Joseph Clarke

I have a deep personal and intellectual interest in the interconnection between human, environmental and animal health. This has underpinned my veterinary ambition and now this exciting refocussing of my career. I have long sought to extend my compassion from animals to people, their communities and the natural systems on which humanity depends.

I seek transdisciplinary collaboration in planetary health research and advocacy, working for solutions which empower communities and decision makers and ensure their equitable and ethical participation in these areas. I am learning Mandarin and I travel extensively to China and Southeast Asia, where I hope to focus on its response to the health challenges posed by the rapid urbanisation and increasing income gap, with a view to developing lessons for other countries undergoing the health transition. I am also interested in infectious disease control and disaster risk reduction programmes, hoping to learn from the pandemic response and preparedness of China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Singapore.

I leave the veterinary profession enriched with knowledge and extensive experience in a diverse range of disciplines, including health and disease across species, public support for immunisation programmes and challenging disinformation, food safety, intensive livestock rearing, antimicrobial resistance and quality of life indices. This transferable skillset can translate well into an impactful career in epidemiology. Crucially, my resilience, professionalism, critical thinking and public communication skills are essential to thrive in such challenging and dynamic fields as global & planetary health.