Listening and engagement promised for president’s year

Melissa Donald has vowed to spend much of her year as president of the RCVS listening to veterinary professionals and communities across the UK to understand their issues.

Dr Donald took over the chains of office from Kate Richards at RCVS Day after being voted in by her peers on council, becoming the 151st president.

Sue Paterson has been confirmed as junior vice-president, with Dr Richards becoming senior vice-president. Niall Connell was re-elected as treasurer.

‘Small and mighty’

Dr Donald, a 1987 University of Glasgow graduate who has served on council since 2016, said: “When I looked this up in June, there were [more than] 300,000 doctors registered with the General Medical Council.

“We, the veterinary profession, have around 30,000 registered with the RCVS to look after farmed, pet, lab animal, exotic, zoo and wildlife species – in other words, all animals except the human – and we protect humans, too, with public health work.

“Even excluding farmed fish, [more than] 300 million animals are being cared for by 30,000 professional veterinary surgeons and their teams. That is the scale of our small, but mighty community. Being part of a community doesn’t mean we all have to be clones of each other, but a group that can agree to disagree and is there for each other in times of need.”

‘Connected’

Dr Donald added: “We are part of many different community circles – family, school, online, college, work and hobbies, to name a few – and many interconnect with each other just like a massive Venn diagram.

“Some people wish to keep the circles separate, but to me they are all intrinsically connected, and we are the sum of each part of our lives, and that is what makes us who we are. Of course, this doesn’t mean we have to be everything to everyone 24/7, as ‘me time’ is precious and finding that space to breathe is what helps us feel grounded.

“With this close proximity to each other, communication is key. My mother has offered me many wise words over the years – most frequently being ‘engage brain before opening mouth’, but just as important as speaking is listening and actually hearing what is being said.

“So, over this year, I will try to get out and about as much as possible, focus on hearing what our community is saying and engage in many conversations as we work together. After all, I am the ‘nomadic’ president, of no fixed abode, at least until we all get to move into the new headquarters in Hardwick Street.”

Winners

Winners of the RCVS and RCVS Knowledge awards were presented with their prizes at RCVS Day.

Mandisa Greene, president of the college in 2020-21, stepped down from council after eight years, while Neil Smith, who has spent 16 years in two separate terms on council as well as a stint as president in 2013-14, also retired.

Newly elected members Olivia Cook and Abbie Calow were welcomed, as was Will Wilkinson, who takes Colin Whiting’s place on council following his resignation.

Holly Witchell and Jessica Beckett, new members of VN council, were also welcomed to their positions at the day.