Meet Dr Alexandra (Ali) Green

Postdoctoral Researcher

Can you please tell us a bit about your work?

I have been a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, at The University of Sydney since 2020. My research primarily involves veterinary biostatistics, and I love being able to break down complex datasets to solve animal-related research problems using clinical, field, survey, veterinary practice, and production data. In addition to my role in APCOVE, I am working on a project for Meat and Livestock Australia looking at pinkeye in Australian cattle. To date, the team and I have explored the risk factors associated with pinkeye, farmer perceptions and treatment practices, money spent on pinkeye and impact of pinkeye on farm productivity and welfare.  

I also lecture and tutor in veterinary biostatistics to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students and assist with many research projects associated with Vetcompass Australia data. I have a background in the animal sciences, having completed an undergraduate degree in Animal and Veterinary BioScience in 2015, and then a PhD in Veterinary Science from 2016 to 2020. My previous research experience was in animal behaviour and welfare science, and during my PhD, I analysed the vocalisations of cattle as a non-invasive indicator of their welfare state. I am extremely interested in applying the One Health and One Welfare approaches synergistically to the betterment of animals, humans, and the environment.  

What is your involvement in APCOVE?

I joined the APCOVE project in 2021. My main responsibility has been coordinating the development and release of 36 e-learning modules on various competencies in veterinary epidemiology. In this role, I liaised with the module development teams, managing their time and tasks. We would have regular meetings to discuss the content and storyboarding of the modules in the rise.com platform, and I would contact them weekly to remind them of impending due dates. I was also a member of the APCOVE E-learning Committee which oversaw any e-learning related issues. 

I was also fortunate enough to co-develop three modules on data analysis and for this I recorded 18 short videos for the learners to watch on various topics, including use of Microsoft Excel®, data cleaning and organisation, and descriptive analysis. Due to my involvement with the modules, I have been asked to present an oral presentation at the 2022 ISVEE conference in Canada later this year describing the module development process. I am really looking forward to this! In addition to the modules, I assist the APCOVE team with analysis of data collected during stakeholder consultations and have mentored some country partners and consortium members in statistical analysis techniques using R.  

Why are you passionate about the work in APCOVE?

It has been extremely exciting to witness the successful release of the e-learning modules to the APCOVE training program candidates. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and highlights the need for asynchronous educational materials on veterinary epidemiology for field veterinarians in the Asia-Pacific. I am also keen to see through the release of the modules to the wider community later this year, as the knowledge gained on the basics of epidemiology, outbreak investigation, surveillance and data analysis, risk analysis, One Health and biosecurity, and leadership and communication are invaluable to all.