Department of Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health

The Department of Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health comprises academics who have interests in the health and well-being of populations of animals and in the impact that this can have on society as a whole. This includes considering herd health, where the welfare of all animals within a farm is managed.

About us

Successful farm animal health management benefits the individual animals and the productivity of the farm as a business enterprise. An appreciation of the role of the veterinary profession in safeguarding the wider public from threats to health is also a paramount concern.

This is underpinned by the discipline of epidemiology – broadly, the study of disease and factors associated with disease occurrence in populations. Within the School, we contribute to teaching at all stages in the curriculum, with a special emphasis in the “Animals and Society” module.

We will also undertake research in relevant areas, often in collaboration with other scientists and professionals, including our veterinary partners. As a result, we will enable our students to experience and learn about this fascinating part of the world of veterinary medicine.

    Meet the team

    Head of Department

    Martha Betson profile image

    Dr Martha Betson

    Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Parasitology & Head of Section

    Department members

    Ruth Alafiatayo profile image

    Dr Ruth Alafiatayo

    Research Fellow in Tropical Animal Health and Innovation

    Dr Carlijn Bogaardt

    Research Fellow in Bioinformatics

    Umer Chaudhry profile image

    Dr Umer Chaudhry

    Research Fellow - Molecular Parasitology

    Francesca Marie Contadini profile image

    Dr Francesca Marie Contadini

    Lecturer in Veterinary Public Health

    Alasdair Cook profile image

    Professor Alasdair Cook

    Head of Department of Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health

    Francisco Evangelista profile image

    Francisco Evangelista

    Postgraduate Research Student

    Dr Brian Gardner

    Research Fellow in Computational Biology

    Gianni Lo Iacono profile image

    Dr Giovanni Lo Iacono

    Senior Lecturer in Biostatistics/Epidemiology

    Davide Messina profile image

    Dr Davide Messina

    Teaching Fellow in Veterinary Public Health

    Joaquin M. Prada profile image

    Dr Joaquin Prada

    Lecturer in Veterinary Epidemiology

    A herd of cows in a field

    Veterinary epidemiology and public health research

    Our research interests include food chain health, interactions with animals and people, and animal health surveillance.