Anna Louise Meredith OBE FRCVS is Professor of Conservation Medicine at the University of Edinburgh , where she has previously served as chairperson of zoological conservation medicine at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies .
Early life and education
Meredith's mother was a biology teacher.[ 2] She was inspired by her mother's care for the planet, and joined the World Wide Fund for Nature .[ 2] Her first job was at an animal and horse practise in Edinburgh . She worked alongside David Shannon, the veterinary surgeon for the Edinburgh Zoo . Meredith studied physiology at the University of Oxford and graduated in 1986.[ 3] She qualified in veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge in 1999.[ 4] Meredith worked in general practice for a year before moving to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (R(D)SVS) as a lecturer.
Research and career
Meredith established the Exotic Animal and Wildlife Unit at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies , which was the first in the United Kingdom .[ 2] In 1992 she was appointed Head Veterinary Surgeon for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo . She worked to embed exotic animal wildlife into the undergraduate curriculum.[ 5] She was present for the key hole surgery that took place on a giraffe in 2004.[ 6]
On the merit of her clinical and teaching work, Meredith was promoted to professor in 2015, before earning her doctorate.[ 7] She worked on conservation medicine and the intersection of animal and human health.[ 8] She has worked with Scottish Wildcat Action to protect her favourite species, the Scottish wildcat .[ 8] She is interested in the diseases that are present in the wildcat population, and was part of the trap, neuter, vaccinate and release project.[ 8]
Meredith completed a PhD in 2012 supervised by Sarah Cleaveland [ 1] on the use of carnivores as sentinels – animals which can provide information about the ecosystems they live in.[ 2] Meredith studied the antibodies inside foxes and used this to understand what animals were eating.[ 2] Meredith and her research group found bacteria that cause leprosy in red squirrels in the United Kingdom .[ 9] She also led a project to reintroduce beavers to Scotland , which had been hunted to extinction 300 years ago.[ 10] Beavers are important in the maintenance of ecosystems; including forests and streams.[ 2]
In 2010 Meredith was appointed chairperson of the Government of the United Kingdom Zoos Expert Committee.[ 11] She has also served as a specialist for the European College of Zoological Medicine.[ 12] Meredith served as director of postgraduate taught programmes.[ 13] In June 2018 Meredith was made head of the Melbourne Veterinary School in the University of Melbourne Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences .[ 14] [ 15] [ 16] Meredith left her role at the University of Melbourne in January 2022.
Awards and honours
Her awards and honours include;
Meredith was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (FRCVS).[when? ] [ 5]
Books
Meredith has contributed to several books, including;
BSAVA Manual of Exotic Pets [ 21]
Wildlife Medicine and Rehabilitation: Self-Assessment Color Review [ 22]
BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Medicine [ 23]
BSAVA Small Animal Formulary: Part B: Exotic Pets [ 24]
References
^ a b Meredith, Anna Louise (2012). Evaluation of predators as sentinels for emerging infectious diseases (PhD thesis). University of Edinburgh. hdl :1842/6480 . OCLC 827266372 . EThOS uk.bl.ethos.563893 .
^ a b c d e f "Conserving biodiversity to safeguard our future" . pursuit.unimelb.edu.au . 5 July 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ "Anna Meredith" . theconversation.com . The Conversation. Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ "Prof Anna Meredith" . ed.ac.uk . University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ a b "Professor Anna Meredith" . Professionals . Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ "Key-hole surgery saves giraffe" . bbc.co.uk . BBC News . 15 February 2004. Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ "Personal Chair: Anna Meredith" . The University of Edinburgh . Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ a b c "The Vet's Tale of Scottish wildcats" . scottishwildcataction.org . Scottish Wildcat Action. Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ "UK red squirrels are carrying leprosy and have been for decades" . newscientist.com . 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ Aldred, Jessica (14 May 2014). "Scotland wild beaver reintroduction trial 'an outstanding success' " . The Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ "BSAVA Member Anna Meredith awarded OBE" . bsava.com . Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ a b Woodmansey, David (2 January 2019). "Vet awarded OBE" . vettimes.co.uk . Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ Anon (2018). "People" . Veterinary Record . 182 (24): ii. doi :10.1136/vr.k2633 . ISSN 0042-4900 .
^ Annab, Rachid (5 March 2019). "Anna Meredith" . U-Vet . Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ "PROF Anna Meredith - The University of Melbourne" . www.findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au . Retrieved 25 June 2019 .
^ Lawry, Rhys (18 May 2018). "Conservation and wildlife medicine leader to head University of Melbourne veterinary education and research" . Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences . Retrieved 25 June 2019 .
^ "Anna Meredith, MA VetMB CertLAS DZooMed MRCVS. RCVS Recognised Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine" . lafeber.com . 10 July 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ "SSAC Past Members" . scottishscience.org.uk . The Scottish Science Advisory Council. Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ "Scottish Wildlife Trust Annual Report" (PDF) . scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk . Scottish Wildlife Trust. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ "Anna MEREDITH" . thegazette.co.uk . Retrieved 23 June 2019 .
^ Meredith, Anna (2010). BSAVA Manual of Exotic Pets . 2010. ISBN 9781905319169 .
^ Meredith, Anna (2011). Wildlife Medicine and Rehabilitation: Self-Assessment Color Review . Manson Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781840761467 .
^ Meredith, Anna (2014). BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Medicine . British Small Animal Veterinary Association. ISBN 9781905319497 .
^ Meredith, Anna (2015). BSAVA Small Animal Formulary: Part B: Exotic Pets . British Small Animal Veterinary Association. ISBN 9781905319824 .
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