My passion for understanding health and metabolism wasn't always confined to clinical practice. During my Junior Clinical Training Scholarship at the University of Bristol (2015-2016), a spark ignited. I had the incredible opportunity to meet Dr Natalie Finch and begin a retrospective study investigating calcitonin response in cats with hypercalcaemia. 

Driven by curiosity, I expanded the study to include prospectively recruited cats.  To analyse the increased number of samples, I secured funding through the Langford Vets clinical research fund (£1,500) for our collaborator at University of Córdoba, Dr. Carmen Pineda, to use.  Furthermore, an Alumni Foundation Travel Grant (£500) allowed me to present my research abstract at the British Small Animal Veterinary Congress in 2016.  This initial research venture, currently pending publication, laid the foundation for my ongoing research journey.

Building on this momentum, I embarked on a dedicated research path. In 2018, I was awarded the Zoetis Feline Scholarship, which allowed me to become a part of the Bristol Cat Study and pursue a part-time research MSc on feline degenerative joint disease under the supervision of Dr Emily Blackwell, Dr Jo Murrell and Professor Sorrel Langley-Hobbs. This research journey was perfectly complemented by my clinical duties at the Feline Centre, where I also contributed to the publication of Feline Update. I also had the opportunity to form links with my industrial partner, Zoetis, which was overseen by Dr Louise Longstaff.

During these two years, I not only worked on my own research, but also supervised a student veterinary surgeon that had been awarded an INSPIRE Summer Studentship, as well as a student veterinary nurse during her undergraduate dissertation project with the Bristol Cats study. 

I co-authored two review articles on feline blood types and transfusions with Dr. Tasker and Dr. Maunder for the Feline Update. Additionally, I co-authored a review article on chronic kidney disease in cats and dogs with Dr. Finch. Most importantly, my MSc thesis titled "Risk factors, activity monitoring, and quality of life assessment in cats with early degenerative joint disease" was published in 2020. This success was followed by two publications in JFMS, the leading feline journal: "Do owner-reported changes in mobility reflect measures of activity, pain, and degenerative joint disease in cats?" in 2023, and "Associations between early neutering, obesity, outdoor access, trauma and feline degenerative joint disease" in 2021, which was one of the most read, cited and downloaded publications throughout that year. Currently, a further paper exploring the use of accelerometers to detect early degenerative joint disease in cats is being prepared.

My academic journey took a significant turn in 2020 with the award of a prestigious BBSRC-funded PhD studentship on the London Interdisciplinary Doctoral Programme (LIDo). This four-year program has provided exceptional mentorship from a distinguished team of supervisors. 

Leveraging my veterinary expertise, I expanded the scope of my PhD research to encompass canine studies alongside the existing human focus. My project, "Variability in the metabolomic response to exercise & recovery in humans & dogs," investigates the metabolic processes involved in recovery from exercise. It explores how these processes differ across different groups based on factors like age, sex (in humans), and breed (in dogs). A defining characteristic of my PhD journey has been fostering collaborations with multiple institutions, providing diverse experiences and expertise. This collaborative approach has significantly enhanced my organisational and communication skills, and my capacity to foster collaboration across research teams.

As I approach the culmination of my PhD journey, my passion for animal recovery remains unwavering. My future research will combine my veterinary expertise with research skills honed in human and canine studies, alongside the foundation laid by my MSc research on feline degenerative joint disease. This unique perspective positions me to bridge the gap between species and explore the fascinating intersection of exercise, recovery, and metabolic processes across the animal kingdom.