Wendy Beauvais
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Wendy is a Research Assistant in Epidemiology within the Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health Group. Current projects include a risk assessment of re-introduction of rinderpest, a modelling study of appropriate compensation for test and slaughter programs, an intervention study of biosecurity advice on beef farms in England and Wales and writing a distance learning unit on One Health. In October 2012 Wendy will start her PhD on brucellosis control in Central Asia, funded by an RVC internal scholarship.
Biography
Wendy graduated from the RVC in 2007, with a Bachelor degree in Veterinary Medicine. She first became interested in epidemiology during her second year research project when she conducted a survey of smallholders in Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia). This was a key motivation in deciding to do her final-year project within the Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health Group, on Hydatid disease (Echinococcus granulosus).
After graduating, and spending almost 2 years working as a veterinarian in rural mixed practice, she returned to the RVC to do the MSc in Veterinary Epidemiology, sponsored by BBSRC.
Since successfully completing the MSc in August 2010, she has been working as a Research Assistant in the Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health Group.
In October 2012 Wendy will start her PhD on brucellosis control in Central Asia, funded by an RVC internal scholarship, supervised by Javier Guitian.
Research
Wendy is interested in the impact of disease on humans, in particular zoonoses. She likes to take a "One Health" approach.
Her second-year research project was a survey of production animal diseases and problems amongst smallholdings in Kyrgyzstan and was sponsored by the British Veterinary Association Overseas Group.
Inspired by this project, her final-year project was an investigation in to the prevalence, spatial and temporal distribution of Echinococcus granulosus on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, and was sponsored by Intervet.
Wendy was awarded the Joint Prize for Best Research Project, for her MSc project which was an investigation into risk and uncertainty in compensating Egyptian farmers participating in Brucellosis control programmes.
Wendy recently conducted two systematic reviews of the effects of neutering female dogs on mammary neoplasia and urinary incontinence, sponsored by Dog’s Trust. She is currently working on an FAO-commissioned risk assessment of potential re-introduction of Rinderpest (cattle plague) and a DEFRA-funded intervention study assessing the impact of biosecurity advice on beef farmers.
Teaching
Wendy has taught statistics and epidemiology to undergraduates and MSc students. She also gives one-to-one statistics and epidemiology support for undergraduate research projects, and has taught on RVC courses in epidemiology for veterinarians in China and Bangladesh.
Clinical
Wendy spent almost two years working as a veterinarian in a mixed animal practice in Shropshire. This involved a large amount of sole charge work, and included medical and surgical treatment of companion and farm animals.
Selected Publications
Beauvais W, Cardwell JM, Brodbelt DC. The effect of neutering on the risk of urinary incontinence in bitches - a systematic review. Journal of Small Animal Practice. 2012 Feb 21. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.2011.01176.x. [Epub ahead of print]
Royal Veterinary College and AusVet. (2011) Risk assessment: re-introduction of rinderpest. Report commissioned by Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Animal Health Organization (OIE).
Beauvais W, Cardwell JM, Brodbelt DC. The effect of neutering on the risk of mammary tumours in bitches - a systematic review. Journal of Small Animal Practice. In press.
Outreach Activities
Wendy is currently working on a web-based tool for stakeholders to explore the impact of test-and-slaughter schemes on individual farmers.