We are looking for a new PhD student with an interest in horses!

PhD student  - Equine Network Epidemiology and Biosecurity (ENEBT)  Team 

The Mathematical Epidemiology Laboratory, University of Guelph

Application Deadline: June 30, 2019

 Applications are invited for a PhD position in veterinary epidemiology and mathematical modeling in the Mathematical Epidemiology Laboratory (www.mathepilab.org) at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. The successful applicant will be involved in a research program that will apply quantitative methods to the area of equine infection control and biosecurity. The project will be co-supervised by Dr. Amy Greer and Dr. Terri O’Sullivan who co-lead the ENEB team at the Ontario Veterinary College. 

Applicants should have significant experience in veterinary medicine, epidemiology, and/or population health. The successful candidate will have excellent English language communication skills (both verbal and written), strong analytical skills, and experience conducting research in a highly interdisciplinary environment. Prior experience with R and working with horses and/or horse owners would be considered an asset. Preference will be given to applicants who also hold a DVM degree and who have experience working with veterinary professionals in a research environment. 

The starting date is September 2019 (contingent on funding), or as soon as possible thereafter.All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Incomplete applications will not be considered and only selected applicants will be contacted for an interview.

 How to apply:

Applicants should first review the Graduate Studies website to ensure that they meet the requirements for admission to our graduate program (https://www.uoguelph.ca/graduatestudies/).  Applicants must submit a cover letter that specifically addresses the applicants interest in equine epidemiology and biosecurity, a recent curriculum vitae, and a copy of their academic transcript (unofficial is fine). Applicants should also submit contact information for at least two individuals who can provide letters of recommendation to Dr. Amy Greer.

 

Fall is the most wonderful time of year!

Members of the math.epi.lab at the end of the Centre for Public Health and Zoonosis Annual Research Symposium in June 2018. From left to right: Elissa Giang, Dr. Amy Greer, Melanie Cousins, Emma Gardner, Wendy Xie, and Roksolana Hovdey. 

With fall comes the start (continuation?) of the academic travel season. Are you wondering where you might find members of the math.epi.lab this fall? We will be presenting our most recent research findings in Canada, the US, and Thailand so we will be "in transit" quite a bit this fall. Be sure to catch up with us if you are planning to attend any of the following conferences and events.

1) 2018 Calgary International Equine Symposium (Sept 2018)

2) Pandemic Influenza Outbreak Research Modelling (Pan-Inform) meeting (Oct 2018)

3) 15th International Symposium of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics: ISVEE15 (Nov 2018)

4) Conference for Research Workers in Animal Diseases (Dec 2018)

New paper out from Luz Kisiel on dog population control

Photo credit: Luz Maria Kisiel

Congratulations to Luz and team on the publication of her second MSc thesis research paper. This is a great example of how models can be used to model dog population dynamics and then use the model to look at different surgical and non-surgical population control interventions. Spoiler alert: if you are running a surgical dog population control program and have limited resources the model suggests that changing your focus to young, female dogs exclusively is more effective in the long run than focusing on mixed groups of dogs. You can read more here. 

Photo credit: Luz Maria Kisiel

Are you looking for a great group to join as a postdoctoral fellow?

Postdoctoral Fellow - OPEN Stewardship: An Online Platform for Expanding Antimicrobial Stewardship

The successful applicant will be involved in a research program that will apply both qualitative and quantitative methods to the area of veterinary antimicrobial stewardship. The successful applicant will work with a large, international team to develop and assess an open, web-based system that allows for advanced stewardship interventions in the form of feedback and benchmarking as well as sharing of best practice guidelines and patterns of antibiotic resistance (https://www.jpiamr.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/2017-066-Abstract.pdf). The postdoctoral fellow will be specifically focused on research to support veterinary professionals. 

