Personal profile: Dr Gavin Thomson
Qualifications:
BVSc, University of Pretoria, 1966
MSc (Immunology), University of Birmingham, 1970
PhD, University of London, 1978

Brief biography

Gavin is a virologist with extensive research experience in the diagnosis and control of a wide range of diseases with particular specialization in foot and mouth disease (FMD) and African swine fever (ASF). An up-to-date publication record substantiates this body of work. He was the director of two major research institutes of the Agricultural Research Council in South Africa over a period of 12 years (1988-2000). More recently, Gavin has been employed by the FAO (Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN: 2000-2004) and seconded to a European Union-funded programme (PACE – Pan-African Programme for the Control of Epizootics) devoted to developing surveillance and control systems for a range of transboundary animal diseases, particularly rinderpest, across 32 countries of Eastern, Western and Central Africa. This programme operates under the auspices of the African Union’s Inter-African Bureau of Animal Resources. Presently, as for the past 11 years, Gavin serves as an elected member of the Scientific Commission (formerly the Foot and Mouth and Other Epizootics Commission) of the OIE. For three years (2000-2003) he served as the President of the Commission. This has required involvement in a wide range of international animal health issues and assessment of the status of OIE-member countries applying for recognition of freedom from rinderpest, FMD, contagious bovine pleuro-pneumonia (CBPP) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). A particular recent activity has been development of the “commodity-based trade” system by which developing countries can improve access to international livestock commodity markets. He is currently addressing the problem of ensuring credible certification systems to support expanded international trade in animal commodities. For six months in 2000 Gavin was appointed to the Board of Onderstepoort Biological Products Ltd., the largest manufacturer of animal vaccines in Africa. He resigned from this position in order to take up the appointment of Main Epidemiologist to the PACE Programme in Nairobi.
 
Personal profile: Dr Mary-Louise Penrith
Qualifications:
Bachelor of Science, University of Cape Town, 1961
Bachelor of Sciences (Hons, First Class, Zoology), University of Cape Town, 1962
Doctor of Philosophy (Zoology), University of Cape Town, 1965
Doctor of Science (Entonology), University of Pretoria, 1980
Bachelor of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, 1991
Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons), University of Pretoria, 1994

Brief Biography:

After 23 years in zoological research, Mary-Louise was able to realise a lifelong ambition to study veterinary science after a move to Pretoria. She joined the Pathology Section of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute after graduation and developed a special interest in pig diseases, but gained wide experience in the diagnosis and management of diseases, with particular reference to diseases of cattle, small ruminants, farmed ostriches and crocodiles, as well as in captive reptiles and other exotics owing to a personal interest in the diseases of zoo animals. Since 1995, Mary-Louise has performed expert consultancies for the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on the epidemiology and control of African swine fever in 7 African countries, including training local veterinary staff and pig farmers in field diagnosis, laboratory sampling, and prevention and control of African swine fever. She has gained wide experience in pig production systems in developing countries, complemented by her experience of disease management in the commercial pig industry in South Africa. In 1998 Mary-Louise was invited to initiate and manage a programme at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute with a focus on assisting developing farmers in the livestock sector. The programme generated a wide range of multi-media information material to assist field veterinary staff, extension officers, and developing farmers in the recognition and management of animal diseases in cattle, small ruminants, pigs, and poultry, as well as identifying and managing research projects aimed at solving problems in the small-scale livestock farming sector. Mary-Louise has been contracted under the ProAgri Family Sector Livestock Development Programme in Mozambique as Laboratory Management Advisor to the veterinary research institute, with the emphasis on establishing a quality management system at the central veterinary laboratory and improving the service of the 9 provincial laboratories. Previous experience in this field includes a feasibility study for the establishment of a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Madagascar in 1997 and coordination of the diagnostic programme at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute from 2000 to 2002. During her scientific career Mary-Louise has edited three scientific journals of international standing and is the author of over 80 scientific publications. In addition to English and Afrikaans, Mary-Louise is fluent in Portuguese, can communicate confidently in French, and has a working knowledge of German.