Dr. Larry Cowgill Receives 2021 AVMA Clinical Research Award
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) named Dr. Larry Cowgill, a professor at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, as the winner of the 2021 AVMA Clinical Research Award.
Established in 1955 by the AVMA Council on Research, the award is given annually to a veterinarian in recognition of achievements in patient-oriented research, including the study of mechanisms of disease, therapeutic interventions, clinical trials, development of new technologies and epidemiological studies. The award is presented to an active AVMA member who has made significant contributions to the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of diseases in animals.
“Dr. Cowgill is internationally recognized as a leading clinician researcher, whose research and clinical applications have made indelible and lasting impacts on companion animal health,” said Dr. Douglas Kratt, president of the AVMA. “After 50 years in the profession, he continues to expand scientific knowledge that is leading to improved treatments of renal disease, and he is an excellent choice for this distinguished award.”
A pioneer of highly innovative applications of hemodialysis in companion animals, Dr. Cowgill remains a leading authority in the development of blood purification therapies for renal diseases in animals and people. Some of his significant research accomplishments include development of a novel approach for therapeutic plasma exchange in dogs with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, development of extracorporeal renal replacement therapy in critical care patients, and pioneering a widely used scoring system to predict outcome in dogs with acute kidney injury managed by hemodialysis.
Dr. Cowgill has published over 80 peer-reviewed primary research papers, reviews and book chapters that have made significant impacts in both our understanding and treatment of acute and chronic renal diseases in companion animals.
Dr. Cowgill received his DVM degree from UC Davis in 1971, and completed his internship and residency training at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a National Institutes of Health Special Research Fellow at the Renal and Electrolyte Section of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and earned a PhD in comparative medical sciences. He is board certified in small animal internal medicine and is associate dean for Southern California clinical programs, director of the UC Veterinary Medical Center-San Diego (UCVMC-SD), and professor in the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology.
“Witnessing the accomplishments of my trainees and the relief of animal disease have been reward enough, but receipt of the AVMA Clinical Research Award is a special accolade, as it represents recognition from this wonderful profession for these years of effort,” said Dr. Cowgill.
For more information, contact Michael San Filippo, media relations manager, at 847-732-6194 (cell) or msanfilippo@avma.org.