Prof. David Kihurani

Prof. David O. Kihurani, a veterinarian, has PhD, MSc and Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. He began his career as an Assistant Lecturer in 1984 at the Clinical Studies Department, University of Nairobi, rising through the ranks to become an Associate Professor in 2004, a position he still holds. While there he has taught subjects in Clinical Veterinary Surgery to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as supervising degrees by the latter. He also has extensive clinical experience of over 40 years in large animal surgery (particularly cattle and horses) and equine medicine within the department. This experience has been extended to other institutions, including Del Monte Kenya Ltd. Company, Thika, where he has attended to the health and welfare of the horses for 34 years. In addition, he was appointed Consultant Clinical Veterinarian at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) on various occasions from 1995 to December, 2006, to provide animal health care and perform experimental surgeries (e.g. carotid cannulations) in cattle for various research projects. He also performed Embryo Transfer (ET) services at ILRI to generate calves with specific genetic traits important for research in the disease East Coast Fever, as well as to propagate the N’dama cattle herd. This was following training at the National Embryo Transfer School, Senatobia, USA, in January, 2003. The ET services have also been used to produce high yielding Dairy cattle for different organizations and individuals countrywide. He has further trained many practitioners from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia in the theory and practice of ET. His international experience and exposure extended to a 3 month study visit to Leipzig, Germany, and 6 months sabbatical at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. This was to carry out research projects and do a postgraduate course on medical imaging techniques. These included Ultrasound, Endoscopy, Computer Tomography, Scintigraphy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. He subsequently taught these imaging techniques to undergraduate and postgraduate students, with a special emphasis on Ultrasound in large and small animals. In addition, he taught aspects of large and small animal Surgery to undergraduate Vet students of the University of Ghana for one academic year in 2018-19.  Further, he has had progressive experience in animal health research for over 40 years and has published thirty-four publications in various aspects of veterinary surgery, medical imaging, medicine and pathology. He also has administrative experience, having served as Head of Surgery section for more than 10 years, which involved the coordination of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and examination in large and small animal Surgery. He oversaw the Clinical services in the Large Animal unit where animals were admitted for therapeutic surgical operations too.