Silvia Alonso Alvarez

Silvia Alonso is a senior scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is a veterinarian and holds a MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a PhD in veterinary public health. Silvia worked for 5 years as a lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College where she gained experience in teaching and training at undergraduate and postgraduate level, both nationally and internationally. She has more than 15 years of experience in public health research, both in Europe and internationally. Her research looks at the interface between livestock production and human health, including nutrition. During her time at ILRI she has been involved in a range of projects looking at the epidemiology and control of different zoonoses, mainly foodborne, and on strategies for sustainable food safety in informal markets. Her current research explores how to leverage livestock value chains to improve health and nutrition. She is leading the first large-scale field trial of an intervention in informal markets to improve food safety and child nutrition in peri-urban Nairobi. She is a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Public Health and the Chair of the ethics IRB at ILRI.