The Mark Morris Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the most important and distinguished honors in veterinary medicine, was presented to cardiac specialist Dr. Stephen Ettinger from the University of California, Davis at the North American Veterinary Conference on Saturday, January 15, 2011, in Orlando, Florida during the opening ceremony.
The Mark L. Morris, Sr., Lifetime Achievement Award is names in honor of Mark L. Morris who early in his career became convinced that good nutrition for animals should be based on science. He is given credit for creating the science of clinical nutrition for animals.
Among those who submitted Ettinger's name is Dr. Don Smith, professor of Surgery and Dean Emeritus at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY.
"Each year, our nominees have experience in a wide range of fields in the veterinary profession. Dr. Ettinger's organizational service, research contributions and involvement in the academic future of veterinary medicine put him at the forefront and made him a natural choice to receive the Mark L. Morris, Sr., Lifetime Achievement Award," says Janet Donlin, DVM, chief veterinary officer at Hill’s Pet Nutrtion.
"In addition, his authored Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine remains the gold standard in veterinary internal medicine resources."
In 1964, Ettinger earned a DVM degree from the University of Cornell. He interned and completed his residency training at the Animal Medical Center and at Bronx Veteran’s Administration Hospital in New York, N.Y., and later became a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow in cardiology.
Ettinger's career has included positions as staff cardiologist and assistant head of medicine at The Animal Medical Center; hospital administrator and internal medicine and cardiology team member at Berkeley Veterinary Medical Group in Berkeley, Calif..