Meet the student researcher: Julia Coltart

Julia is about to start her third year of veterinary school at the University of Liverpool. She chose to focus her AWF-funded student research project on investigating the pathological findings in horses submitted for post-mortem examination with a history of suspected starvation.

Q: Tell us a bit about you

I’m Julia and I’ve just finished my second year of veterinary school at the University of Liverpool. I am part of the Liverpool Vet Pathology Society, which I helped set up last year, and I am a representative of IVSA (International Veterinary Students' Association) Liverpool. Alongside vet school, I enjoy rock climbing in North Wales and the Peak District!

I am committed to improving animal welfare, so AWF seemed like the perfect foundation to work with.

Q: How did you hear about the AWF student grant and what made you apply?

I heard about the AWF student grant through an email from the vet school about research funding. I applied as I thought having support from AWF for my project would give it more credibility going forward and because I am committed to improving animal welfare, so AWF seemed like the perfect foundation to work with.

I chose to focus on neglected horses as these have been somewhat overlooked by other veterinary forensics research focusing more on small companion animals and blunt force trauma.

Q: Why did you choose this project to work on?

I chose to undertake a research project in this area (veterinary pathology) as I believe that veterinary forensics plays an essential role in safeguarding animal welfare and animals’ legal protection against abuse and neglect. I was keen on adding to the evidence base we have for this area. I chose to focus on neglected horses as these have been somewhat overlooked by other veterinary forensics research focusing more on small companion animals and blunt force trauma. To my knowledge, there is no publication on the post-mortem characteristics of suspected starved equids, only dogs.

Q: What did you hope to achieve?

I wanted to determine whether there are recurring PM findings specific to horses that died of starvation. I hoped to produce some data and results which could be used to help advance knowledge and widen the evidence base in veterinary forensics and support veterinary forensic pathologists with future equine starvation cases and in court.

Q: What did you enjoy the most about your project?

I found reading the forensic PM reports and learning how these are structured and written compared with non-forensic reports, fascinating.

Q: What did you find challenging (if anything)?

Getting to grips with all the new pathology terms was a challenge but a useful head start for my third year. The data analysis is something I find challenging because of the programming required, rigorous formatting of the data and sheer quantity of it.

Q: What have you learned from your project and this experience?

I’ve learnt that research is a thorough process and the work can sometimes be repetitive but being passionate and driven by the end goal makes it a very rewarding kind of work which I thoroughly enjoyed!

It’s been a great experience and having the support of AWF along the way has been a real bonus.

Q: Finally, what advice would you give to students wanting to apply for an AWF grant?

Find a topic you are passionate about and go for it! I didn’t think I stood a chance of being awarded the grant and here I am! It’s been a great experience and having the support of AWF along the way has been a real bonus.