2009 John Monash Scholar and veterinarian Mark Schembri has been profiled by the Harvard Gazette, for his study of animal diseases in public health. This month Mark completed his Masters of Public Health at Harvard, graduating near the top of his class with a Grade Point Average of 3.85. He received a grade A for his project on the Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE) virus and its consequences for biosecurity. The Harvard Gazette profiles the outstanding students in each field. To view Mark's profile click here.
Mark has spent the past year at Harvard studying zoonotic diseases: infections and viruses that can be transferred from animals to humans, such as bird and swine flu, rabies, and mad cow disease. Understanding how humans approach such pandemics helps prepare responses to outbreaks in animal populations, and lead to better prevention techniques. Mark will be staying in the USA until late July to finish off several academic papers for publication, and may then progress to study a doctorate.