Associate Professor Rachael Gray
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Associate Professor Rachael Gray

PhD, BVSc (Hons), MVSc, rad Cert Ed Stud (Higher Education)
Senior Lecturer Veterinary Pathology  
Phone
+61 2 9351 2643
Address
B14 - Mcmaster Building
The University of Sydney
Associate Professor Rachael Gray

I completed my Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) at The University of Sydney in 1996 and worked in small animal veterinary practice for three years. I then undertook a PhD through The University of Sydney investigating aspects of health in leopard and Weddell seals in Eastern Antarctica. After the completion of my PhD in 2005, I commenced as a lecturer in Veterinary Anatomy at The University of Sydney. In 2010, in an effort to better align my teaching and research, I moved to teaching Veterinary Clinical Pathology. I completed a Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Higher Education) in 2006 at The University of Sydney.

I currently teach across multiple units in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and supervise a number of PhD, Master's and Honours students.

My main areas of research are health investigations of native animals with a focus on pinnipeds as well as eastern grey kangaroos and Little penguins. My research regularly takes me to many seal and sea lion colonies across Australia.

My main areas of research interest are health and disease investigations of seals and sea lions. Current investigations include:

  • Hookworm disease in Australian sea lions
  • Treatment trials for hookworm disease in Australian sea lions
  • Toxicant investigations in pinnipeds including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants
  • Comparative health studies in pinnipeds: Australian sea lions, NZ sea lions, Australian and long-nosed fur seals
  • Acute phase protein investigations (pinnipeds, domestic and captive felids)
  • E. coli prevalence and phylotyping in pinnipeds and Little penguins
  • Immunocompetence and sexual dimorphism in eastern grey kangaroos
  • Reference interval development for haematology and biochemistry (pinnipeds, domestic canines and felines)

Teaching: various units of study across the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with a focus onVeterinary Pathology - anatomic pathology and Veterinary Clinical Pathology including haematology and biochemistry, protein investigations, case based approach to clinical pathology teaching, urinalysis, endocrinology

Research Supervision

Current HDR Students:

Scott Lindsay: Investigations of reduced reproductive success in Australian sea lions due to hookworm disease and Toxoplasma gondii

Sarah Michael: Health investigations of NZ sea lions on Enderby island, Auckland Islands

Shannon Taylor: Toxicant investigations (heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants) in fur seals and sea lions

Mariel Fulham: Comparative E. coli prevalence and phylotype in pinnipeds in Australian waters

Maquel Brandimarti: Immunocompetence and sexual dimorphism in eastern grey kangaroos - investigations of health status

Lucinda Barton: Osteoarthritis in captive big cats

Anne Jordan: Stability of thyroid hormones in domestic cats

Maria Ignacia Meza Cerda: ummunology in Australian sea lion pups

Honours students (2019)

Bridget Webster: E. coli diversity in pinniped pups

DVM 3 Research Supervision (2019)

Four students working on a diverse range of topics including response to anaemia in Australian sea lions, development of haematology reference intervals in Australian fur seals, toxiciant investigations in long-nosed fur seals and reference interval development in domestic canines and felines

Service

My main areas of service include participation in the Diagnostic biopsy service for Veterinary Pathology Diagnostic Service; Category A member on an Animal Ethics Committee.

I have a number of current and ongoing projects which include:

  • Impact of hookworm disease in Australian and NZ pinnipeds
  • Impact of toxicants (heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants) on the health and immunocompetence of Australian pinnipeds
  • Toxoplasma gondii in Australian sea lions - impact on reproductive success?
  • E. coli and antimicrobial resistance in pinnipeds
  • Health in Little penguins
  • Immunocompetence and sexual dimorphism in eastern grey kangaroos
  • Stability of thyroid hormones in domestic cats
  • Acute phase proteins in pinnipeds and domestic felids
  • Development of laboratory reference interval development: domestic canines and felines

As of January 2019, I do not have any upcoming PhD or Master's projects available.

I am a member of the following associations:

  • Marine Mammal and Seabird Health Collaborative
  • Society of Marine Mammalogy
  • Wildlife Disease Association
  • Australian Marine Science Association
  • Australian Society of Veterinary Pathologists

I have active collaborations with researchers at Macquarie University, Massey University, Phillip Island Nature Parks, and the South Australian Research and Development Institute.

