One of our other growing programs is training veterinary students in the scholarly review process. Under the tutelage of Associate Editor Dr. Jason Stull, our 3 Student Associate Editors, Kristina Muise, Royal Veterinary College; Bradley Hogshead, The Ohio State University; Ankita Gupta, North Carolina State University; and 5 student reviewers, Johnny Altwal, Colorado State University; Kaitlyn Ritchey, Long Island University; Paige Kinzie, Purdue University; Alyssa McGee, University of Prince Edward Island; and Eleanor Pressman, University of California-Davis, are learning how to provide unbiased, thorough, constructive critiques of manuscripts and getting a behind-the-scenes look at the entire publishing process. The enthusiasm and energy these students bring to each discussion is astounding. Finding qualified and willing reviewers is the most difficult and time-consuming part of the editorial workflow for all journals—veterinary or otherwise. We are excited to help shape the next generation of reviewers and authors.
Most of us were never taught how to review a manuscript, and we tend to approach reviewing based on the reviews that we received as authors. Some reviews were helpful, and others could be unnecessarily mean-spirited and did not help to improve the manuscript. We do provide information for our reviewers on how to perform a constructive and objective review (see https://jav.ma/3rrvEgr). Our aim is to minimize bias in the review process, ensuring fair and constructive critiques for our authors. While we are broadly on the topic of mentoring, please indulge me for a moment and allow me to give a shout-out to Dr. John Pascoe, who mentored me as a reviewer and then as an associate editor for Veterinary Surgery more than 30 years ago, thus nurturing my interest in the scientific publishing process and starting me on the path to become Editor-in-Chief of your AVMA Journals. Thank you, John!
You might be wondering how you can nominate a student, intern, or resident author for the 2024 Awards? Nominations can be made year-round. Instructions on how to nominate someone can be found on our journal home page: https://jav.ma/3JZ6qfx. If you would like to volunteer to review papers nominated for the 2024 Awards, or to review appropriate JAVMA and AJVR submissions for that matter, please let me know!
We at JAVMA and AJVR recognize that taking a manuscript from conceptualization to submission and ultimately publication is a labor of love. We are deeply honored that the authors of these prize-winning papers entrusted us with their valuable work. Congratulations again to the 2023 Journal Award winning teams.
Respectfully,
Dr. Lisa A. Fortier DVM, PhD, DACVS
Editor-in-Chief, JAVMA and AJVR
Division Director of Publications, AVMA