UofG School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine

Today is Armistice Day when we honour the lives of the men, women and animals lost at war. Throughout history, animals have suffered and died as a result of human conflict. As well as the red poppy to remember the men and women lost at war, the purple poppy commemorates the animals of war and honours those lost in service.

https://www.classicfm.com/radio/shows-presenters/pet-classics/

Charlotte Hawkins and Dan Walker present Classic FM’s Pet Classics, the annual radio show to help you and your pet relax during fireworks season.

Join Classic Fm for two special programmes from 5pm to 9pm on Saturday 2 November and Tuesday 5 November, when firework season is in its peak, for the most calming classical music.

Classic FM’s Pet Classics | Classic FM Listen live to Classic FM online radio. Discover classical music and find out more about the best classical composers, musicians and their works.

A very warm welcome to our PGR students who had the opportunity to meet conveners and administrative staff as well as fellow students at the School's PGR Induction lunch.

New Researcher Spotlight!

Next up under the spotlight is Luiz Santos, a Senior Clinician in veterinary anesthesiology.

Read here:. https://lnkd.in/ejFJgyTF

MEET THE TEAM: Dr Philippa Yam
Finishing this year's Meet the Team Series is Dr Philippa Yam.
Philippa has been working at the School for over 25 years and is currently Senior Lecture in Veterinary Biosciences. Philippa graduated from Edinburgh and originally worked in the Small Animal Hospital specialising in small animal medicine. After hanging up her stethoscope she now divides her time between teaching, research and administrative duties, a large part being taken up with her roles as Chief Adviser of Studies and EMS Co-ordinator. In her spare time Philippa likes to be active but would equally enjoy watching ballet or rugby! ..

MEET THE TEAM: Dr Jean Rodgers
Following graduation, Jean trained as an MLSO in the Pathology Department of the Western Infirmary Glasgow.
She then transferred into a research position based at the Southern General Hospital and spent several years researching the cause of ME or chronic fatigue syndrome.
In 1992 Jean moved to the School to join the trypanosomiasis research group led by Professors Max Murray and Peter Kennedy. While working with this group she completed her PhD investigating the neuropathogenesis of human African trypanosomiasis and graduated in 2003.
Over the years, Jean has supervised several PhD and Masters students, helping to guide and support them through their research project. She has now transitioned into a more Learning Teaching and Scholarship orientated role and is currently Programme Leader and Chief Advisor of Studies for the BSc Veterinary Biosciences programme. In addition, Jean leads two courses within the programme; the Research Skills second year course and the fourth year Professional Skills course.
Beyond work she loves walking and enjoying the outdoors with her black Labrador, Murphy and she also appreciates a fine single malt whisky now and again.

MEET THE TEAM: Lubna Nasir(she/her/hers) Professor Comparative Medicine, Director, Equality Diversity and Inclusion.
Lubna gained her PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of Glasgow in 1993. Since then she has engaged in research in the field of comparative oncology at the University of Glasgow, School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, focusing on the role of viruses in the pathogenesis of animal cancers.
Following many years of a successful research career with a demonstrated track record of grant acquisition, publications and PhD supervision her focus and interests moved towards learning and teaching and has been heavily engaged in course design, development and evaluation in the disciplines of veterinary medicine and biosciences.

For over a decade, Lubna has also been intimately engaged in Equality Inclusion and Diversity (EDI) work within Higher Education to help foster inclusive and supportive communities for both staff and students. Her passion and drive for equality is at the forefront of her EDI Director role and her day-to-day. Lubna has two teenage daughters and alongside a busy family life enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking and music.

Joel Odero, Francesco Baldini and the Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania have led research to discover the first cases of a genetic mutation in Anopheles funestus mosquitoes that causes a resistance to an insecticide called DDT. The repellant is used to help combat mosquito-borne disease.
Joel was interviewed on BBC Scotland Nine and you can watch the interview here:
https://media.pressdata.co.uk/viewbroadcast.asp?a_id=33292951

SBOHVM Black History Month Exhibition: The SBOHVM EDI-ECR Group and Diversity and Inclusion committee have designed an exhibition to shine a spotlight on leading Black Scientists whose work has shaped the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology and veterinary medicine; as nominated by members of the School. This exhibition is now on display in the main corridor of the Graham Kerr Building until Oct 15th, and then in the cafeteria of the Mary Stewart Building between Oct 16-31th.
The exhibition will be further introduced at the Coffee mornings held in GK (Oct 10th) and Garscube (Oct 24th)

In new research from SBOHVM's Francesco Baldini and the Ifakara Health Institute, our scientists have discovered that historical insecticide use may be linked to DDT resistance among some mosquitoes in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Read more - https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_1115595_en.html

MEET THE TEAM: Dr Karen MacEachern
Karen grew up on the East Coast of the United States, where she earned a degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She later moved to Scotland, where she pursued both a veterinary degree and a PhD at the University of Glasgow, with a specialisation in equine pharmacology. This focus on equine medicine marked the start of her early career.
Today, Karen's work is centred on wildlife conservation, and she conducts research in both the UK and Africa. She is a lecturer across all years of the veterinary and biosciences programs, leading several courses, including a Masters in Human-Wildlife Conflict. Additionally, she runs three wildlife electives for final-year veterinary students.
Karen is also a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. She serves as the Race Equality Co-Champion at her school and chairs the college's Race Equality Subcommittee. Since 2000, she has spearheaded efforts to integrate widening participation into the veterinary program at the University of Glasgow.
In her free time, Karen enjoys outdoor activities and is actively engaged in wildlife conservation. She holds the position of Trustee at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and chairs its Animal Welfare Advisory Group.

Shanah Tovah to everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah. Wishing you a happy new year!

Meet the Team - Professor Sandra Corr
Sandra is the Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Head of Surgery in the Small Animal Hospital.
She originally graduated from the University of Glasgow, and then spent six years in general small animal and equine practice in the UK, before working as a surgeon in the University of Zimbabwe for three years. On returning to the UK, she undertook a PhD and residency in surgery at Glasgow University. She then spent 7 years at the Royal Veterinary College and 5 years at Nottingham Vet School, before returning to Glasgow in 2016.
Sandra spends 50% of her time seeing surgical cases, specializing in musculoskeletal trauma and joint disease. Aside from all things surgical, her particular interests include the human-companion animal bond, and ethical questions relating to keeping animals as companions.

Animal science has ranked 1st and Veterinary Medicine 2nd for subject strengths in The Times University Guide 2025
https://thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings

UK university rankings 2025 The definitive Good University Guide from The Times and The Sunday Times provides everything you need to know, from how to apply to Britain’s top universities to the lowdown on student life — whether it's student support and fun on campus or finances and figuring out careers

MEET THE TEAM: Ellie Wigham: Ellie graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2015, and spent a year working as an official vet in New Zealand before completing a PhD at the University of Bristol. She is currently a lecturer in Veterinary Public Health and co-course leader for BVMS4. She teaches aspects of animal welfare and food safety to all years of the BVMS course and also on the BSc course. Her research area of interest is animal welfare in the food chain, and is also currently involved with improving the student experience when learning about veterinary public health. She sits on a number of animal welfare committees and is a member of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission. In her spare time Ellie enjoys going to the gym, walking her dog Reg and frequenting the Glasgow food and drink scene.