Viktoria Neubauer receives the Armin Tschermak von Seysenegg Prize

The award commemorates Armin Tschermak, Edler von Seysenegg, former Professor of Physiology at the Veterinary College, and recognizes early-career scholars at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, for outstanding scientific achievements. The award is sponsored by the Society of Friends of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna.

Outstanding research

As part of her research, Viktoria Neubauer conducted a comprehensive cross-sectional study examining the mental health of students and practicing veterinarians in Austria. Conducted between November 2022 and January 2023, the study shed light on the main stressors in everyday professional life and their impact on mental health. The results show that bureaucracy - followed by animal suffering and communication with owners - is perceived as the greatest occupational stressor, yet it correlates only weakly with the psychological strain indicators measured. Financial worries, on the other hand - although not among the most frequently cited occupational stressors - exhibit the strongest associations with poor mental health, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, low well-being, and clinically significant stress. Particularly noteworthy is that students rate most burdens higher than practitioners, with the exception of bureaucracy, which weighs more heavily in practice. Women report a higher overall burden than men.

Neubauer and her team recommend measures such as limiting excessive working hours, promoting self-care and stress management, and providing professional support in time management, client communication, and financial planning - beginning at the undergraduate level. Their research offers valuable approaches to improving mental health in veterinary medicine and contributes to sustainably optimizing working conditions in this demanding field.

Viktoria Neubauer completed her diploma studies at Vetmeduni and subsequently earned her doctorate with a dissertation on modulating ruminal microbial fermentation and diagnosing subacute ruminal acidosis in cows. Since 2018, she has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation (FFoQSI) as well as at Vetmeduni. In 2021, Neubauer assumed scientific leadership of the “Food Safety and Hygiene” area at FFoQSI. In parallel, she has been pursuing a doctoral program since 2020, investigating influences on the udder and milk microbiome in cows.

In addition to her research, Viktoria Neubauer actively advocates for mental health in veterinary medicine and leads projects that address challenges in veterinary and agricultural professions.

Vetmeduni extends its warmest congratulations!