................................................................................................................................ Vet named Australian of the Year

et Professor Peter Doherty was named Australian of the Year at last months Australia Day awards ceremony. T h e award was in V recognition of Professor Doherty's achievement late last year in winning the Nobel Prize for Medicine. The $1.4m Nobel Prize was for his groundbreaking discovery (with co-winner of the Prize Swiss Professor Rolf Zinkernagel) in

the 1970s on how the human immune system works. The research on T-lymphocytes was carried out at the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Canberra.

In addition to being named Australian of the Year, Professor Doherty received The Order of Australia to be a Companion in the General Division (AC).

Other vets to receive Australia Day awards were Dr Eric Lancelot French of M t Eliza in Victoria (named an Officer [AO] in the General Division for scientific research, particularly in the field of veterinary microbiology and virology), Emeritus Professor Malcolm Eric Nairn of Swanbourne, WA (named a Member [AM] in the General Division for tertiary education, particularly as foundation Vice Chancellor, Northern Territory University and to veterinary science through the AVA) and Professor Peter Bryan Spradbrow, Pullenvale, Queensland.

New management training project

here has long been a feeling in the veterinary pro- fession that while the standard university training is T an excellent preparation for the professional side of

practice many members need training that will assist them to run the business side of their practice efficiently and well. To this end the AVA has set up a Veterinary Practice Management Project (VPMI') to research the extent of this need.

T h e move recognises that a veterinary practice is a special kind of small business and that some organised form of training in running a small business may be required by nicmhers.

'l'he VI'MI' is under the management of a Practice Managemenr Working Party and will research the needs of members for management training. AVA CEO Barbara Horsfield will be responsible for the day-to-day administra- tion of the project.

' lwo researchers, Robyn Whiteley and John Collins (pic- rrrrrtl) ot ' l 'hc WC Company in Melbourne have been con- tractcd to do a literature search and a training needs analy- sis for veterinary practices in the field of management train- ing. Robyn and John have recently completed a similar task for the Australian Institute of Pharmacy Management

Rather than guess at what is needed Robyn and John have been asked to find out what training is available in Australia and match i t with what members feel they really need. The literature search has already begun and in the next weeks a series of interviews with a sample of practices will be undertaken so that members can say what they feel

their needs are. T h e sample of practices will be drawn from all states and

will be representative of the different types of practice that exist. T h e particular practices will be selected by the Working Party. Practitioners will be contacted ahead of the interviews and given a full briefing on the project. T h e interviews will allow them to contribute their views ofwhat should be contained in any management training that is set up.

If there are any members who have input chat they wish to make to the project please write to VPMP c/o Australian Veterinary Association, PO Box 371, Artarmon, N S W 2064. All views will be welcome.

T h e 741h Annual General Meeting of the AVA Ltd will be held at the Brisbane Convention

Members who wish to submit agenda items for the meeting are requested to send them to

A notice of meeting and business to be transacted at the meeting will appear in the April AV'.

Centre on Thursday May 8 at 1 lam.

the Chief Executive Officer, cl- AVA House by Monday March 17. 1397. AGM dates

82 Awt Vet/ Vol75, No 2, February 1997