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 Dr James E. C. Bellamy has enjoyed several firsts in his professional career at the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC). Most recently, Jim was the first faculty member to retire after the abolishment of mandatory retirement at UPEI. His retirement marks a significant milestone date for AVC, which is 25 years old this year. Jim’s retirement leaves a void that will be difficult to fill given the contribution he made to the planning of AVC, to the leadership of the Department of Pathology and Microbiology, and to his solid championship of the AVC Graduate Studies and Research Program. Jim received his DVM from Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, in 1969, and a PhD in Pathology from the University of Saskatchewan in 1973. He followed this with one-year research post-doctoral in immunology at the University of Adelaide in 1974. From 1974 to 1985, he taught experimental and clinical pathology in the Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), University of Saskatchewan. Jim was an active researcher, especially in the fields of enteric immunology and pathology and he served as Editor of the Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research for 5 years in the 1980’s. Jim was recruited from the WCVM in 1985 as the founding Chair of the Department of Pathology and Microbiology and the Coordinator of Graduate Studies and Research for Canada’s newest veterinary college, which was to be built at UPEI in Charlottetown. He served as Department Chair of Pathology and Microbiology until December 1987, during which time many faculty and staff members were recruited to the Department. During this period Jim also successfully negotiated the transfer of the provincial diagnostic laboratory to the College, much of which continues as the Diagnostic Services unit of AVC today. Jim continued as Coordinator of Graduate Studies and Research until 1996. During this period, he spearheaded the planning, initiation, and organization of the MSc and PhD programs at AVC/UPEI. The MSc program was approved by the MPHEC in 1986 and the PhD program was approved in 1995. Jim represented the College on a number of national committees, such as the NSERC Strategic Grants Panel and the Canadian Agricultural Research Council. He initiated AVC’s first "Graduate Studies and Research Days", which has continued as an established annual event. With the maturation of the Graduate Studies and Research programs at AVC, Jim returned to the Department as a clinical pathology faculty member and continued to be engaged in Departmental affairs. In 2003, Jim accepted a 6-year appointment as Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research and oversaw another period of unprecedented growth in the AVC’s research and graduate programs. Research activity grew tremendously at AVC over the past decade, supported by several new federal funding programs for university research, like the Canada Research Chair program. After completing his term as Associate Dean, Jim has been working on developing computer based decision support systems for veterinarians, which follows a research interest that he has pursued for several years. Jim decided to officially retire on July 2, 2010. Always leading by example, he leaves a void that will be difficult to fill. Well done Jim. Good luck and God speed. From your colleagues in Pathology and Microbiology (Written by Dr. Fred Kibenge and approved by Dr. Jim Bellamy).
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