I serve as a Category A (Veterinarian) on an Animal Ethics Committee

2016 Faculty of Veterinary Science Highly Commended ‘In recognition of outstanding academic achievement in the field of pinniped health and disease status’

Publications

Book Chapters

  • Diaz, J., Fusaro, B., Vidal, V., Gonzalez-Acuna, D., Costa, E., Dewar, M., Gray, R., Power, M., Miller, G., Blyton, M., et al (2017). Macroparasites in Antarctic Penguins. In Sven Klimpel, Thomas Kuhn, Heinz Mehlhorn (Eds.), Biodiversity and Evolution of Parasitic Life in the Southern Ocean, (pp. 183-204). Cham: Springer. [More Information]
  • Gray, R., Rogers, T., Canfield, P. (2009). Health Assessment of the Leopard Seal, Hydrurga leptonyx, in Prydz Bay, Eastern Antarctica and NSW, Australia. In Knowles R. Kerry, Martin J Riddle (Eds.), Health of Antarctic Wildlife: A Challenge for Science and Policy, (pp. 167-192). Berlin: Springer. [More Information]
  • Barnes, J., Higgins, D., Gray, R. (2008). Pinnipeds. In Larry Vogelnest, Rupert Woods (Eds.), Medicine of Australian Mammals, (pp. 541-589). Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.

Journals

  • Tolpinrud, A., Dobson, E., Herbert, C., Gray, R., Stenos, J., Chaber, A., Devlin, J., Stevenson, M. (2024). Characterising Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) as Hosts of Coxiella burnetii. Microorganisms, 12(7). [More Information]
  • Cope, H., McArthur, C., Gray, R., Newsome, T., Dickman, C., Sriram, A., Haering, R., Herbert, C. (2024). Trends in Rescue and Rehabilitation of Marsupials Surviving the Australian 2019–2020 Bushfires. Animals, 14(7). [More Information]
  • Lindsay, S., Fulham, M., Caraguel, C., Gray, R. (2023). Mitigating disease risk in an endangered pinniped: early hookworm elimination optimizes the growth and health of Australian sea lion pups. Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

Conferences

  • Marcus, A., Higgins, D., Gray, R. (2013). Ivermectin treatment of free-ranging Australian sea lion pups: effect on hookworm infection status, pup growth and survival and haematological parameters. Wildlife Disease Association - Australasian Section Conference, n/a: N/A.
  • Marcus, A., Higgins, D., Gray, R. (2013). Prevalence and intensity of hookworm (Uncinaria sp.) infection in free-ranging Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) pups. Wildlife Disease Assoc, Australasia Conference, N/A: N/A.
  • Higgins, D., Lau, Q., Butcher, L., Gray, R. (2012). Use of immunophenotyping to assess the health of two vulnerable endemic Australian species: the koala (Phascolarctos cinerius) and the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea). 61st International conference of the Wildlife Disease Association, N/A: N/A.

2024

  • Tolpinrud, A., Dobson, E., Herbert, C., Gray, R., Stenos, J., Chaber, A., Devlin, J., Stevenson, M. (2024). Characterising Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) as Hosts of Coxiella burnetii. Microorganisms, 12(7). [More Information]
  • Cope, H., McArthur, C., Gray, R., Newsome, T., Dickman, C., Sriram, A., Haering, R., Herbert, C. (2024). Trends in Rescue and Rehabilitation of Marsupials Surviving the Australian 2019–2020 Bushfires. Animals, 14(7). [More Information]

2023

  • Lindsay, S., Fulham, M., Caraguel, C., Gray, R. (2023). Mitigating disease risk in an endangered pinniped: early hookworm elimination optimizes the growth and health of Australian sea lion pups. Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

2022

  • Cope, H., McArthur, C., Dickman, C., Newsome, T., Gray, R., Herbert, C. (2022). A systematic review of factors affecting wildlife survival during rehabilitation and release. PloS One, 17, e0265514. [More Information]
  • Fulham, M., McDougall, F., Power, M., McIntosh, R., Gray, R. (2022). Carriage of antibiotic resistant bacteria in endangered and declining Australian pinniped pups. PloS One, 17(1), Article number e0258978-1-Article number e0258978-16. [More Information]
  • Michael, S., Hayman, D., Gray, R., Roe, W. (2022). Clinical parameters of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae disease and ivermectin treatment in New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) pups. PloS One, 17(2023-03-03 00:00:00). [More Information]

