Associate Professor Dr Andrew Peters from Charles Stuart University was the recipient of the 2021 Barry L. Munday Award. Andrew was nominated by Dr Scott Carver from the University of Tasmania and this nomination was strongly supported by the WDAA Executive.

Andrew graduated as a veterinarian in 2004 from the University of Sydney, working firstly in mixed practice on the north coast of NSW and then at a bird, reptile and wildlife focused practice in Sydney. Andrew became a Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in 2008, specialising in Avian Health. In 2009 he left practice to focus on research, doing a PhD at Charles Sturt University with Professor Shane Raidal, which he completed in 2013.

During his PhD he spent four years catching wild migratory birds, living in remote parts of northern Australia and Papua New Guinea and doing phylogenetic analyses in the lab in order to examine the relationship between people, the diverse native pigeon species of Australasia and a particular group of single-celled parasites, the Trichomonas.

Andrew has become part of the woodwork at CSU, establishing himself as a leading researcher in wildlife heath. He has continued his focus on protistology and pathology, especially of wild birds. Andrew’s projects include studies on the evolution of Trichomonas in columbids, beak and feather disease virus in critically endangered parrots, trypanosomes as a threat to Australasian rodents, the impact of invasive toxic plants on wild herbivores, new approaches to wildlife health surveillance, the impacts of bushfire smoke on wildlife health, and he carries out other diagnostic investigations into wildlife diseases.

More broadly, Andrew’s research interests encompass wildlife population health, evolutionary biology of pathogens and host-pathogen dynamics. His work attempts to understand the origin of infectious organisms and their dynamics in natural systems and subsequently the relative significance of emerging disease in conservation, and how to establish wildlife heath management programs.

Andrew is interested in capacity building in wildlife health in Australia and Papua New Guinea and has carried out research and training programs in PNG since 2009. He is a leader within the wildlife health scientific community institutionally, in Australia and internationally. This leadership is illustrated by significant roles within WDAA, including being Chair 2017-19, being on the Management Committee Member of Wildlife Health Australia (2014-19/20), being the Vice President of WDA (2019-21) and now the current President of WDA. One of Andrew’s greatest leadership strengths is his capacity for vision and bringing others along in the journey. This is illustrated by the genesis of the Mission, Vision and Values statements for WDAA and WDA, bringing together the views of the WDA membership to shape the direction of the organisation, and initiating the push for an Australian Wildlife Health Institute.

It is with great pleasure that WDAA gives Andrew Peters the Barry L. Munday award, as an Australasian section member who has made significant contributions to the section over the last five years, and also much more.

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