BSci(Hons), BVSci(Hons), Grad Dip Sci Comm, PhD, Master of Teaching (Secondary) Jennifer started her academic career as a research chemist in Japan, then graduated as a vet from University of Sydney, and worked for several years in rural mixed practice. She joined the Questacon Science Circus studying Science communication at Australian National University, and then spent three years lecturing in science communication at Tsukuba University, Japan. Completing her PhD looking at risk perception and communication among horse owners and vets around Hendra virus and the vaccine for horses, she then worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Charles Sturt University looking at farmer-led partnerships for improved preparedness for foot and mouth disease. Jennifer is currently a senior lecturer in epidemiology and ruminant health. She is interested in the role of sociopsychological factors in decision making by animal owners, vets and other stakeholders in the biosecurity and animal health arena, and how vets can be better prepared for challenging conversations with clients with divergent views. Jennifer has undertaken a Master of Teaching to extend and challenge her teaching approaches. She is a firm believer in the constructivist pedagogy approach to teaching and learning and is driven to derive assessments of teaching and learning that support continuous learning. She has implemented interactive orals into two subjects within the veterinary course as a way of reflecting the desired graduate outcomes of this course and encouraging the use of assessments for learning. Jennifer is particularity interested in using an understanding of psychology to better prepare vets for the challenging conversations and relationship that come with private practice, to support longevity and health of veterinary practitioners. Jennifer’s interests include the human side of veterinary science, how and why decisions are made regarding animal health and disease, and how vets can support animal owners, producers and other stakeholders in this arena. Her projects include supporting small holder pig producers in Viet Nam in their preparedness for African swine fever, understanding the challenges faced by Australian producers and the traceability system, in particular the undocumented movement of animals, and the systemic barriers to reporting animal movements and diseases. She has also worked with boat owners, looking at marine biosecurity within the NSW waterways and grape growers in the Riverina. Her passion is to bring a deeper and practical understanding of veterinary humanity and using this to inform development of policy and training for biosecurity and animal/human health.
Biosecurity and epidemiology
Dr Jennifer Manyweather
Senior Lecturer in Ruminant Health and Epidemiology
Wagga Wagga
Building 229 Room 225