Clare Rusbridge

Senior Neurologist and Professor in Veterinary Neurology. European and RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Neurology

BVMS PhD DECVN FRCVS

Clare Rusbridge graduated from University of Glasgow in 1991 and following an internship at the University of Pennsylvania and general practice in Cambridgeshire, she completed a BSAVA/Petsavers Residency and was Staff Clinician in Neurology at the Royal Veterinary College

Aged 26 years, she became the youngest Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology in 1996, and a RCVS Specialist in 1999. In April 2022 Clare moved her clinical practice to Wear Referrals in Country Durham whilst retaining a professorship at the University of Surrey where she has been since 2013.

Prior to this, Claire operated a neurology and neurosurgery referral service at Stone Lion Veterinary Hospital in Wimbledon for 16 years then spent 8 years at the specialist Neurology and Orthopaedic Surgery Hospital Fitzpatrick Referrals.

Treating animals with painful and/or distressing inherited disease drives her research to find a better way of diagnosing, treating and preventing these conditions. For over two decades she investigated Chiari-like malformation and Syringomyelia in her ‘spare’ time which eventually culminated in a PhD awarded from Utrecht University in 2007.

Claire received the JA Wight Memorial award in 2011, was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for meritorious contribution to knowledge in 2016 and a RCVS Impact award in 2022. Clare has authored or co-authored over 160 scientific articles and book chapters and co-edited a medical textbook on human syringomyelia and is a popular invited speaker in 5 continents. Her professional interests include epilepsy, neuropathic pain, inherited diseases, and rehabilitation.