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A presenter stands at the podium in front of a crowded lecture hall. Presentation slides are projected on a screen behind them.

The Schofield Memorial Lecture Series

The prestigious Schofield Memorial Lecture, established in 1970, brings the world’s top researchers in veterinary medicine to the Ontario Veterinary College to present their work to  students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the broader University of Guelph community. Held annually in the fall semester, this lecture series helps bring exposure to veterinarians and other individuals associated with the veterinary profession who play key leadership roles in the diverse areas in which veterinary medicine has substantial impact. 

A black and white photo depicts Frank Schofield, who sits against a white backdrop wearing a dark suit.

About the Schofield Memorial Lecture Series

Held annually since 1970, the Schofield Lecture series has hosted many prestigious researchers who have shared their research, career achievements, and life experiences with the University of Guelph community. These seminal lectures are integral in motivating OVC’s students, faculty and staff to achieve the highest possible goals in research, clinical sciences or environmental issues and in inspiring students to become engaged in alternate career paths and become leaders in their profession. 

This lecture series commemorates Dr. Frank Schofield, a prominent veterinary pathologist world renowned for his work on animal disease. Schofield was a faculty member at the Ontario Veterinary College between 1922 to 1955.

Background and Education 

Born in 1889 in Rugby, England, Francis William Schofield emigrated to Canada in 1907 at the age of 18. After briefly working on an Ontario farm where he grew interested in animal health, he enrolled in the Ontario Veterinary College in 1907 and received his Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 1910. From there, he worked toward his PhD in Veterinary Science in a bacteriology laboratory of the Ontario Health Centre conducting research on contamination in Toronto’s milk supply. In 1913 he became a junior faculty member at the Ontario Veterinary College. 

Activism 

In 1916, Schofield traveled to Korea as a medical missionary for the Presbyterian Church of Canada. There, he became an activist and humanitarian, bringing attention to Japan’s occupation of Korea and Korea’s independence movement. He documented Korea’s struggle for sovereignty, raising awareness of human rights issues. 

Scientific Accomplishments 

Schofield has made a significant impact on the field of veterinary science in Canada. He authored more than 140 scientific papers and was internationally known for his work on animal disease. He is best known for his work on sweet clover poisoning of cattle and sheep. His research helped to control and treat this disease through vitamin K inhibitors, which are now widely used to treat blood clotting. He also discovered a new virus responsible for a large outbreak of enteritis in mink in the 1940s, and researched the role of Escherichia coli in disease in young animals. Schofield was a founding member of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. He retired from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1955 and returned to Korea in 1958 where he was a Professor of Pathology at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Seoul University. Schofield passed away in Seoul on April 16th, 1970 and was buried in the patriot’s section of Korea’s national cemetery. 

Oct. 18, 2001 
Dr. Carlton Gyles 
Professor of Bacteriology, Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph 
Title:  “Living with E. coli” 

Oct. 17, 2002 
Dr. Vivek Kapur 
Director, Advanced Genetic Analysis Center, University of Minnesota 
Title:  “Ying, Yang, Infectious Diseases – Adventures with Genomics” 

Oct. 16, 2003
Dr. John McDermott 
Deputy Director, International Livestock Research Institute,  Nairobi & Professor, Dept. Population Medicine, OVC 
Title: “People and Other Animals – Strengthening a Pro-Poor  Partnership” 

Oct. 14, 2004
Dr. Stephen W. Barthold 
Professor, Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology  and Director, Center for Comparative Medicine, University of  California, Davis 
Title: “The Mouse that Roared:  Will Veterinary Medicine  Ever Listen?” 

Oct. 12, 2006
Dr. Frederick A. (Ted) Leighton 
Professor, Wildlife Diseases, Toxicopathology and Executive  Director, Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre,  Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of  Saskatchewan 
Title: “Veterinary Medicine for a World in Crisis” 

Nov 21, 2007
Dr. Chand Khanna 
Director, Comparative Oncology Program and Head, Tumor & Metastases Biology Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.  USA 
Title:  “A comparative approach towards understanding of cancer metastasis biology and therapy”  

Nov 19, 2008
Dr. Franziska B. Grieder
Director, Division of Comparative Medicine, National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. USA 
Title:  “Research and Veterinary Science: Crossing Continents and Disciplines”  

Nov 18, 2009
Dr. Lonnie King  
Dean, Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine 
Title: “Wicked Problems: Novel Solutions – Veterinary Medicine in the 21st Century”  

