David graduated with a BVSc from The University of Sydney in 1975. After graduating he was appointed as a small animal clinical instructor at the University of Sydney and then enrolled in a PhD programme in the Faculty of Medicine looking at various aspects of the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus, completing this in 1983. David was appointed as Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Sydney in 1983, promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1991 and Associate Professor in 1999. David obtained membership  (small animal medicine) of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists in 1990, and was Hospital Director of the University Veterinary Centre from 1991 until his departure in 2001 to take up the Chair of Small Animal Studies at the Royal Veterinary College . David has a keen interest in small animal medicine generally and endocrinology in particular. His current research interests include insulin resistance states in diabetes mellitus, alternate therapies and management strategies for adrenal dysfunction in dogs and dynamic airway disease in dogs and cats.