Leo Foyle

I am a veterinarian currently registered with the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (UK).

My professional background is in mixed and aquaculture veterinary practice in Ireland and the UK. I have always had a love for the sea, and prior to becoming a veterinarian, I obtained a certificate in science in aquaculture, and after a few years in veterinary practice, I completed my Masters in Science with distinction in Aquatic Veterinary Studies from the Institute of Aquaculture in Stirling University, Scotland. This was followed by a position in the newly founded Vet-Aqua International practice in the West of Ireland providing veterinary services to clients in Scotland, and across the country. I first sat on the Irish Fish and Shellfish Health Advisory Committee during this period. In 2004, I was asked to join the Department of Veterinary Pathology in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in University College Dublin. In addition, I was also the  veterinarian in the Department of Marine's Fish Health Unit, part of the Marine Institute. In addition to undergraduate veterinary pathology teaching and Faculty roles, I provided all of the national government aquatic veterinary services in fin-fish surveillance, disease investigation, media enquiries, and Department staff training. I continued to sit on the IFSHAC and the newly formed Tri-Partite Working Group on Pancreas Disease (with Norway and Scotland). I commenced auditing at EU Community and National Reference Laboratory level as a technical expert for test compliance to ISO 17025:2005. When we moved to the UK, I continued my interest in production animal pathology and I joined the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in the UK. The role had a heavy pathology and necropsy focus, involving investigation of farm and zoo animal diseases, but also investigation of emerging disease outbreaks, public health advisory visits to farms, open farms, agricultural colleges and schools following isolation of zoonotic agents in the environment or in people, and providing evidence for welfare cases. During this period, I continued auditing at European and National Reference Laboratory levels. In 2010, we made the exciting move to Australia to help develop the new veterinary science program at JCU.  Initially asked to become involved in pathology and aquaculture, my main job was to develop veterinary public health (VPH) within the current Discipline of Veterinary Sciences (or School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences as it was then).

My teaching role within the veterinary discipline focuses on leading, creating and delivering the core unit of veterinary public health across all 5 undergraduate years as well as creating and delivering the Master's Subject in Veterinary Public Health when offered. I have constructed the VPH course on my own, that has complied with, and surpassed scrutiny in multiple accreditation visits from the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. My interests lie in preventative medicine, sustainable farm animal production systems, and hygiene and safety of foods of animal origin. Key to these interests, are food security, environmental health, subsistence farming, production animal disease, welfare at slaughter, zoonoses and biosecurity, and central to this is a genuine One Health perspective. My aim is to enshrine within our veterinary clinicians, recognition of the inherently inter-related nature of health and welfare, and the role of the veterinarian in social well-being not just in animal therapy and welfare.

Since completing a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching I have become more involved in interactive learning within VPH, co-authoring the Australian Abattoir Learning Resource, and being awarded JCU Teaching Citation and an Australian Veterinary Association VERA teaching award. More recently, I have taken on a second main teaching role, leading, creating and delivering an undergraduate aquatic veterinary studies unit spanning first, third and final years of the veterinary program. Recognising the global importance of aquaculture and the growing need for veterinary involvement, the AVS unit introduces students to aquaculture from a pre-clinical, husbandry perspective before moving on to the clinical veterinary role. In what we believe to be an Australia-first exercise, the unit includes recoverable surgery on fish to give each final year student experience in transferring and applying their surgical skills to anaesthetise and recover fish. To further my knowledge and make my teaching content more relevant and up-to-date, I am a triple Member of the Australia and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Epidemiology, Veterinary Public Health and Medicine and Management of Aquaculture Species. I have variously been Examiner, Head Subject Examiner and Chair of the Subject Standards Committee in MMAS and VPH Chapters.

In addition to teaching responsibilities, I have been the academic advisor for the undergraduate program since 2012. The position involves providing pastoral care to students in all years, helping them overcome significant challenges in their lives, both personal and academic, and has been an important part of managing issues as they arise in real-time. While demanding and taxing at times, it has been rewarding to see students overcome adversity, respond to advice, change direction and achieve success. The value of timely intervention, appropriate advice and empathy cannot be underestimated when students are struggling. In parallel, I have been an equity contact officer for over 6 years, providing advice to staff and students on such matters as discrimination, bullying and harassment. For a decade I provided academic oversight and leadership of our pre-clinical extra-mural placements unit. 

I also lead a team of eight academics in my role as Academic Head of Animal Health and Production. My priority is to promote team work and a sense of appreciation, my intent is to facilitate their productivity so they can feel valued with a sense of worth, while meeting the changing needs of our students and profession, and the goals of the Discipline and University.