Our Team
Pathologists
Director VPDS
Associate Professor Damien Higgins,
BVSc MVetStud PhD
A/ Prof Higgins is Director of VPDS, and has over 17 years of experience in wildlife disease investigation, general pathology and molecular diagnostics.
Specialist veterinary anatomical pathologists
Dr Marina Gimeno, Unit Head, Camden Laboratory
DVM, MVSc, PhD, DipACVP
Dr. Gimeno has over 10 years of experience in pathology in Europe and South America and completed her combined pathology residency and PhD program at the University of Zaragoza in Spain.
Professor Mark Krockenberger
BSc(vet) BVSc PhD FANZCVS
A/ Prof Krockenberger is a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists, has over 16 years of experience in diagnostic pathology, and is author of more than 100 peer-reviewed journal publications.
Dr Shannon Donahoe
DVM PhD DipACVP
Dr Donahoe completed residencies at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and University of Illinois Zoological Pathology Program. She recently completed a PhD at the University of Sydney and is now employed by VPDS as a specialist anatomical pathologist.
Veterinary pathologists
Dr Neil Horadagoda BVSc PhD MANZCVS
Dr Horadagoda has a PhD in veterinary clinical pathology from the University of Liverpool and is a member of the Pathobiology Chapter of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists. He is an experienced clinical pathologist.
Dr Rachael Gray BVSc(Hons) PhD
Dr Gray has a PhD in the clinical and anatomical pathology of leopard seals, teaches veterinary clinical pathology to veterinary students, and utilises this valuable expertise in diagnostic pathology with the VPDS team.
Infectious disease specialists
Professor Jacqui Norris, Microbiology
Professor Jan Slapeta, Parasitology
Dr Gary Muscatello,
Technical staff
George Tsoukalas, Technical Manager and Clinical Pathology
Elaine Chew, Senior Technical Officer, Histopathology
Karen Barnes, Senior Technical Officer, Histopathology
Andrew Fortis, Technical Officer, Histopathology
Christine Black, Technical Officer, Clinical Pathology
Maira Meggiolaro, Technical Officer, Molecular Diagnostics
Fernanda Castro de Medeiros, Technical Officer, Veterinary Clinical Microbiology
Associates
Paul Canfield
Chris Lau
David Griffin
Derek Spielman