NC State surgeons earn top 2026 ACVS honors
Bottom line
Two NC State veterinary leaders have received top 2026 honors from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, underscoring the college’s influence in large animal surgery and specialist training. ACVS named Dr. Anthony T. Blikslager, associate dean and director of veterinary medical services at NC State, the recipient of its Founders’ Award for Career Achievement, while Dr. Jan F. Hawkins, head of NC State’s Department of Clinical Sciences, received the Al and Carolyn Schiller Distinguished Service Award. The awards were announced October 8 at the Mark W. Allam Lecture and Awards Ceremony in Charlotte, with ACVS citing Blikslager’s contributions to surgical techniques, research translation, and education, and Hawkins’ decades of volunteer leadership, committee service, and mentorship. (acvs.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the recognition highlights how academic surgeons can shape the field far beyond the operating room, through residency training, specialty governance, and mentorship pipelines. Hawkins’ role in ACVS leadership during the organization’s restructuring, and Blikslager’s long track record in equine surgery and clinical research, reflect the kinds of institutional and educational leadership that influence how future specialists are trained and supported. (cvm.ncsu.edu)
What to watch: Expect these awards to further elevate NC State’s profile in surgical training and faculty recruitment, especially in large animal and equine specialties. (cvm.ncsu.edu)
Two NC State veterinarians who started their careers in large animal surgery together are now being recognized at the highest levels of their specialty. The American College of Veterinary Surgeons announced October 8 that Dr. Anthony T. Blikslager received the 2026 Founders’ Award for Career Achievement, and Dr. Jan F. Hawkins received the 2026 Al and Carolyn Schiller Distinguished Service Award, with both honored during the Mark W. Allam Lecture and Awards Ceremony in Charlotte. (acvs.org)
The pairing is notable because the two surgeons’ careers have remained intertwined for decades through NC State and ACVS. NC State said Blikslager and Hawkins first crossed paths at the college nearly 40 years ago, then went on to build parallel careers in large animal and equine surgery, academic leadership, and specialty service. Hawkins, an NC State DVM alumnus who later led large animal surgery at Purdue, returned to NC State in 2024 to head the Department of Clinical Sciences. Blikslager completed his large animal surgery residency at NC State and now serves as associate dean and director of veterinary medical services. (cvm.ncsu.edu)
ACVS said Blikslager’s Founders’ Award recognizes a diplomate whose career has advanced surgical techniques and methodology while sharing knowledge with colleagues, residents, and students. NC State framed the honor as the culmination of a career spanning equine surgery, research, and hospital leadership. Hawkins’ Schiller award, meanwhile, recognizes service to ACVS, where he has held a wide range of roles, including resident credentialing leadership, regent, president-elect, president, board chair, and nominating committee chair. ACVS’ current committee listings also show Hawkins continuing in leadership roles, including chairing the Veterinary Surgery journal committee and the nominating committee. (acvs.org)
NC State’s separate profile of Hawkins adds a mentorship dimension that goes beyond committee service. In that piece, Hawkins described helping trainees from outside the U.S. navigate the path into large animal surgery, including one veterinarian from Colombia who later joined Purdue’s faculty and another from Morocco now caring for working horses in Fez. That account helps explain why the service award landed as more than an internal professional honor: it reflects influence on the global training network that feeds academic and referral surgery. (cvm.ncsu.edu)
There was also a clear peer endorsement in NC State’s coverage. Blikslager said Hawkins “poured every ounce of energy” into ACVS leadership and called him “a fantastic advocate for trainees.” Hawkins, for his part, has described his own career path as an example for students to stay open-minded, noting that an early interest in small animal practice shifted after seeing colic surgery in veterinary school. Those comments reinforce the story’s central theme: specialist careers are often built through mentorship, exposure, and institutional continuity as much as through technical skill. (cvm.ncsu.edu)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, especially those in academia, referral practice, and residency training, these awards are a reminder that workforce development in specialty medicine depends on more than case volume or research output. Hawkins’ recognition centers on volunteer leadership, credentialing, and mentorship, all of which affect how surgeons enter and move through the profession. Blikslager’s award points to the parallel value of clinician-scientists who translate discovery into practice while training the next generation. In a workforce environment where large animal and equine specialties can be difficult to staff, visible recognition of those roles may help reinforce career pathways for trainees and early-career faculty. That last point is an inference based on the positions both men hold and the responsibilities ACVS cited. (acvs.org)
The story also reflects NC State’s broader standing in veterinary medicine. The college has continued to spotlight faculty honors and mentorship as part of its institutional identity, and these dual ACVS awards give it a strong narrative around leadership in surgery, education, and professional service. For pet parents, the news may feel distant from day-to-day care, but for the profession, it signals where influence sits: in the people shaping referral standards, specialist training, and the culture of mentorship behind advanced care. (cvm.ncsu.edu)
What to watch: The next signal will be whether NC State and ACVS use this moment to expand recruitment, mentorship, or residency visibility in large animal and equine surgery, particularly as Hawkins continues in active committee leadership and Blikslager remains in a senior hospital role. (acvs.org)