Awards celebrate inspirational innovation across various sectors in Guildford
The University of Surrey’s School of Veterinary Medicine has swept the board the Guildford Innovation Awards 2019.
Drs Kamalan Jeevaratnam and Vadim Aleexenko scooped the ‘Innovation in Healthcare’ award for their research project ‘Computational approaches for risk predictions of cardiac rhythm abnormalities in the equine athlete’.
Funded by the Petplan Charitable Trust, the project uses computational algorithms to analyse electrocardiograms obtained from horses. Researchers say this pioneering technique could be integrated into digital ECG recording devices in veterinary practice and has the potential for use in human medicine for the detection of rhythm abnormalities in at-risk patients.
Dr Sharmini Julita Paramasivam won ‘Most Outstanding Innovation’ for her novel ‘Animal Neighbours Project’, which uses research and awareness to prevent conflict between humans and animals living in close proximity. Dr Paramasivam’s project works both locally and internationally to examine the interactions between humans and animals and provides vital insight into the threat of zoonotic diseases.
“I am delighted that the work of Kamalan and Sharmini has been recognised in this way,” said Professor Chris Proudman, head of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey. “Innovation is at the heart of everything we do here at Surrey, from our novel teaching model to tackling the rise of antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic diseases - we are making strides in improving animal health which will have significant benefit to human health.”
The Guildford Innovation Awards celebrate inspirational innovation across various sectors in the region, building on the theme of supporting Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects.
Chris Burchell, local economy manager at Guildford Borough Council, added: "The Innovation Awards celebrate the best and brightest that our borough has to offer. Congratulations to this year's winners and all who entered. I look forward to following the inspirational future developments in all of these fields and the positive impact they’ll have in our borough and beyond."
Image (C) University of Surrey.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
