An inspiring Cambridge graduate from London has received a prestigious travel scholarship from the British Veterinary Association.

Sinthu Devkumar, who lives in the Borough of Merton in Greater London, has been awarded a special travel grant as part of the BVA Research Travel Scholarship (Harry Steele-Bodger Memorial Travel Scholarship) at the British Veterinary Association’s BVA Day (formerly BVA Members’ Day) which was held at its London headquarters Mansfield Street on Thursday 26 September.

The event included the association’s Annual General Meeting, the election of its President and Junior Vice President and also saw the BVA Council Impact Award (Bleby Cup) awarded to Dr Kate Higgins and the full BVA Research Travel Scholarship (Harry Steele-Bodger Memorial Travel Scholarship) to Natasha Tredgold.

Natasha Tredgold and Sinthu Devkumar – The Harry Steele-Bodger Memorial Travel Scholarship
This travel scholarship was established in 1953 to honour Mr Henry Steele-Bodger, President of the BVA in 1939-41, in recognition of his great services to the veterinary profession and to agriculture, particularly during the Second World War. This year, BVA’s Trustees were so impressed by the strength of the applications for the award, that in addition to the main scholarship, they also granted a special smaller travel scholarship to Cambridge graduate Sinthu Devkumar, to support her project Evaluating Disaster Risk Reduction strategies using a One Health approach in Japan.

Sinthu, who has just completed a Master’s degree in Environmental Change and Management, has a strong interest in One Health and hopes to pursue a career which covers the intersection between health and the environment.

Sinthu said: “This scholarship contributed greatly towards my project on One Health and Disaster Management, allowing me to travel for fieldwork and engage with a range of health and disaster experts. As someone keen to pursue a career in One Health, I’m thrilled to have received part of this scholarship and am very grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such an important field. I look forward to continuing similar work in the future. Thank you, BVA!”

The full Harry Steele-Bodger Memorial Travel Scholarship has been granted to final year University of Liverpool student Natasha Tredgold, to enable her to conduct research at the Talarak Foundation’s Conservation Breeding Centre in the Philippines. Natasha’s project investigates the effects of radio telemetry harness attachments on critically endangered Negros Bleeding Heart doves, with the findings aiming to improve the success of reintroduction programmes for this species by improving post-release monitoring and the likelihood of survival post-release.

Natasha is particularly interested in wildlife medicine and in the animal welfare impacts of veterinary interventions, both of which are central to this research project.

Natasha said: “I’m incredibly grateful that I have been awarded the 2024 scholarship. It is a massive help towards my project, and I am delighted to be offered the opportunity to develop my interest in wildlife medicine and the animal welfare of veterinary interventions. I would recommend other students aspiring to do research within this field consider applying for this grant too. Many thanks once again to the BVA for its support.”