Dr Neil Anderson

Senior Lecturer

Biography

Background

I graduated as a veterinarian from Bristol University in 1996. The initial stages of my career were spent in first opinion clinical practice in the UK, New Zealand and Australia, primarily in mixed practice and farm animal practice. Reflecting my deep interest in wildlife conservation, I undertook a PhD in Conservation Medicine through the Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh. My thesis focussed on the ecology of trypanosomiasis in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia and I graduated in 2009. Following a short period back in practice I returned to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.  to help develop an MVetSci programme in Conservation Medicine and to work as a postdoc on the Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa Consortium project. I also led the development of the MSc One Health programme in 2014.

I am currently a Senior Lecturer in Conservation Medicine and One Health. My primary role is in teaching and I am the Programme Director of the MVetSci Conservation Medicine and MSc One Health programmes. I also contribute to the Wildlife Health Bridge, a multi-institution international collaborative project to enhance capacity and training in the field of wildlife health in LMICs. My research focuses on wildlife health through the application of interdisciplinary One Health and Conservation Medicine approaches. I have a particular interest in disease transmission across the human-wildlife-livestock interface and I have specific expertise on the ecology and epidemiology of African trypanosomiasis. However, I am a generalist with a broad range of research interests, reflecting my interdisciplinary approach.  I am an experienced wildlife veterinarian and provide veterinary and scientific support for conservation projects including the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project for which I am Chair of the Scientific Advisory Panel.

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Edinburgh; An Investigation into the Ecology of Trypanosomiasis in Wildlife of the Luangwa Valley, Zambia.

Bachelor of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol.

Professional Qualifications

Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, MRCVS

Responsibilities & affiliations

Programme Director MVetSci Conservation Medicine

Programme Director MSc One Health

Chair of the Scientific Advisory Panel for the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project

Bristol Zoological Society’s Conservation Advisory Group member

CMS ScC-SC7 Working Group on Migratory Species and Health

Undergraduate teaching

Conservation Medicine and Wildlife Health Selective

Postgraduate teaching

MVetSci Conservation Medicine:

An introduction to Conservation Medicine          

Ecosystem Health and Species Conservation      

Applied Epidemiology and Surveillance for Conservation Medicine

Veterinary techniques and interventions for Conservation Medicine      

Wildlife disease management

Interventions in Wild Animal Health

Scientific Paradigms, Research Approaches and Study Design Across Disciplines

MSc One Health:

An introduction to One Health

Ecosystem Health

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Current PhD students supervised

Ackson Mwale - Developing a one health approach to the management of trypanosomiasis across communities and the vet, conservation and medical sectors in the Luangwa Valley in Zambia

Fred Ssempijja - Infection Risk at the Wildlife, Domestic Animal, and Human Interface in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Proximate Communities in Western Uganda

Past PhD students supervised

Gabriella Peniche - Raptor Health as an Indicator of Ecosystem Health: a novel toolbox for conservation

Tamara Riley - Walu-win mayiny balugan mawang (well people and animals all together): Implications for One Health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

Research summary

My research focuses on the application of interdisciplinary One Health and Conservation Medicine approaches to support wildlife health. I have a particular interest in disease transmission across the human-wildlife-livestock interface and I have specific expertise on the ecology and epidemiology of African trypanosomiasis. I have conducted research into trypanosomiasis in Zambia over two decades including studies on the reservoir community in wildlife, the tsetse vector, human sleeping sickness burden and transmission dynamics, and the application of One Health approaches to enable a more integrated approach to reducing trypanosomiasis risk.

Increasingly my work has become more interdisciplinary in nature due to my interest in Conservation Medicine and One Health. Consequently, the areas of focus have become more diverse. Alongside my continued work on trypanosomiasis, I have supervised PhD studentships on raptor health and indigenous health. I have also supervised a wide variety of MSc projects including work on wildcats, working dogs in conservation, anaesthesia of Przewalski horses, tick-borne pathogens and canine distemper virus amongst others. I also contributed to a commissioned review on migratory species and health for the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and I am member of the working group on wildlife health and migratory species.

Current research interests

My current research interests include: 1. The development of One Health approaches for the study and control of trypanosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa 2. Raptor health and conservation, including the epidemiology and impact of HPAI 3. One Health in Indigenous communities 4. The health of working dogs in conservation, including management of canine trypanosomiasis 5. Disease risks in the bushmeat value chain

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