Nov. 17, 2010
Dr. Christine Zink  
Director, Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University 
Title: "Veterinary Medicine: Great Life, Global Impact" 

Nov. 16, 2011
Dr. Rodney Page  
Director, Flint Animal Cancer Center, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University 
Title: "The Continuum of Cancer Care in Veterinary Medicine” 

Nov. 14, 2012
Dr. Joe Mayhew  
Professor, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, New Zealand 
Title: “Where? What? Why? The fun of veterinary neurology” 

Nov. 13, 2013
Dr. Ian York
Team Lead, Molecular Virology and Vaccines Team, Immunology and Pathogenesis Branch, Influenza Division, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga.  
Title: “Influenza at the animal-human interface” 

Nov. 12, 2014
Dr. Corrie Brown 
Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia 
Title: "Lessons and lesions from around the world" 

Nov. 15, 2015
Dr. Martin Sheldon
Swansea University, UK 
Title: "A Trail in Discovery from Animal Disease and Infertility to Innate Immunity” 

Nov. 15, 2016
Dr. Jona Mazet 
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine 
Title: "One Health Success: Moving Toward a World Free of Pandemics" 

Nov. 14, 2017
Dr. Ilaria Capua 
One Health Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 
Title: "Fasten your seat belts: A veterinarian’s life is not necessarily what you had planned for"

Nov 19, 2018
Dr. Wayne McIlwraith 
University Distinguished Professor, Colorado State University 
Title: "Joint injury in arthritis: Helping horses and humans using translation of clinical and research science"

Nov. 13, 2019
Dr. Anne Croy
Professor Emerita, Queens University, Canada 
Title: "Opportunities and Decisions Create Careers and Define Self"

Nov. 19, 2021
Dr. Alan Wilson 
Professor, Royal Veterinary College, University of London 
Title: "Trotting Horses and Hunting Cheetah: An Anatomist's Perspective on Locomotion" 

Nov. 25, 2022
Dr. Baljit Singh
Vice-President Research at the University of Saskatchewan
Title: "A Serendipitous and Accidental Life" 

Nov. 21, 2023
Dr. Jean-Pierre Lavoie
Professor of Equine Internal Medicine, University of Montreal
Title: “Riding the waves, from equine practice to translational research” 

Nov. 20, 2024
Dr. Hélène Carabin
Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, University of Montreal
Title: "The Role of Epidemiology in the One Health Approach: Challenges and Solutions"
 

Sept. 29, 1970 

Dr. D.L.T. Smith,

Dean, Western College of Veterinary Medicine 

Title:  “Man, Medicine, & Science” 

 

Sept. 21, 1971 

Dr. B. Singleton 

14 Pont Street, London, S.W.I., England 

Title:  “The Veterinarian’s Role in Urban Society” 

 

Sept. 26, 1972 

Dr. Leon Saunders 

Smith, Kline & French Laboratories 

Title:  “Some Pioneers in Comparative Pathology” 

 

Sept. 18, 1973 

Dr. I.H. Pattison 

Institute for Research on Animal Diseases, Compton, Nr. Newberry, Berkshire, England 

Title:  “A Veterinarian in Biological Research” 

 

Oct. 29, 1974 

Dr. M. Kaplan,

Director, Office of Science & Technology, World Health Organization 

Title:  “Challenges for Human and Veterinary Medicine  in Developing Countries” 

 

Nov. 11, 1975 

Dr. J. Fraser Mustard 

Dean, Faculty of Medicine, McMaster University 

Title:  “ Science and Health” 

 

Oct. 28, 1976 

Dr. Edward J. Melby,

Dean, New York State College of Veterinary Medicine 

Title:  “Biomedical Concepts in Education” 

 

Oct. 6, 1977 

Dr. R.R.A. Coombs 

Head, Immunology Division, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge 

Title:  “Immunology - A Personal View” 

 

Oct. 5, 1978 

Dr. Peter Olafson 

Head, Department of Pathology, Cornell University 

Title:  “Forty-two Years in Veterinary Pathology” 

 

Oct. 4, 1979 

Dr. Leonard G. Goodwin 

The Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, England 

Title:  “Scientific Research in Zoos” 

 

Oct. 2, 1980 

Dr. James G. Miller 

College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, MS. 39762 

Title:  “The Mississippi Experience - A Reform Movement in  Veterinary Medicine” 

 

Oct. 8, 1981 

Dr. Douglas C. Blood 

Chair, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne 

Title:  “Research and the Real World” 

 

Oct. 7, 1982 

Dr. N.O. Nielsen

Former Dean, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan 

Title:  “Comparative Medicine” 

 

Oct. 6, 1983 

Dr. Duncan G. Sinclair 

Director-General of Operations, Medical Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ont. 

