Anna Louise Meredith is Professor of Conservation Medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, 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. She was inspired by her mother's care for the planet, and joined the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...

. Her first job was at an animal and horse practise in Edinburgh. She worked alongside David Shannon, the veterinary surgeon for the

Edinburgh Zoo Edinburgh Zoo, formerly the Scottish National Zoological Park, is an non-profit zoological park in the Corstorphine area of Edinburgh, Scotland. The land lies on the south facing slopes of Corstorphine Hill, from which it provides extensive v ...

. Meredith studied

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and graduated in 1986. She qualified in

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in 1999. Meredith worked in

general practice General practice is the name given in various nations, such as the United Kingdom, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to the services provided by general practitioners. In some nations, such as the US, similar services may be describe ...

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 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. In 1992 she was appointed Head Veterinary Surgeon for the

Royal Zoological Society of Scotland The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland is a learned society and registered charity based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded by Thomas Haining Gillespie in 1909. In 1913, Edinburgh Town Council bought a large plot of land on Corstorphin ...

(RZSS)

. She worked to embed exotic animal wildlife into the undergraduate curriculum. She was present for the key hole surgery that took place on a giraffe in 2004. On the merit of her clinical and teaching work, Meredith was promoted to

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

in 2015, before earning her doctorate. She worked on conservation medicine and the intersection of animal and human health. She has worked with Scottish Wildcat Action to protect her favourite species, the

Scottish wildcat The Scottish wildcat is a European wildcat (''Felis silvestris silvestris'') population in Scotland. It was once widely distributed across Great Britain, but the population has declined drastically since the turn of the 20th century due to habita ...

. She is interested in the diseases that are present in the

wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

population, and was part of the trap, neuter, vaccinate and release project. Meredith completed a PhD in 2012 supervised by

Sarah Cleaveland Sarah Cleaveland is a veterinary surgeon and Professor of Comparative Epidemiology at the University of Glasgow. Education Cleaveland obtained a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (VetMB) degree from the University of Cambridge in 1988 followed ...

on the use of carnivores as sentinels – animals which can provide information about the ecosystems they live in. Meredith studied the antibodies inside

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

es and used this to understand what animals were eating. Meredith and her research group found bacteria that cause

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...

s in the

. She also led a project to reintroduce

beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

s to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, which had been hunted to extinction 300 years ago. Beavers are important in the maintenance of ecosystems; including forests and streams. In 2010 Meredith was appointed chairperson of the

Government of the United Kingdom ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal coat of arms of t ...

Zoos Expert Committee. She has also served as a specialist for the European College of Zoological Medicine. Meredith served as director of postgraduate taught programmes. In June 2018 Meredith was made head of the Melbourne Veterinary School in the

University of Melbourne Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. Meredith left her role at the University of Melbourne in January 2022. Her period as Head of Melbourne Veterinary School is controversial, as it was marked by the resignation of many staff and the closure of much of the school’s teaching hospital.

Awards and honours

Her awards and honours include; * 2003 British Small Animal Veterinary Association Blaine Award * 2016 Appointed to the

Scottish Science Advisory Council The Scottish Science Advisory Council is a government organisation that is Scotland's highest level advisory body for science, engineering and technology. The group of experts provide independent advice to the Scottish Government. Members are ...

* 2018 Elected to the council of the

Scottish Wildlife Trust The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, registered charity dedicated to conserving the Natural history of Scotland, wildlife and natural environment of Scotland. Description The Scottish Wildlife Trust has well ...

* 2019 Appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services to veterinary surgery in the

2019 New Year Honours The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

Meredith was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom, established in 1844 by royal charter. It is responsible for monitoring the educational, ethical and clinical standards of the v ...

(FRCVS).

Books

Meredith has contributed to several books, including; * ''BSAVA Manual of Exotic Pets'' * ''Wildlife Medicine and Rehabilitation: Self-Assessment Color Review'' * ''BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Medicine'' * ''BSAVA Small Animal Formulary: Part B: Exotic Pets''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meredith, Anna Louise British veterinarians Women veterinary scientists Women veterinarians Alumni of the University of Oxford Alumni of the University of Cambridge Academics of the University of Edinburgh University of Melbourne faculty Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons