The American Veterinary Medical Association, or AVMA, has honored Janice Siegford as the winner of the 2020 AVMA Humane Award.
The AVMA Humane Award is presented to a non-veterinarian who has helped advance the welfare of animals through leadership, public service, education, research/product development or advocacy.
Siegford, a professor of animal science and welfare at Michigan State University, has been instrumental in the development and success of the AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest, or AWJAC, which teaches students to assess the welfare of animals in a variety of settings using science-based methods and reasoning. She has served on the AWJAC’s coordinating committee since 2007.
At MSU, Siegford’s research and scholarship has explored non-invasive and automated measurements of behavior and welfare in pigs, poultry and cattle, as well as social behaviors in group-housed pigs and their heritability. As a professor, Siegford has mentored scores of graduate and undergraduate researchers and developed curriculum and courses in animal behavior and welfare.
Siegford received her master's in zoology from the University of Idaho and her doctorate in neuroscience from Washington State University. She completed her postdoctoral research fellowship at Michigan State University.
“Dr. Siegford has been a champion of animal welfare for many years and has done so much to Integrate animal welfare into veterinary education, not only in her role as professor at Michigan State but through her work with the AVMA’s Animal Welfare Assessment Contest,” said John Howe, president of the AVMA. “Her enthusiasm, competence and focus on excellence in her teaching and research have made a tremendous impact on the health and welfare of animals around the world.”