I am a veterinary microbiologist interested in developing novel solutions to problems in animal health through education, research, mentorship and consultation. My research aims to enhance our knowledge about the fundamental pathogenesis and epidemiology of infectious diseases, develop novel diagnostic assays, vaccines and approaches to disease control, and improve our understanding about veterinary prescribing behaviours and the most appropriate interventions to optimise antimicrobial stewardship. I gained my veterinary degree at the University of Sydney in 1983, worked at the University of Sydney's Rural Veterinary Centre as a clinical officer in 1984, completed a PhD in veterinary virology at the University of Melbourne in 1988, worked as a Veterinary Research Officer at the Moredun Research Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 1988-1991, and have been a member of staff at the University of Melbourne since 1991, where I am currently a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor and Director of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, a multidisciplinary research centre within the university committed to improving animal health, welfare and production. Among our Centre's achievements are the development of novel attenuated vaccines to control bacterial and viral respiratory diseases of poultry, pigs and cattle, the development of diagnostic assays to improve detection of a wide range of viral and bacterial diseases in animals, and the elucidation of reasons for emergence and spread of infectious diseases in livestock. Our Centre also has a strong interest in antimicrobial stewardship in animal health in national and international settings.