Emma Weatherford

Royal Veterinary College Postgraduate Award, Royal Veterinary College - Public Health

I recently graduated from Baylor University, in Waco, TX. What do screen doors have to do with fighting malaria? Why should doctors care about the health of crows? While such issues may seem unconnected, they are in fact tightly linked: screen doors prevent mosquitos from entering homes, while West Nile virus fatalities among crows can signal coming outbreaks among humans. As an aspiring doctor, I am fascinated by these connections. Furthermore, I am motivated by the inequalities that they often produce in human populations. As an aspiring doctor, I hope one day to mitigate such inequalities by providing health care in an underserved area in the United States. Through the Fulbright award, I will prepare for a career in medicine by studying One Health at the Royal Veterinary College and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In the One Health program, I will study human, animal, and environmental health, learning how these fields intersect in the context of infectious diseases. Upon arriving in London, I am excited to plunge into British life and to share the culture of Texas with my new neighbours. I especially look forward to seeing the Royal Ballet and visiting the site of the Broad Street pump.