Rate My Professor Rachael Smith

Rachael Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Equine Surgery at Murdoch University, based in the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences within the College of Veterinary Medicine. She is a registered specialist in Equine Surgery, holding a BVSc with Distinction, Postgraduate Diploma in Veterinary Clinical Studies (PGDipVCS), Membership of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (MANZCVS) in surgery, and Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (DACVS) in Large Animal Surgery since 2007. After graduating from Massey University, she undertook locum roles in the UK before completing an equine surgery residency program at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. She then advanced to the position of Senior Lecturer, contributing over 20 years to the institution's veterinary programs and clinical services at the Equine Centre and Animal Hospital.

Smith's academic interests center on equine orthopaedics, surgical techniques, and peri-operative analgesia. She has supervised graduate research, including Masters by Research theses by M. Hoerdemann on the 'Duration of action of mepivacaine and lidocaine in equine distal limb intra-articular and intrathecal analgesia' (2018, supervised with Giselle Hosgood) and by M.M. Harcourt on the 'Duration of action provided by prilocaine and other local anaesthetics in equine distal limb analgesia' (2022, supervised with Mieghan Bruce). Her peer-reviewed publications include 'An Ex Vivo Biomechanical Study Comparing Strength Characteristics of a New Technique with the Three-Loop Pulley for Equine Tenorrhaphy' (2011, Veterinary Surgery, corresponding author), which examines knot strength for tendon repairs, and 'Effects of treatment with omeprazole or ranitidine on gastric squamous ulceration in racing Thoroughbreds' (2005). These works have collectively received 79 citations and 1,746 reads on ResearchGate. Clinically, she performed advanced procedures such as dentigerous cyst removals and participated in emergency responses. Smith has delivered professional lectures and seminars, including on lameness assessment (2018) and thoroughbred racehorse management for the American Association of Equine Practitioners, as well as presentations at the Australian Veterinary Association Conference (2019) and New Zealand Veterinary Association Conference.