Peter Atkinson

Peter Atkinson

School of Animal and Veterinary Science

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Since graduation as a DVM from the University of Adelaide, I spent time in primary opinion veterinary practice. A high-paced clinical environment was stimulating for me and allowed me to hone my technical skills. However, after 2 years I decided I wanted to take a more academic view of the world, and commenced a PhD program through the University of Adelaide.

My research focuses on veterinary epidemiology. In this vast field, we try and tackle the "why" and the "how" behind disease occurrence in populations, how to improve productivity, welfare and economics for animal producers, assist pet owners with making evidence-based decisions about the care of their pet, and finally, to inform stakeholders about options to best achieve their goals of animal ownership. We use an analytical approach to find and report the best evidence-base for clinical decision making to improve population health. Finally, we consider how our actions as veterinarians affect public health, food security and developing countries.

Research Interests

 - Veterinary epidemiology

 - Farm productivity and diseases of production

 - Companion animal infectious disease

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2024 - ongoing Associate Lecturer University of Adelaide
    2022 - 2024 Teaching assistant, Veterinary Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Medicine University of Adelaide
    2022 - 2023 Teaching assistant, Veterinary Professional Skills University of Adelaide

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2019 University of Adelaide Australia Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
    2016 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Science (Veterinary-Bioscience)

  • Postgraduate Training
    Date Title Institution Country
    2023 Advanced R Shiny Masterclass Epi Interactive New Zealand
    2023 MANZCVS (Epidemiology) Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists Australia
    Diagnostic Test Assessment author training Cochrane Collaboration United Kingdom
    Introduction to practical disease modelling ISVEE Australia
    Bayesian latent class models for prevalence estimation and diagnostic test evaluaiton when there is no gold standard ISVEE Australia

  • Research Interests
    Food Science Public Health Veterinary Epidemiology Veterinary Sciences

  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2025 Atkinson, P. J., O'Handley, R., Nielsen, T., & Caraguel, C. G. B. (2025). Heterogeneous distribution of the reported prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis infections in Australian canids – A systematic review and meta-analysis. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 237, 9 pages.
    DOI
    2024 Atkinson, P. J., Stevenson, M., O'Handley, R., Nielsen, T., & Caraguel, C. G. B. (2024). Temperature-bounded development of Dirofilaria immitis larvae restricts the geographical distribution and seasonality of its transmission: case study and decision support system for canine heartworm management in Australia.. International journal for parasitology, 54(6), 311-319.
    DOI Scopus5 Europe PMC3
    2024 Atkinson, P. J., Stevenson, M., O'Handley, R., Nielsen, T., & Caraguel, C. (2024). 'Transmission Tracker - Dirofilaria'- a public dashboard to assess in real-time the temperature-bounded transmissibility of canine heartworm across Australia.. Aust Vet J, 102(12), 626-629.
    DOI Europe PMC1
    2023 Atkinson, P. J., O'Handley, R., Nielsen, T., & Caraguel, C. G. (2023). Relative diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care tests to rule-in Dirofilaria immitis infection in clinically suspect dogs: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 217, 105970-1-105970-11.
    DOI Scopus1
    2019 Elzahaby, D., Atkinson, P., Dunn, A., Trott, D., Norris, J., & Tisdall, P. (2019). Treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius surgical site infection with linezolid in a Great Dane. Australian Veterinary Practitioner, 50(1), 17-22.

  • Internet Publications
    Year Citation
    2023 Atkinson, P. (2023). Transmission Tracker - Dirofilaria.

  • Datasets
    Year Citation
    - Atkinson, P. (n.d.). Canine_heartworm_POCtest_raw.
    DOI

2024 School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Travel Grant

2023 School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Seed Grant

2023 DR Stranks Travelling Fellowship

2023 Adelaide Graduate Research School Travel Grant

2022 School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Seed Grant

Course coordinator, VET SC 3516RW - Veterinary Epidemiology & Evidence-Based Medicine III

Tutor, VET SC 3516RW - Veterinary Epidemiology & Evidence-Based Medicine III

Tutor, VET SC 7001RW - DVM Professional Skills

Tutor, VET SC 2500RW - Professional Skills in Veterinary Bioscience II

  • Other Supervision Activities
    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2022 - ongoing Co-Supervisor Feline immunodeficiency virus point-of-care test accuracy University of Adelaide Summer research scholar Other Full Time Jiawei Lei

  • Memberships
    Date Role Membership Country
    2023 - ongoing Member Australian College of Veterinary Scientists Australia

  • Presentation
    Date Topic Presented at Institution Country
    2024 - ongoing Is climate changing the landscape of canine heartworm risk globally? - International Symposium on Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics -
    2023 - ongoing Temperature-directed prevention of canine heartworm - CSIRO -
    2023 - ongoing Temperature-directed prevention of canine heartworm in a changing climate Australian Veterinary Association Annual Conference 2023 Australian Veterinary Association Australia
Connect With Me
External Profiles