Title: “Teaching & Research:  Antipathic or Symbiotic?” 

 

Oct. 4, 1984 

Dr. Emmanuel Farber 

Departments of Pathology and Biochemistry, University of Toronto 

Title:  “Concepts of Disease, Medical Research & the Challenges to the Schools of the Healing Professions” 

 

Oct. 3, 1985 

Dr. Calvin W. Schwabe 

Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Preventative Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis 

Title:  “Bull Semen and Muscle ATP:  The Dawn of Medical Science in Ancient Egypt” 

 

Oct. 1, 1986 

Dr. Kurt Benirschke 

Professor of Pathology, University of California Medical Center, University of California, San Diego  and  Former Director, Dept. of Research, San Diego Zoo 

Title:  “Endangered Species - (The Urgent Need for More Biological Research in Endangered Species)” 

 

Sept. 25, 1987 

Dr. Franklin Loew

Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, Boston & North Grafton, Massachusetts 

Title:  “The Animal Welfare Bete Noire in Veterinary Medicine” 

 

Oct. 14, 1988 

Dr. Thomas MacKay Yuill 

Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Training, University of Wisconsin - Madison and Acting Director, Centre for Livestock in International Development 

Title:  “Wildlife Diseases:  So What and Who Cares?” 

 

Oct. 25, 1989 

Mr. Fred Pearce 

News Editor, New Scientist, London, England 

Title:  “Gaia:  In the Greenhouse” 

 

Oct. 18, 1990 

Dr. Cedric A. Mims 

Chairperson, Division of Microbiology, Guy’s and St. Thomas Hospital Medical Schools, United Medical & Dental Schools, London, England 

Title:  “Homage to Viral Ingenuity” 

 

Oct. 31, 1991 

Dr. Peter Doherty 

Chair, Department of  Immunology, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 

Title:  “Dealing with Viruses:  The Nature of Viral Immunity” 

 

Oct. 1, 1992 

Dr. Steven Arnoszky 

Laboratory for Comparative Orthopedics, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Michigan State University 

Title:  “What Veterinary Medicine is Doing for Your Knees” 

 

Oct. 7, 1993 

Dr. Bonnie Beaver 

Professor and Chief of Medicine, Department of  Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Texas A & M 

Title:  “Garfield, Millie Bush and Officer Tom Tom:  An Insider’s Perspective on Animal Behaviour” 

 

Oct. 6, 1994 

Dr. Opendra Narayan 

Marion Merrell Dow Foundation Distinguished Professor  and Director, Laboratory of Viral Pathogenesis, University of Kansas Medical Center 

Title:  “Contributions of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Models to the Understanding of AIDS and AIDS Dementia” 

 

Oct. 19, 1995 

Dr. Martin J. Fettman 

1992-94 Payload Specialist, Spacelab Life Sciences (STS-58/SLS-2), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Professor, Dept. of Veterinary Pathology, Colorado State University 

Title:  “A personal Account of Life Sciences Research in Space” 

 

Oct. 24, 1996 

Dr. Stephen W. Russell 

Wilkinson Distinguished Professor for Cancer Research, University of Kansas Medical Centre 

Title:  “Interesting Times & Their Impact on a Career in Cancer Research” 

 

Oct. 23, 1997 

Dr. Harley W. Moon 

F.K. Ramsey Research Chair in Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University 

Title:  “Comparative Medicine II:  Tracing Scientific Roots to Schofield” 

 

Oct. 8, 1998 

Dr. F.A. Murphy 

Professor emeritus, Professor of Virology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA. 

Title: "The Threat of New and Emerging Infectious Diseases" 

 

Oct. 21, 1999 

Dr. Ian D. Duncan 

Professor, Neurology, Dept. of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison 

Title: "Novel therapies for devastating human neurologic disease: contributions from veterinary medicine" 

 

Oct. 5, 2000 

Dr. Tracey McNamara 

Head, Department of Pathology, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York 

Title:  "The West Nile Virus Outbreak of 1999 - A Pathologist's Perspective"