Nominees must be active-duty PHS Commissioned Corps veterinary officers that are Office of Force Readiness and Deployment-qualified. PHS veterinarians, supervisors, coworkers, and peers, as well as members of the COA, are encouraged to nominate deserving veterinarians for this competitive and prestigious award. Nominations will be kept in strictest confidence. The selection will be made by an Awards Committee composed of senior PHS veterinarians. Evaluation by the Awards Committee will be made based on the impact of the nominated officer’s work in public health and veterinary professional communities.

Nominations will be judged on accomplishments in the following areas:

• Support of the Department’s mission Research/research support Publications Presentations Mentoring and teaching of junior staff
• Service on committees/boards

The nomination package should consist of the following:

• Letter of nomination (no more than two pages) Two letters of support for the nomination (no more than one page each)
• A copy of the officer’s curriculum vita

2006 PHS Veterinarian of the Year Award

This year’s recipient is CDR Victoria Hampshire. During her career in the US PHS, CDR Hampshire has consistently and effectively supported the mission of HHS in numerous and varies ways. In 2002, CDR Hampshire joined the FDA, and became well-known for her meritorious efforts on veterinary drug safety as the Adverse Drug Event Coordinator at the Center for Veterinary Medicine. In this capacity, she was tirelessly devoted to the public trust and provided national and international expertise to multiple agencies and groups, too numerous to mention here. During this time, she overhauled an outdated electronic drug reporting system, wrote guidelines for new reporting requirements, and doggedly pursued the acquisition of a hybrid commercial and custom-built system that resulted in the savings to the government of an estimated several million dollars over a five-year period. Between 2004 and 2006, she authored articles or provided interviews to half a dozen journals and was awarded the Achievement Medal for her work in drug safety, particularly for minimizing human risks to Micotil, and most notably, the recall of ProHeart 6.

This past September and October, CDR Hampshire deployed two different times to provide assistance at the LSU’s Parker Colliseum in support of Hurricane Katrina, where she became a leading figure. As a result of her stellar performance and exemplary leadership, she has been asked to co-author LSU’s manual regarding public health in future animal shelter emergency situations. In 1997, she was the first veterinarian to deploy to Operation Arctic Care, a combined services mission to the impoverished communities of the Alaskan Yukon Delta.

Very noteworthy, is CDR Hampshire’s impact on her co-workers and fellow public health service officers. CDR Hampshire has taken an unprompted interest in the careers and success of her fellow officers, helping them to appreciate the tradition, workings, and protocols of the Corps. She has sponsored numerous COSTEPS during her time at both NIH and at FDA. Additionally, she has mentored numerous students from the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine who were doing rotations in biomedical research support at the NIH.

In the words of her co-workers, “Dr. Hampshire’s professionalism and commitment to the public health and drug safety was always clearly evident. Her enthusiasm and dedication to public service is contagious and inspiring. She has raised the bar in every category of professional and personal integrity, passion, and commitment. We continue to reap the benefits of her exemplary leadership.”