The Action Group was set up in January 2016 and is tasked with working collectively to turn recommendations from the Vet Future’s report ‘Taking charge of our future: A vision for the veterinary profession for 2030′ into clear actions with buy-in from across the veterinary profession and a timetable for activity. The Action Group is made up of the BVA and RCVS Presidents and Junior Vice-Presidents, seven veterinary surgeons, a veterinary nurse, and a co-opted veterinary student.
Vet Futures Action Group member biographies
Dr Clare Allen MA VetMB PhD MRCVS
Clare is a Senior Teaching Associate for curriculum and innovation in the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, where she is currently chairing a taskforce to develop a curricular thread on professional skills throughout the professional veterinary course. Clare graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1996 and after completing an equine ambulatory internship at Millbrook Equine Practice in New York she started teaching on an equine studies programme and founded her own equine practice.
In 2005-06 Clare taught at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and became interested in veterinary education and curriculum development. Clare completed her PhD in Higher Education and Student Affairs at the Ohio State University in 2013, with her doctoral research focusing on the career choice of veterinary students in the context of the feminisation of the profession.
Clare is currently President of Veterinary Educators Worldwide (ViEW), a not-for-profit organisation that aims to promote and support excellence and international cooperation in veterinary education.
Helena Diffey
Helena Diffey is the past President of the Association of Veterinary Students UK and Ireland (AVS). In this role she represented vet students on a range of professional forums and coordinates the central AVS committee.
Helena is in her fifth year of study at the Royal Veterinary College, having intercalated in Global Health at Imperial College, London. She enjoys the great variety within veterinary medicine, from lab work to surgery, and has a wider interest in epidemiology, neglected diseases, policy making and veterinary education.
Simon Doherty BVMS MRCVS FRSB
Simon is the owner and director of Blackwater Consultancy where his principal client is UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) for which Simon works as the animal science expert for the Agri-Tech Organisation of UKTI. Simon graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2000 and worked for a number of years in progressive farm animal practice in Scotland and Northern Ireland before setting up Veterinary Northern Ireland in 2005-07. Simon joined the Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute (AFBI) as a veterinary research officer in 2007 where he managed the Ruminant Virology, Animal Services & Fish Diseases Units, and played an important role in contingency planning for epizootic diseases. He was appointed as a consultant to UKTI in 2015.
Simon is a STEM Ambassador, advising young people interested in careers in veterinary medicine, and regularly mentors vet school applicants. He is an accredited CowSignals Trainer, an honorary lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast and a trustee of the livestock development charity, Send a Cow. Simon is currently President of BVA Northern Ireland and the North of Ireland Veterinary Association.
Daniel Hogan RVN
Daniel is Operations Manager at Dick White Referrals and a practising RVN. Daniel began his career as a Saturday receptionist at a small clinic and became a veterinary nurse in 2007, moving on to become Head Nurse at a large 24-hour veterinary hospital in East London.
Daniel holds the A1/V1 Clinical Coach qualifications, Level 3 in British Sign Language and is currently completing a Chartered Management Institute Level 7 qualification in Strategic Leadership. Daniel works across HR, strategy and development, facilities management, health and safety and leadership.
Dr Liz Mossop BVM&S PhD MRCVS
Liz is Associate Professor of Veterinary Education and Sub-Dean for Teaching, Learning and Assessment at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham. Liz graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2000 and initially worked in a number of assistant roles in mixed, small animal and equine practice in the Midlands. In 2006 Liz joined the University of Nottingham as a teacher and lecturer, whilst continuing in equine practice, before becoming head of teaching in 2012.
Liz completed a Masters in Clinical Education in 2007 and a PhD in Veterinary Education in 2012 with a thesis focusing on the definition and teaching of professionalism to undergraduates. Liz is a member of the Veterinary Schools Council Education Committee, the RCVS VN Education Subcommittee, and a Trustee of the Wikivet Educational Foundation.
Gudrun Ravetz BVSc MRCVS
Gudrun is Junior Vice-President of the British Veterinary Association, Veterinary Consultant to Pet Health Plans from Denplan and an external interviewer for prospective veterinary students at the University of Liverpool. Gudrun qualified from the University of Liverpool in 2002 and began working in small animal practice whilst studying for a postgraduate certificate in business with the Open University. Gudrun also holds a graduate diploma in law from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Gudrun has worked in small animal practice in both private practice and the charity sector, and as a veterinary consultant in industry. Gudrun is a former President of the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) and continues to support recent graduates through the SPVS graduate support network. She is also a trained harassment listener.
Dr Kimberley Schiller BVetMed BSc (Hons) MRCVS
Kimberley is a management consultant with global consultancy Accenture where she is a manager in the Healthcare Practice, advising on strategy and business change with a focus on digital healthcare innovation. At Accenture Kimberley works with a wide cross section of clients, from the NHS to medical software companies and private healthcare businesses.
