Hume Field

My professional focus is infectious disease emergence from wildlife, and associated threats to veterinary and public health. I have an extensive research background in the field of emerging zoonoses associated with bats, and played a key role in their identification as the natural reservoir of henipaviruses in Australia and southeast Asia, SARS coronaviruses in China, and Reston ebolaviruses in The Philippines.

I have background and experience in both government and university sectors, with roles including Principal Scientist for the Queensland Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Research Program Coordinator with the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, and Visiting Professor of Zoonoses at the University of Malaysia, Sarawak. I'm currently an Honorary Professor in the School of Veterinary Science at The University of Queensland.

In addition, I am Director and Principal of Jeppesen Field P/L, a consultancy that provides emerging disease and environmental health expertise to industry and governments in Australia, Southeast Asia and China. Internationally, I work with the US-based EcoHealth Alliance (http://www.ecohealthalliance.org), an NGO focused on wildlife, livestock and human health, as Science and Policy Advisor for Southeast Asia and China.