Veterinary Associations

BSAVA mourns loss of former President

vetreportMay 18, 2020

The BSAVA is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Emeritus Professor Michael Day, a former BSAVA President and a long standing, committed and highly respected volunteer for the veterinary profession both in the UK and overseas.

Emeritus Michael Day was President of the BSAVA in 2013 – 14, following more than 10 years of voluntary standing committee membership, including the Congress and Congress Programme, Scientific, Education, International Affairs, Advisory and Management, Volunteer Development and PetSavers Grants Awarding. He chaired both the BSAVA’s Scientific and Education Committees and was a driving force behind the launch of the BSAVA post graduate certificate programmes.  He wrote manuals and lectured for the Association, published articles and received several BSAVA Awards.

Following a 35-year academic career as a veterinary pathologist and immunologist with a research focus on small companion animal immune-mediated and infectious diseases, in 2017 Michael Day was appointed Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Pathology at the University of Bristol, UK, and Adjunct Professor of Veterinary Pathology at Murdoch University, Western Australia. He was also Director of Pathology for Asia Veterinary Diagnostics and was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Comparative Pathology.

He was a long-standing Committee Executive Board member of the WSAVA and was on the Board of the WSAVA Foundation and the AFSCAN project. He was also trustee to several charities, including Mission Rabies.  

Sue Paterson BSAVA President said “We owe Michael a huge debt of gratitude in so many ways, his contribution to BSAVA and the global veterinary community was titan and on a personal level he was the person responsible for introducing me into the BSAVA volunteer family. He would I am sure hate all the fuss and tributes that have poured in as a result of his passing. That was typical of his selfless desire to help educate and advise others without ever taking the plaudits that he so richly deserved. We will miss him dreadfully. “  

BSAVA and WSAVA are encouraging people to leave memories of Michael Day in a book of celebration of his life: www.tolbc.com/MichaelDay.