Companion collection - Interviews

Jerry Davies was inspired to become a vet by an uncle in the profession and a constant stream of rescue animals that found their way into the family home. Jerry graduated from the RVC in 1974 and established Davies Veterinary Specialists in 1998. Jerry received the BSAVA Simon award in 2004 and in 2011 was elected as RCVS President.

Tim Nuttall qualified from Bristol in 1992 and went into small animal practice after a short stint in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. He’s become heavily involved in tackling the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Barbara studied veterinary nursing at Rodbaston Agricultural College before joining Liverpool Veterinary School where she became Head Nurse, eventually returning to Rodbaston as a lecturer. She established the College of Animal Welfare, has been President of BVNA and was the first VN to chair the RCVS VN Committee.

Clare Rusbridge started at Glasgow Veterinary School when she was just 16. She worked at the University of Pennsylvania, spent time in general practice in Cambridgeshire and then specialized in neurology. She was presented with the J.A. Wight Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to the welfare of companion animals at Congress 2011.

Sue Shaw grew up and trained in Australia before moving to the post of senior lecturer at the University of Bristol. She set up the Acarus Unit for investigating arthropod-borne infections and has been chairman of the BSAVA Scientific Committee.

Philip Lhermette took 6 years to get a place at veterinary school, finally graduating in 1982. He has since pioneered many minimally invasive techniques and is Editor of the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Endoscopy and Endosurgery.

Professor John Cooper graduated from Bristol in 1966 and after a postgraduate qualification in tropical veterinary has worked in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean including a period in Rwanda working with mountain gorillas.

Sandy graduated from Edinburgh in 1969 where he returned as a researcher at the Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine. In 1980 he moved to Liverpool as a lecturer and stayed there for the rest of his career. He was elected president of the RCVS in 2009.

Rob Thomas graduated from Bristol in 1974 and after a brief period of mixed practice in the Channel Islands moved to Barton Veterinary Hospital. He’s still there and has cultivated an interest in cardiology leading to a steady referral case load. He’s now the chief examiner for the Certificate of Veterinary Cardiology.

Freda Scott-Park grew up in Kenya and went to vet school at the Royal Dick. She now lives on the banks of Loch Lomond; she became President of the BSAVA in 2003 and went on to become BVA President.

John bought his first practice in Plymouth in 1969; by the time he retired in 2007 it was a 12 vet, 5-centre practice with a veterinary hospital base. He was President of the BSAVA in 1984/5 as well as holding many other representative positions in the profession.

Carmel Mooney spent many years as a BSAVA volunteer before becoming President of the Association in 2006.

John trained at Liverpool where he returned to start a period of work on Veterinary Anaesthesia before returning to Halifax, where he was born, to take over a mixed practice. He’s been President of the BSAVA and received numerous awards.

Noel Fitzpatrick graduated from Dublin in 1990 and after working in the USA and in large animal and mixed practice he set up Fitzpatrick Referrals. He received The Simon Award at the 2009 BSAVA Congress.

Born in Toronto, Bruce Fogle graduated from the University of Guelph before moving to London to work as a veterinarian at London’s Regent’s Park Zoo.

After graduating from Cambridge in 2000 Kate worked both in private practice and at the RVC and has always traveled the globe, often volunteering her skills in the communities she visits.

Duncan Lascelles graduated from Bristol in 1991 where he remained for a PhD in analgesia. He’s worked in Cambridge, Colorado and Florida and is now at North Carolina State with research interests in acute and chronic pain.

After graduation from the RVC, Pip worked at a London referral practice before settling on ophthalmology and neurology as his chosen disciplines. He established the UK’s first dedicated small animal referral practice in 1990 and has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers and abstracts.

Nick Henderson just about qualified as a vet before turning his talents to PR and publishing; he was the BSAVA’s first PR Officer and helped organize the first Congress.

Dick White graduated from the RVC in 1975 and his long career culminated in the start of Dick White Referrals. He is now Professor of Small Animal Surgery at Nottingham vet school.

Marc Abraham qualified in 1995 and went into a mixed practice. He became a well known face on television and is busy writing books.

Victoria ran a pure breed visitor attraction and breeding programme before attending Liverpool vet school, following which she’s become a leading avian expert.

Chris Laurence graduated from Bristol in 1968 and after 30 years in small animal practice became head vet at two of the UK’s leading animal welfare charities. He was awarded the J.A. Wight Memorial Award this year.

Luke Gamble qualified from Bristol in 1999 and now runs a number of enterprises including the international animal charity, Worldwide Veterinary Service.