Preventing disease to produce healthy animals is what motivates Charles Sturt University (CSU) student Ms Cara Wilson, who will be honoured this week for her early career research.

The National Council of Women of NSW will present Ms Wilson with an Australia Day Award to further her postgraduate studies during a luncheon at Parliament House in Sydney on Wednesday 24 January.

The award sponsored by the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts (SMSA) recognises her leadership and achievement in the study of veterinary epidemiology.

“I grew up on a 16 hectare property surrounded by horses and a few head of cattle and I have always been interested in animal health and agriculture,” Ms Wilson said.

“The empowerment of women is a dominent theme in the agricultural sector at present. We play a key role in the industry so I am honoured to receive this award.”

Originally from Mudgee in Central West NSW, Ms Wilson’s research through the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation is investigating the impact of the hydatid tapeworm on the beef industry.

“Hydatid disease is rarely fatal in livestock but infected organs identified at slaughter are either thrown out or downgraded to pet food causing financial loss,” Ms Wilson said.

“My research is investigating the financial impact of the disease on the industry and the risk factors associated with the infection in beef cattle to enable the industry to target control strategies.”

In 2017, Ms Wilson won a scholarship to attend the Crawford Fund annual conference and also represented CSU at the Asia-Pacific Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition. Read more in CSU News here.