Dr. Alistair Webb

Alistair Webb, B.V.Sc., Ph.D., a professor emeritus and longtime faculty member with the college until his retirement in 2010, passed away in January.

Webb received his veterinary degree from the University of Queensland in 1966 and his Ph.D. in 1978 from the University of Bristol. He became a diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists and a fellow in the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Webb first joined the college faculty in 1978 as an assistant professor after spending his early career in private practice in Adelaide, South Australia, as a university lecturer at the University of Queensland and as a research associate in the Wellcome Comparative Anesthetic Laboratory at the University of Bristol. From 1979-1988, he served as chief of the anesthesia service at what was then called the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, and in 1983, was promoted to associate professor.

In 1990, Webb joined the department of physiological sciences, where he served as professor of clinical pharmacology and anesthesia as well as associate department chair. He was very involved in campus life, serving on numerous committees, training anesthesia residents and mentoring graduate students with interests in pharmacokinetics and other disciplines. Webb also played a key role in veterinary student instruction in basic and clinical pharmacology throughout his career.

Webb also played a key role as a director of the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database, or FARAD, a university-based national program that serves as the primary source for scientifically-based recommendations regarding safe withdrawal intervals of drugs and chemicals in food-producing animals. During his tenure as FARAD director, Webb’s contributions were significant, according to others who followed him in the role in the years after his retirement.