Richard Newton
After several years as a veterinary surgeon working in general mixed practice, in 1994 Richard joined the Animal Health Trust (AHT), based near Newmarket, Suffolk. At the AHT, as well as gaining an MSc, PhD and FRCVS, he acquired a breadth of experience in the epidemiology, surveillance and control of a range of equine infectious diseases, including influenza, strangles and equine herpesvirus. Richard was the Director of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance and Acting Director of Research at the time the AHT permanently closed in July 2020; his team were immediately retained by the UK Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry at the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). Having established Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance (EIDS) as a new initiative at the BHA, the EIDS team transferred to Cambridge Vet School in November 2021, still providing global disease surveillance and advice on disease prevention strategies and management of outbreaks. Richard has been principal investigator or co-applicant on many project grants, including PhD studentships linked to non-infectious as well as infectious equine health and welfare topics, including equine grass sickness and laminitis. He continues to sit on several equine industry advisory committees including the veterinary committees of both the BHA and the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (TBA), the Horserace Betting Levy Board’s (HBLB) Codes of Practice sub-committee, the UK Equine Disease Coalition, and the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Veterinary Epidemiology Working Group.