Dr. Bob Church receives Don Matthews Animal Health Award

Dr. Bob Church, owner of Lochend Luing Ranch and a purebred Luing breeder, received the Don Matthews Memorial Award for Excellence in Animal Health at the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Beef Breeds Council held in Calgary, March 13, 2014.

The award is presented by the Board of Directors of the Council to individuals who have contributed exemplary service to the development of the Canadian purebred beef cattle industry in the field of animal health.  Dr. Bob Church has a lifetime experience in the livestock industry.  He is currently Profiessor Emeritus, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary.  He was a founding member of the Faculty of Medicine (1967) at the University of Calgary and the first Head of ther Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Subsequently he was the Associate Dean (Medical Research:  1981-1988).  He was a founding Member of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canadian Institute of Advanced Research, Co-Chair of the Premier’s Council, Science & Technology and founding Chair of the Alberta Science and Research Authority.  Dr. Church was a member of the Governor’s Committee for the Evaluation of the University of Texas system, Strategy Committee for Economic Development for Singapore, Technology Development Committee for Taiwan, and a guest of the Soviet Academy of Sciences.  He is a former Member of the Medical Research Council of Canada, Alberta Research Council, Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization, and Federal Advisory Committee on Biotechnology, Canadian Committee on Smart Regulations, and Canadian Advisory Committee on Rural Issues.  He is currently a Board Member of AVAC Ltd., CNA Diagnostics Inc. and advisor to the Board of Natural MA Ld and SGT Global.  Dr. Church was a former Board Member of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Instuture, the National Institute for Nanotechnology, PENCE (Protein Engineering Centres of Excellence) and AFMNet (Food and Materials Centers of Excellence).  He was a former Director of the Ciba-Geigy Inc., Connaught Laboratories Ltdl, Monsanto Inc., Biostar Inc., Alberta Livestock Transplants (AltaGenetics) Neurospheres Ltd., Continental Pharma Ltd., Vencap Equities Inc., Canadian Science & Technology Growth Fund Inc., CV Technologies (Afexa), and GangaGen Life Sciences Inc.  He is a Past President of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede and President of Church Livestock Consultants.

Dr. Church is a member of the Order of Canada and the Alberta Order of Excellence.  He has received many honors including induction into the Canadian and Alberta Agricultural Halls of Fame, the Alberta Bioindustry Hall of Fame, and the Olds College Alumni.  He was awarded the Distringuished Alumni Award, University of Alberta, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Lethbridge.  He is an honorary member of Academia Sinica, and the Luing Cattle Society.  Dr. Church was named “Chief Black Eagle” of the Treaty Seven Nation.

“Dr. Bob Church is a distringuished lobbyist for animal health and welfare and is recognized as a leading international spokesperson for the purebred cattle sector,” said David Bolduc, President of CBBC Board of Directors.

The Don Matthews Memorial Award for Excellence in Animal Health was instituted in the honour of the late Don Matthews, Angus breeder, and a past President and driving force behind the Canadian Beef Breeds Council.  Matthews had a passion for matters relating to animal health and international trade, foundational pillars of the Council.

CBBC’s vision is to provide a unified voice in support of the purebred genetics provided within the Canadian beef cattle industry.  Its mission is to ensure the continuity, growth and prosperity of the Canadian purebred cattle sector as an integral component of the Canadian beef cattle industry,

Its mandate is to support Canadian purebred cattle producers through service provision aimed at genetic improvement, animal health, extension services and information dissemination; promote Canadian beef cattle genetics both domestically and internationally by identifying market opportunities, facilitating access through timely intelligence and informing the commercial industry of the attributes of the Canadian beef advantage both at home and abroad; represent the purebred cattle sector to government by advocating effective policy, ensuring market access and enhancing competitiveness.