2021

  • Lindsay, S., Gray, R. (2021). A novel presentation of tuberculosis with intestinal perforation in a free-ranging australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea). Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 57(1), 220-224. [More Information]
  • Jordan, A., Gray, R., Terkildsen, M., Krockenberger, M. (2021). Biological variation of total thyroxine (T4), free T4 and thyroid-stimulating hormone in 11 clinically healthy cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 23(6), 592-597. [More Information]
  • Hickey, M., Gray, R., Van Galen, G., Ward, M. (2021). Distribution of mortality patterns in cats with naturally occurring trauma: A Veterinary Committee on Trauma registry study. The Veterinary Journal, 278, 105765-1-105765-6. [More Information]

2020

  • Cerda, M., Gray, R., Higgins, D. (2020). Cytokine RT-qPCR and ddPCR for immunological investigations of the endangered Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) and other mammals. PeerJ, 8, e10306. [More Information]
  • Fulham, M., Power, M., Gray, R. (2020). Diversity and Distribution of Escherichia coli in Three Species of Free-Ranging Australian Pinniped Pups. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 571171-1-571171-11. [More Information]
  • Pulscher, L., Gray, R., McQuilty, R., Rose, K., Welbergen, J., Phalen, D. (2020). Investigation into the utility of flying foxes as bioindicators for environmental metal pollution reveals evidence of diminished lead but significant cadmium exposure. Chemosphere, 254, 1-9. [More Information]

2019

  • Michael, S., Hayman, D., Gray, R., Zhang, J., Rogers, L., Rose, W. (2019). Pup mortality in New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri) at Enderby Island, Auckland Islands, 2013-18. PloS One, 14(11), 1-23. [More Information]

2018

  • Fulham, M., Power, M., Gray, R. (2018). Comparative ecology of Escherichia coli in endangered Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) pups. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 62, 262-269. [More Information]
  • Taylor, S., Lynch, M., Terkildsen, M., Stevenson, G., Yates, A., Piro, N., de Araujo, J., Gray, R. (2018). Utility of fur as a biomarker for persistent organic pollutants in Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus). Science of the Total Environment, 610-611, 1310-1320. [More Information]

2017

  • Diaz, J., Fusaro, B., Vidal, V., Gonzalez-Acuna, D., Costa, E., Dewar, M., Gray, R., Power, M., Miller, G., Blyton, M., et al (2017). Macroparasites in Antarctic Penguins. In Sven Klimpel, Thomas Kuhn, Heinz Mehlhorn (Eds.), Biodiversity and Evolution of Parasitic Life in the Southern Ocean, (pp. 183-204). Cham: Springer. [More Information]

2016

  • March, D., Brown, D., Gray, R., Curthoys, I., Wong, C., Higgins, D. (2016). Auditory anatomy of beaked whales and other odontocetes: Potential for cochlear stimulation via a "vibroacoustic duct mechanism". Marine Mammal Science, 32(2), 552-567. [More Information]

2015

  • Lau, Q., Chow, N., Gray, R., Gongora, J., Higgins, D. (2015). Diversity of MHC DQB and DRB Genes in the Endangered Australian Sea Lion (Neophoca cinerea). Journal of Heredity, 106(4), 395-402. [More Information]
  • Marcus, A., Higgins, D., Gray, R. (2015). Health assessment of free-ranging endangered Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) pups: Effect of haematophagous parasites on haematological parameters. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A, 184, 132-143. [More Information]
  • Marcus, A., Higgins, D., Gray, R. (2015). Ivermectin treatment of free-ranging endangered Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) pups: effect on hookworm and lice infection status, haematological parameters, growth, and survival. Parasitology Research, 114, 2743-2755. [More Information]

