We are absolutely delighted to announce the result of the inaugural Brian Miller Memorial Bursary competition.

We are even more delighted to say we are able to offer a bursary to all three outstanding vets on our shortlist. They are Afifah Hasna from Indonesia, Gala Ortiz from Argentina and Priscila Peralta-Aguilar from Peru.

Warm congratulations go to them, but also sincere thanks to all those who took the time to submit an application. We were truly impressed by the quality of all candidates, and inspired by everyone’s evident passion and determination to become better wildlife vets. We are just sorry we cannot support you all.

We are extremely thankful to the Metamorphosis Foundation for additional funding which has enabled us to make more than one award this year, and to Mrs Barbara Miller, Brian’s wife, who selected Gala for her own ‘personal choice’ award.

Improving access to wildlife health training is at the heart of what we do to get conservation medicine recognised as a vital element in saving threatened species.

Introducing Afifa

“This is an incredible opportunity for me to connect with fellow vets around the world, exchange ideas and take my career to the next level. But this is not just about me, because I hope I can inspire other veterinarians to be brave, to follow their passion and make a real impact in conservation.”

These are the beautiful words of our second bursary winner, Dr Afifah Hasna from Indonesia. Afifah will be using her bursary to help her travel to Hungary next year to her first European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians conference. She hopes to present her recent work on the captive breeding and translocation of lowland anoa, and to meet like-minded wildlife vets from around the globe.

Afifah is also working with the WCS Indonesia Program to help mitigate African Swine Fever in Southeast Asia. If you’ve following for us for a while, you will know how potentially devastating this disease can be, not just for domestic farmers for also for larger carnivores like tigers, for whom wild pig species form an important part of their diet.

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We remain incredibly grateful to the Miller family for setting up the Brian Miller Memorial Bursary in his memory.

Introducing Gala

“Hello! I am Gala Ortiz, a veterinarian from Patagonia, Argentina. Currently, I am travelling around the country while working as a wildlife anaesthesiologist for various conservation projects.

To me, this can truly be described as my dream job, and being able to combine this with continuing my professional development is a unique opportunity that has been made possible by my Brian Miller Memorial Bursary special award. I strongly believe that taking the Center for Wildlife Studies’ Capture and Chemical Immobilization course will enhance my knowledge, which I can directly apply to my everyday work, elevating my veterinary practice to a higher level.

I am also thrilled to have the opportunity to connect with the incredible group of colleagues involved with WVI and to be part of the crucial global network of "Vets on the Frontline of Conservation."

We are delighted that Gala was chosen to receive a special award by Brian’s wife, Barbara, and we really look forward to hearing how taking this valuable online course helps her take her career to the next level.

Introducing Priscilla

Dr Priscila Peralta Aguilar, a wildlife vet from Peru who is currently working in Gabon.

We are delighted to be able to help Priscila attend the well-respected Malilangwe Wildlife Capture School course in chemical and physical restraint of African wildlife in February 2025, an aspiration she has held for some time.

Having worked with jaguars, tapirs, vultures and a range of primates in the Peruvian Amazon and in Costa Rica, Priscila is now the Panthera Gabon Wildlife Health and Human-Wildlife Coexistence coordinator for the lion restoration project in Plateaux Batéké National Park. She has responsibility for reintroducing and monitoring the health of the first generation of lions that will restore the species in the country. The project also includes the reintroduction of several lion prey species, as part of wider ecosystem restoration.

Priscila told us how important she feels it is for her to be trained in appropriate capture techniques in order to ‘safeguard the health and welfare of wildlife and in turn promote the importance of the veterinarian’s work in the conservation of biodiversity’. We couldn’t agree more!

We are incredibly grateful to the Metamorphosis Foundation for the additional funding to enable us to award three bursaries at this time, and not making us choose between them!

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Please keep following us to find out more about Priscila, Afifah and Gala and the courses and conference the BMMB will enable them to attend, and how these will impact their day to day work.

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image: Priscila Peralta-Aguilar with a jaguar in Peru

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