Rachel Allavena

Rachel Allavena is a Professor and Deputy Head of School at the School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland. She specializes in veterinary pathology and comparative medicine, developing cancer immunotherapies using pet dogs with natural cancer as models for human oncology. Her work bridges veterinary and human medicine, focusing on translational research. She also leads forensic pathology investigations for Racing Queensland, Queensland Police, and RSPCA Queensland, advocating for animal cruelty prevention.

• PhD in Comparative Medicine (Cornell University)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Veterinary Anatomic Pathology (University of Guelph)
• Bachelor of Veterinary Biology and Honours (University of Queensland)

Her research spans comparative oncology (including canine brain cancer, lymphoma, melanoma, osteosarcoma), koala conservation (co-developer of KoalaBASE database), and envenomation studies. She has trained ACVP board-certified pathologists and developed drug safety testing protocols in the UK pharmaceutical sector. Her immunotherapy trials have achieved 20% cure rates in terminal canine cancer patients.

• 2015 - Faculty of Science Teaching Excellence Award
• 2021 - UQ Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning

As a media expert, she has featured in international outlets and delivered a TEDx talk on canine cancer therapy. She actively supervises PhD/MPhil students in projects like Canine Osteosarcoma Immunotherapy and Feline GI Lymphomas. Her team explores biometallic implants and forensic pathology applications.