BSAVA Clinical Abstract winners for 2025 unveiled

23 April 2025

The BSAVA has today (23^rd April) announced the winners of the Clinical Abstract awards for 2025. The Clinical Abstracts were presented at BSAVA Congress and Expo in Manchester in March.

Undertaken in practice, industry and academia, submissions are open each year offering the chance to present a Clinical Abstract, which is a short research presentation either presented as a poster or an oral presentation based on high quality research.

These presentations allow the researchers to showcase their research to a wide audience, where delegates can benefit from seeing the latest advances in veterinary medicine.

Medicine Award – Christine Pye

A longitudinal study of age, sex and health-related changes in physical biomarkers in pet cats

Christine graduated as a vet from the University of Bristol in 2011 and has worked for many years in small animal practice, including in charity, not-for-profit and private sectors. She is now in the final stages of a PhD examining feline ageing biomarkers at the University of Liverpool. Christine currently works as both a clinical vet for the RSPCA and as a Research Assistant at Liverpool.

“Being recognised by BSAVA means so much to me, especially considering the quality of the Clinical Abstracts presented this year. This study was the culmination of many years of hard work from everyone involved in the Cat Prospective Ageing and Welfare Study, and I’m incredibly grateful to them all! Receiving this award has further inspired me to continue our research into improving the health and welfare of ageing cats.”

Surgery Award – Alberto Sesana

Outcome of lip-to-lid subdermal plexus flaps to reconstruct defects of the lower eyelid in dogs and cats: 46 cases (2005-2022)

Alberto Sesana is a dedicated veterinary surgeon with a passion for advancing clinical practices, surgery and improving patient care. He is currently completing the third and final year of his ECVS Residency in Small Animal Surgery with the hope to specialise in small animal surgery in the near future.

“Winning the Surgery Award for the Clinical Abstract presented at the BSAVA Congress 2025 is a tremendous honour. This recognition not only validates the hard work and dedication put into my research but also encourages further exploration in advancing surgical techniques to improve outcomes for patients. It’s a humbling experience, and I look forward to continuing my contribution to the veterinary community.”

Practitioner Award – Deborah Komianos

Reducing use of critically important antibiotics: A clinician-led improvement project across 21 UK small animal veterinary practices

Deborah is a vet and Regional Clinical Lead at CVS UK Ltd. She qualified from The Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies in 2001 and has spent over two decades in small animal veterinary practice in the UK working in charity, private and corporate sectors.

She has held exclusively leadership positions since 2008 and as well as her role in clinical leadership, teaches general practitioner skills and leads various initiatives within the EDI groups and Leadership arena.

“Winning this award for my abstract is an exciting moment in my career as a clinical lead. It recognises my commitment to responsible, evidence-based care that safeguards both animal and human health for the future. I very much enjoyed having the opportunity to present my teams’ results at BSAVA”.

Poster Award – Rosemary Perkins

Swimming emissions from dogs treated with spot-on fipronil and imidacloprid: assessing the environmental risk

Rosemary Perkins is a small animal veterinarian and research associate at the University of Sussex, investigating environmental exposure to pet parasiticides and a One Health approach to their use.

She earned her PhD in 2024 and is an active member of Imperial College London’s PREPP (Producing Rational Evidence for the Prescription of Parasiticides) research group, as well as the Vet Sustain Greener Practice working group.

“I was delighted to receive this award. Attending this year’s BSAVA Congress was a fantastic experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share this research with colleagues. This recognition was a wonderful surprise and a true honour.”

Student Award – Claudia Franzini

Does the surgical method for management of Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture in dogs affect clinical outcome?

Claudia is a final-year student at the Royal Veterinary College and will begin working in small animal general practice this summer. Having completed an elective rotation in orthopaedic surgery, she chose to focus her final year project on canine cranial cruciate ligament rupture.

“This recognition has been a fantastic confidence boost, especially given the high standard of presentations this year – it was inspiring to see the real impact that student research can have. This achievement motivates me to continue working towards my goals and make a positive impact in first-opinion veterinary practice – I am grateful to the BSAVA for their support in this.”

Submissions for the 2026 Clinical Abstracts will open on 8^th September 2025. More information will be available on the BSAVA Congress and Expo website closer to the time: https://www.bsavacongress.com/.