Neil Duncan works for the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Section of Pathology. He has a special interest in Pigs and Poultry, and visited the Department of Pathology at UAB in Barcelona in May 2016.
“Attending and taking part in the Pathology rotation was great as pigs made up a large proportion of their necropsy material – which is not the case in South Africa – we do not get exposure to enough porcine cases in our Path clinics. I also enjoyed taking part in the post graduate sessions with students training up for the ECVP. The students were keen and knowledgeable, which made the discussions a worthwhile learning experience. A staff member from the UAB will be visiting us next year for a month during which he will assist us in our IHC lab as well as with pre and post grad training.
I would encourage all staff members to take advantage of mobility schemes; it is only by visiting, exploring and taking part in another Faculty’s day-to-day life that one can get a better overall feel and understanding of your own area of work/expertise/interest.
You also get the chance to meet people from different backgrounds but with the same love of the subject. You are exposed to different viewpoints based on everything from geographic locality to politics – it’s great.
Do not forget it also allows you to experience other cultures, history, architecture and culinary delights”.