About

About UCD CVERA

Overview

The UCD Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis (UCD CVERA) is the national resource centre for veterinary epidemiology in Ireland, located within the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine at University College Dublin. The Centre was initially established as the Tuberculosis Investigation Unit, but in recent years has broadened its remit to cover a wide range of international, national and local animal health matters, including:

• Epidemiological support for the control and eradication of regulatory animal diseases, which includes national programmes for bovine tuberculosis, bovine brucellosis and bovine spongiform encephalopathy;

• Epidemiological support for a broad range of other animal health and welfare issues relating to emergency animal disease preparedness and response (for example, avian influenza, bluetongue and equine infectious anaemia), on-farm investigations, welfare of farmed livestock and horses, health of companion animals and farmed fish, and international collaboration; and

• Work in support of Animal Health Ireland, which is seeking to provide a proactive, coordinated and industry-led approach in Ireland to non-regulatory animal health concerns (such as mastitis, fertility and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis).

UCD CVERA staff work closely with national policy-makers, both in government and industry. In collaboration with staff from the UCD College of Health and Agricultural Science, UCD CVERA staff also contribute to on-farm animal health investigations throughout Ireland. A broad range of expertise is represented within the Centre, including epidemiology, database development and management, geographic information systems, statistics, veterinary medicine and agriculture & animal sciences. The Centre is staffed by employees of University College Dublin and of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

Governance

A UCD CVERA Board of Management has been in place since early 2018, comprising an independent chair, senior management from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the CVERA Director and a senior CVERA staff member. The Board will oversee the strategic direction of CVERA, including prioritising areas of research.

Staff

The Centre is staffed by UCD and DAFM employees, and provides scientific services in support of a wide number of stakeholders working in animal health & welfare and public health. Professor Conor McAloon is the Chair of UCD CVERA and the Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology & Risk Analysis in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine.

Conor McAloon (UCD) – Veterinary Epidemiologist / Chair ((opens in a new window)profile)
Miriam Casey (UCD) – Veterinary epidemiologist ((opens in a new window)profile)
Daniel Collins (UCD) – Office manager/research assistant ((opens in a new window)profile)
Nicola Harvey (UCD and DAFM) - Veterinary epidemiologist
Jamie Madden (UCD) - Biostatistician
Guy McGrath (UCD) – GIS analyst ((opens in a new window)profile)
Caroline Ryan (UCD) - Risk Assessor
Jamie Tratalos (UCD) – Data and GIS analyst