Vanessa Barrs
Dean, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and BOCHK Chair Professor of Veterinary Medicine, City University of Hong Kong.
BVSc(hons) PhD MVetClinStud FANZCVS (Feline Medicine)
Professor Vanessa Barrs is a registered specialist in feline medicine and is the Dean of Hong Kong’s first Veterinary School that was established in partnership with Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Before moving to Hong Kong, Vanessa worked at the University of Sydney for many years and was both Head of Small Animal Medicine and Director of their Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She is a past president of the Feline Chapter of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Sciences and of the International Society of Companion Animal Infectious Diseases. Vanessa is well known for her infectious diseases research, especially for her discovery of Aspergillus felis. She has published over 200 manuscripts and book chapters. Vanessa is passionate about the role of veterinarians in delivering better One-Health outcomes for animals (especially cats!), humans and the environment. She is an advocate for sustainability and owns two second-hand cats, Joey and Ginger Roger.