Parasites and Pets

Hany Elsheikha is a Professor and Personal Chair of Interdisciplinary Parasitology at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham. He is also the head of the European Scientific Counsel of Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP) for the UK and Ireland and is a diplomate of the European Veterinary Parasitology College (EVPC). Additionally, he is a Fellow of the Advance Higher Education. From 2014 to 2015, he was the inaugural Specialty Chief Editor of Parasitology for Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

Since joining the University of Nottingham in 2007, Prof. Elsheikha has played a pivotal role in establishing the veterinary parasitology curriculum. His scientific work spans multiple disciplines, combining parasitology, molecular biology, evolutionary biology, and drug discovery, with a focus on how parasites alter host signaling pathways for potential therapeutic benefits. He has authored over 300 research and professional articles on parasite pathobiology and control, holds one U.S. patent, and has written or edited seven books. His ongoing research includes host-parasite interactions, anti-parasitic drug discovery, and understanding parasites with public health impacts.

Prof. Elsheikha's career reflects his dedication to the practical application of his research. For instance, he has developed innovative methods for managing livestock parasitic infections and improving preventive health strategies for companion animals. He regularly contributes to clinical guidelines and innovative solutions to parasite control, including in high-profile veterinary events like the London Vet Show (ORCID) (ESCCAP) (Vet Times). He also serves as an expert reviewer for several national and international journals and funding agencies.

Prof. Elsheikha earned his PhD in Molecular and Evolutionary Parasitology from Michigan State University, where he studied the genetic population structure of Sarcocystis neurona, a protozoan responsible for equine protozoal myeloencephalitis in the Americas. He later received a prestigious Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ian is a practising Veterinary surgeon and co-owner of the Mount Veterinary Practice in Fleetwood. He has a Master's degree in Veterinary Parasitology, is head of the European Scientific Counsel of Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP) UK & Ireland and guideline director for ESCCAP Europe. Ian is regularly published in peer review journals, an editorial board member for the Companion animal journal as well as peer reviewing for journals such as JSAP, Companion animal and Veterinary Parasitology. He continues to carry out research in practice including work on intestinal nematodes and tick borne diseases. John completed his PhD on fly population dynamics in 1992 at the Liverpool school of Tropical Medicine where he worked for 28 years, completing numerous projects in Africa, before moving to the school of Veterinary Science in 2008. Research interests are the biology and control of parasitic arthropods - principally flies, ticks and mites - as agents of skin infestations and vectors of disease and John is the author of some 60 publications, he has more recent interests in parasitic lungworms of companion animals, zoonotic helminths of wildlife and in forensic entomology, a pathology-related veterinary specialism unique to the Liverpool School of Veterinary Science.