Kimberley graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2010. During her studies she intercalated at the University of Edinburgh to complete a BSc in Microbiology and Infection, and undertook the ten-week Cornell University Leadership Programme through a Wellcome Trust Scholarship. Kimberley has experience of working overseas in a variety of roles including working with UNICEF, WHO and DFID.
Dr Huw Stacey BVetMed DipAS(CABC) MRCVS
Huw is the Director of Clinical Services at The Pets at Home Vet Group (PAHVG), a role he took up in 2015 having been Head of Clinical Services since 2013. Huw graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2000 and went into mixed first opinion practice in Devon and then small animal practice in Swindon. Whilst in practice Huw completed a postgraduate diploma in companion animal behaviour counselling at the University of Southampton.
In 2010 Huw moved into industry as a Technical Advisor with VetPlus, and joined Companion Care Services as Commercial Manager in 2011. At PAHVG Huw worked on the integration of Vets4Pets into the Pets at Home Vet Group alongside Companion Care, and led the team that developed The Vet Report, providing an annual overview of pet health and welfare issues. Huw is a founding member of the Major Employers Group, a member of BVA’s Veterinary Policy Group, and a Veterinary Advisor to the RCVS alternative dispute resolution trial.
Dr Mary Thomson BVMS MRCVS
Mary is a veterinary surgeon working in Devon. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1998 and has eighteen years of experience, working in various roles in mixed practice, for an out-of-hours clinic, for a large group practice and as a government veterinary surgeon.
In 2014, Mary became a Postgraduate Dean for the RCVS, supporting recent graduates through their Professional Development Phase (PDP) and speaking to final year students and recent graduates. In 2015 Mary joined the board of Vetlife (previously the Veterinary Benevolent Fund), the charity that supports the veterinary community.
Dr Chris Tufnell BSc (Hons) BVMS MRCVS
Chris is Vice-President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and Director of Coach House Vets, a small animal and equine practice in Berkshire. Following a degree in Agricultural and Environmental Science from Newcastle University, Chris worked for a year in Zambia before returning to study for a veterinary degree at the University of Glasgow. Chris graduated in 1999 and worked in mixed practice in Herefordshire and then moved to West Berkshire to a predominantly equine practice.
Shortly after graduating Chris joined the RCVS Education Strategy Steering Group, which laid the foundations of the PDP, and recently served as chair of the (renamed) Education Committee. Chris was elected to RCVS Council in 2009 became Vice-President in July 2015.
Dr Bradley Viner BVetMed MSc(VetGP) DProf MRCVS
Bradley is President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and Principal of Blythwood Vets, a group of small animal practices in North West London. Bradley graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1978 and after a year working as an assistant established his own small animal practice in Pinner, Middlesex, which has now grown to a group of five practices.
Bradley completed an MSc and then a Professional Doctorate with Middlesex University, concentrating on the application of clinical auditing to the veterinary profession. He has been involved in a wide variety of media and PR work on radio, television, books and the press. Bradley is a Trustee of Battersea Cats and Dogs Home and of the Society for Companion Animal Studies, and Vice-President of International Cat Care. Bradley was elected to RCVS Council in 2005 and became President in July 2015.
Sean Wensley BVSc MSc Grad DMS MRCVS
Sean is President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and Senior Veterinary Surgeon for Communication and Education at PDSA. He qualified from the University of Liverpool in 2003 and then obtained a Masters degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in 2004. After three years working in both companion animal and exotics veterinary practices he joined PDSA.
Sean has contributed to animal welfare and conservation projects in East Africa, China, India, Europe and the Caribbean. He is an Honorary Lecturer in Animal Welfare at the University of Nottingham, a member of the Companion Animal Welfare Council (CAWC) and a committee member of the Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law Veterinary Association (AWSELVA).
Dr James Yeates BVSc BSc DWEL DipECVS(AWBM) PhD MRCVS
James is the RSPCA’s Chief Veterinary Officer, an Honorary Fellow at the University of Bristol and University of Surrey, and an active member of the animal welfare research community. James qualified from the University of Bristol in 2004, where he also completed a bachelors degree in bioethics, certificate and diploma in animal welfare science, ethics and law, and a PhD in veterinary ethics. James worked in Gloucestershire in private practice, then at an RSPCA branch. He became head of the RSPCA’s companion animals department in 2011 and CVO in 2012.
James has previously undertaken roles as chair of the British Veterinary Association’s Ethics and Welfare Group, honorary secretary of the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons, a member of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Scientific Committee, and editor of the Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law Veterinary Association (AWSELVA) journal.
