29 Jun 2023
Bosses plan to use Peter R Beaumont’s gift to support the development of a new business skills unit and training programme, which will be named in his honour.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Vet and former The University of Edinburgh student Peter R Beaumont.
Plans to extend business skills training at Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (R[D]SVS) have been boosted by a US$1 million (£792,525) donation from a former student.
A new unit and training programme at the school, which is celebrating its bicentenary this year, will be named after Peter R Beaumont, in recognition of the gift from the vet and businessman.
School leaders say the project is intended to give students the financial and business skills necessary to thrive once they enter practice.
David Argyle, the head of The University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, said: “The modern vet impacts society in many ways, from preserving the food chain to supporting companion animals and their owners.
“Their work affects the health and welfare of both animals and humans.
“Running a successful business takes a range of different skills, and with this generous donation the R(D)SVS will be able to ensure our graduates are equipped for whatever the future may bring.
“We are immensely grateful to Dr Beaumont for this extremely generous donation,” Prof Argyle added.
More than 50 years after he graduated from Edinburgh, Dr Beaumont currently chairs two panels for the pet insurance company Trupanion and mentors start-up animal health firms.
In a varied career, he was awarded a three-year Thouron Scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed an internship and residency in soft tissue surgery.
He has also run veterinary practices and pet retailers, as well as acting as chairman or a board member for several companies including Trupanion, which is registered on the NASDAQ exchange.
Dr Beaumont said: “As a teenager growing up in Yorkshire, I spent weekends and holidays working on a dairy farm, so to be able to follow the dream of large animal medicine and enrol at the R(D)SVS at The University of Edinburgh, was almost an end in itself.
“During five years at Summerhall, my interests tended more towards small animals, and after leaving for the University of Pennsylvania I could not thank the Dick Vet enough for providing a supportive, village-like environment in which to learn, with wonderful professors and colleagues.
“Much later, I am grateful to have been able to give back to where I cut my teeth and provide financial help for what is now a very dynamic institution.”
