Alzheimer’s disease… in cats? – Lorena Sordo BVMS MSc

Posted on June 2, 2019 by - Fellows' posts

Lorena Sordo

I have always loved all kind of animals and, since I have a memory, my biggest dream was to become a vet and to help all the animals in any way I could. My dream came true in 2006, when I graduated from vet school. I practised as a vet for 8 years at my own small animals veterinary clinic, where I acquired a great interest in animal welfare. A few years later, I moved to Scotland to study a master in applied animal behaviour and animal welfare at The University of Edinburgh, which later led to my PhD.

I am, proudly, one of those persons who like to surprise others with rare facts that not many people know, so I enjoy enormously when people ask me about my PhD. What I enjoy the most is to see their faces when I tell them that I study dementia in cats. As a veterinary surgeon myself, I consider that I am not easily impressed, but I must confess that I was really shocked the first time I heard about aged cats getting Alzheimer’s disease-like symptoms. I thought that disease was uniquely human.

What’s the worry about antibiotics? Andy Stringer reports

Posted on February 8, 2019 by - Fellows' posts

Ethiopia relies on livestock. They are crucial to the livelihoods of the majority of the country’s population and to the country’s economy. However, infectious diseases impact the health of livestock in Ethiopia, making antimicrobials vital in combating these diseases. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognised as a significant threat to global health. Estimates have highlighted that drug resistant infections will cause 10 million extra deaths a year and cost the global economy up to $100 trillion by 2050. The highest mortality due to AMR will be found on the African continent.

Soulsby Foundation names recipients of inaugural One Health travelling fellowships

Posted on April 20, 2018 by - News

Soulsby Fellows

From left: Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health & Social Care;
The Hon Mrs Katrina Bulloch (daughter of Lord Soulsby); Dr Camilla Benfield, Soulsby Fellow;
Dr Andrew Stringer, Soulsby Fellow;
Dr Judy MacArthur Clark, Chair, Board of Trustees – The Soulsby Foundation.

The Soulsby Foundation has awarded the inaugural Soulsby Travelling Fellowships to Dr Camilla Benfield and Dr Andrew Stringer to support their work in the international field of One Health which focuses on the essential links between human and animal health.

Tanzania and the Peste des petits ruminants virus, or ‘PPRV’

Posted on April 18, 2018 by - Fellows' posts

I’m a Lecturer in Virology at the Royal Veterinary College. I’ve been there for 5 years now and it’s a role in which I balance research and teaching. I always had a strong zoological interest and my realisation that vets could make broad impacts on global health was what drove me back from the Bedfordshire fields into a lab at Cambridge Vet School to do my PhD in molecular virology. There’s more on my career path in a Veterinary Record article ‘From herpetology to virology: how did that happen?’.

Ethiopia and a Global One Health Challenge

Posted on April 11, 2018 by - Fellows' posts

Welcome to this first blog post! I graduated with a veterinary degree from the University of Liverpool in 2005 and immediately spent time volunteering for a veterinary charity in Morocco. This experience provided me with an appreciation of the important role animals have in the livelihoods of communities in Africa. This was my first exposure to One Health – the recognition that the health of animals and the health of humans are intrinsically linked.