Applicants should have significant experience in veterinary medicine, epidemiology, and/or population health. The successful candidate will have excellent English language communication skills (both verbal and written), experience conducting research in a highly interdisciplinary environment, and prior experience writing scientific articles. Strong analytical skills are an asset. Applicants must be within 3 years of having completed their PhD or DVSc in a field that is relevant to the research project (e.g. epidemiology, biology, population medicine). Preference will be given to applicants who also hold a DVM degree and who have experience working with veterinary professionals in a research environment. The initial appointment will be for one year. Extension of the appointment for the second year is possible, but subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance during the first year. The salary will be commensurate with the experience of the candidate in the range of $45,000 to $50,000 CDN (including benefits).

The starting date is August 2018, or as soon as possible thereafter.Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Incomplete applications will not be considered and only selected applicants will be contacted for an interview.

Application Deadline: June 18, 2018

How to apply:

Applicants must submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a one-page summary of research experience that specifically addresses the applicants interest in veterinary antimicrobial stewardship. Applicants should also submit contact information for at least two individuals who can provide letters of recommendation to:

Dr. Amy Greer
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Population Disease Modeling, and Assistant Professor
Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College
University of Guelph
agreer@uoguelph.ca
www.mathepilab.org

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.  At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

New paper describes a method for generating synthetic farm populations

Congratulations to Salah on his recent publication that describes a method for generating synthetic swine populations. Farm populations generated using this methodology can be used as inputs for computer simulations that examine different disease introduction and spread scenarios. .

Do you aspire to be a "future veterinarian?"

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

We are currently recruiting undergraduate students interested in helping out with a large equine research project that will be running from November until the Christmas break 2017. No horse experience is necessary. This is a great opportunity for students interested in a career in veterinary medicine to learn more about veterinary research and get some experience working in a large animal (equine) environment. You will be providing technical and logistical support to the study coordinator, Dr. Tanya Rossi. Please contact Dr. Amy Greer in the Department of Population Medicine to learn more about this opportunity. 

TB elimination meeting and the Uppsala Health Summit

Iqaluit, Nunavut (photo credit: A. Greer, 2014)

Fall is always a busy time of year and many of the important infectious disease related meetings are held during the autumn months. Over the last several weeks I have attended a number of meetings that I felt were important to highlight on our team blog because they were so incredibly exciting to be a part of. On October 4th and 5th, I travelled to Ottawa to participate in a meeting co-hosted by the Nunavut Government and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK). The purpose of the meeting was to develop a comprehensive action plan for the elimination of Tuberculosis across Inuit Nunangat with specific goals and priority areas for action. It was an honour to be asked to participate and I am optimistic that with improved infrastructure and support to Northern health systems, TB elimination is a real possibility. 

The meeting was held at the Uppsala castle in Uppsala, Sweden. (photo credit: A. Greer, 2017).

October also marked the 3rd annual Uppsala Health Summit. The Uppsala Health Summit is a recurring international policy arena for dialogue on challenges for health and healthcare, and how we can overcome them. The theme changes each year which makes it a dynamic and exciting event to participate in. Personally invited decision makers, opinion formers and experts participate in active dialogue in thoroughly prepared workshops and plenum sessions. The theme of the summit this year was Tackling Infectious Disease Threats: Prevent, Detect, Respond using a One Health Approach. It was a great opportunity to catch up with some colleagues that I had not seen in many years and also to meet some new researchers working in this area. 

Final dinner in Uppsala with great company and discussion. From left to right: Fernanda Dorea (National Veterinary Institute, Sweden), Florence Haseltine (Society for Women's Health Research, USA), Crawford Revie (Atlantic Veterinary College, Canada), Stefan Widgren (National Veterinary Institute, Sweden), Kun Hu (IBM Research, USA), Amy Greer (Ontario Veterinary College, Canada) and Stefan Engblom (Uppsala University, Sweden). 

Sad news from Australia this morning...

I was introduced to Dr. Rick Speare from James Cook University when I was a graduate student with Dr. Jim Collins at Arizona State University. Dr. Speare was responsible for the discovery of chytridiomycosis and had an impressive body of other research work spanning both veterinary and human medicine. This morning I woke up to several emails from former colleagues informing us that Dr. Speare was killed in a motor vehicle accident in Townsville on his way home from a trip.  His loss will be felt by the ecology, conservation, and public health communities not just in Australia but also around the world. Our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.