Jaime Samour is a veterinary surgeon that has devoted the best part of his professional life to falcon medicine. He graduated with honours at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Veracruz, Mexico in 1978. After a short period of time in his native El Salvador working in private practice, he returned to Veracruz and became an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. In 1981, Jaime travelled to London to study and to carry out research projects in reptilian and avian medicine at the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London. He learned and practiced haematology under the supervision of Dr Christine Hawkey and Mike Hart. He was awarded a PhD degree on reproductive biology in birds by the Royal Veterinary College, University of London in 1987. Jaime was recipient of the British Veterinary Zoological Society/Parke-Davies/Upjohn Award in 1998 and the Ted Lafeber Avian Practitioner of the Year Award in 2006. Jaime was awarded Diplomate status of the European College of Zoological Medicine in the Avian Specialty in 2004 and became Professor of Raptor Medicine at the Veterinary College, University of Parma, Italy in 2018.

 

Mike Hart worked at the Haematology Unit of the Animal Hospital, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, headed by Dr. Christine Hawkey, from 1969 to 1991. After retiring from ZSL, he worked from 1991 to 2013 at various commercial veterinary diagnostic laboratories specializing in wild and exotic animal haematology in the UK. Mike is a founder member and former committee member of Association of Comparative Haematology, former member of the editorial board of Comparative Haematology International, former member of the editorial board of the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians, former reviewer of exotic animal haematology for the Veterinary Record. He is an Honorary Member of the British Veterinary Zoological Society.