Dear participant,
This survey is part of a research project being undertaken by Equine Science Honours student Emily Martin who is investigating the potential for stem cell therapies as a treatment for tendon injuries in horses. Her supervisors on this project are Dr Jane Quinn (BSc(Hons),PhD) a specialist in stem cell science in the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and Professor Bryan Hilbert (BVSc Hons (Melb) MScVetSci (WSU) Diplomate ACVS FACVSc), Professor of Equine Surgery at Charles Sturt University Veterinary Clinical Centre. We hope you consider participating in this study, as data we receive from this questionnaire may be very influential in helping new and improved stem cell therapies reach the equine market and be available for use in veterinary clinics. We are interested in the views held by any person who has owned, cared for or trained horses in the past or present.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this survey you can contact any of us on the numbers below:
Ms Emily Martin
0431673902
martin.emily.jane@gmail.com
Dr Jane Quinn
0269334208
jquinn@csu.edu.au
Professor Brian Hilbert
0269332205
bhilbert@csu.edu.au
You may now fill in a short survey, which should take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete. It will include questions about the number and type of horses you have, what you use them for and your knowledge and perceptions of the usefulness of stem cell therapies as a treatment in horses. As a horse owner or trainer, or as an interested party, we value your opinions on this issue and hope you can complete this information for us.
Please be aware that by completing this survey, you are providing your consent to participate in this study and are agreeing to the terms of this study detailed below. Participation is open to adults (over 18 years of age, according to NSW guidelines) and is anonymous and voluntary. There is no obligation to consent. You are free to decline or withdraw from the survey at any time without affecting your relationship with Charles Sturt University or its Clinics. If you do withdraw any data entered will not be included. All questionnaire data will be held in the strictest of confidence by the researchers. You will not be asked to fill in any personal details as part of this survey, nor do you have to provide your postcode if you do not wish to. The anonymous results, once analysed, will be part of a research report that will be submitted to Charles Sturt University as part of Ms. Martin’s honours dissertation. It is also hoped that the results of her studies will be published in a peer-reviewed journal in the future.
The School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Ethics Committee has approved this project. If you have any reservations about the ethical conduct of this project, you may contact the Committee through the executive officer:
Dr Raf Freire
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Tel: (02) 6933 4451
Email: rfreire@csu.edu.au
Any issues you raise will be treated in confidence and investigated fully and you will be informed of the outcome.
We thank you for your time and support for research at CSU by taking part in this survey.