ProfessorMerran Govendir

Merran Govendir is Professor of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics 

BVSc (Hons I), PhD, Diplomate of European College of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology [DECVPT], MANZCVSc (Veterinary Pharmacology; & Medicine of Cats), MEd(Higher Education), FHERDSA

Professor Merran Govendir teaches veterinary pharmacology and toxicology to Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students at the Sydney School of Veterinary Science (SSVS) of The University of Sydney. She teaches the basics of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics so that her students know how to safely administer medicines to their animal patients. Her teaching uses many 'real world' examples, many of which come from her pharmacological research projects.

Professor Govendir runs the SSVS Veterinary Pharmacology Laboratory. This is the only laboratory in Australasia that develops and validates drug assays to measure medicine concentrations in the biological tissues of animals. She also conducts research in antimicrobial susceptibility testing and promotes and teaches antimicrobial stewardship.

Current research projects include investigating the pharmacokinetic profiles of several non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in various species to improve dosages so that they have a better therapeutic effect. Professor Govendir and her team are well known for their work to improve the efficacy of medicines for koalas and many other domesticated and non-domesticated species. She has been primary supervisor for eleven completed PhD candidates and four completed research master’s students. She is currently supervising two PhD candidatures and numerous DVM students' research projects.

She has numerous research collaborations with SSVS colleagues and has external collaborations with many Australian wildlife hospitals and zoos. She is a current member of The University of Sydney Animal Ethics Committee and is one of the 13 voting members of the CLSI Veterinary Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Subcommittee (VAST).