2014

  • Marcus, A., Higgins, D., Gray, R. (2014). Epidemiology of hookworm (Uncinaria sanguinis) infection in free-ranging Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) pups. Parasitology Research, 113(9), 3341-3353. [More Information]
  • Lau, Q., Wilkin, T., Payne, E., Gray, R., Gongora, J., Higgins, D. (2014). Primers for amplifying major histocompatibility complex class II DQB and DRB exon 2 in the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea). Conservation Genetics Resources, 6(4), 813-816. [More Information]
  • Marcus, A., Higgins, D., Slapeta, J., Gray, R. (2014). Uncinaria sanguinis sp. n. (Nematoda: Ancylostomatidae) from the endangered Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea (Carnivora: Otariidae). Folia Parasitologica, 61(3), 255-265. [More Information]

2013

  • Marcus, A., Higgins, D., Gray, R. (2013). Ivermectin treatment of free-ranging Australian sea lion pups: effect on hookworm infection status, pup growth and survival and haematological parameters. Wildlife Disease Association - Australasian Section Conference, n/a: N/A.
  • Marcus, A., Higgins, D., Gray, R. (2013). Prevalence and intensity of hookworm (Uncinaria sp.) infection in free-ranging Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) pups. Wildlife Disease Assoc, Australasia Conference, N/A: N/A.

2012

  • Lynch, M., Kirkwood, R., Gray, R., Robson, D., Burton, G., Jones, L., Sinclair, R., Arnould, J. (2012). Characterization and causal investigations of an alopecia syndrome in Australian Fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus). Journal of Mammalogy, 93(2), 504-513. [More Information]
  • Higgins, D., Lau, Q., Butcher, L., Gray, R. (2012). Use of immunophenotyping to assess the health of two vulnerable endemic Australian species: the koala (Phascolarctos cinerius) and the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea). 61st International conference of the Wildlife Disease Association, N/A: N/A.

2009

  • Gray, R., Rogers, T., Canfield, P. (2009). Health Assessment of the Leopard Seal, Hydrurga leptonyx, in Prydz Bay, Eastern Antarctica and NSW, Australia. In Knowles R. Kerry, Martin J Riddle (Eds.), Health of Antarctic Wildlife: A Challenge for Science and Policy, (pp. 167-192). Berlin: Springer. [More Information]

2008

  • Barnes, J., Higgins, D., Gray, R. (2008). Pinnipeds. In Larry Vogelnest, Rupert Woods (Eds.), Medicine of Australian Mammals, (pp. 541-589). Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.
  • Gray, R., Canfield, P., Rodgers, T. (2008). Trace Element analysis in the serum and hair of Antartic Leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx, and weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddellii. Science of the Total Environment, 399, 202-215. [More Information]

2006

  • Gray, R., Canfield, P., Rogers, T. (2006). Hair as a non-invasive sample for trace element and heavy metal analysis in the leopard and Weddell seal. SCAR Open Science Conference.
  • Gray, R., Canfield, P., Rogers, T. (2006). Histology of selected tissues of the leopard seal and implications for functional adaptations to an aquatic lifestyle. Journal of Anatomy, 209(2), 179-199. [More Information]

2005

  • Gray, R., Canfield, P., Rogers, T. (2005). Serum proteins in the leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx in Prydz Bay, Eastern Antarctica and coast of NSW, Australia. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 142(1), 67-78. [More Information]

2004

  • Gray, R., Canfield, P., Rogers, T. (2004). The health status of the leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx, in Prydz Bay, Eastern Antarctica and NSW, Australia: a comparative study. Australian Marine Science Association Conference.

2003

  • Gray, R., Canfield, P., Rogers, T. (2003). Haematology and serum biochemistry in the leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) and Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) in Eastern Antarctica. Wildlife Disease Association Conference.
  • Gray, R., Canfield, P., Rogers, T., McQuilty, R. (2003). Trace metal analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy in the leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) in Prydz Bay, Eastern Antarctica. Australian Mammal Society Conference.

Selected Grants

2024

  • Improving understanding of threats to Australian sea lion populations, Gray R, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water/Saving Native Species Grants (Priority Species)

2023

  • A multidisciplinary approach to assess the impacts of anthropogenic noise on Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus): soundscape, behaviour and stress hormone concentrations as key factors, Gray R, Taylor J, Ecological Society of Australia/Student Research Grant

Related research articles

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