27 Oct 2020
“For the Record” will form part of the college archives, and aims to amplify under-represented voices across the profession and inform future generations.
James Westgate
Job Title
RCVS president Mandisa Greene.
Two RCVS college presidents feature in the first of a series of podcasts from RCVS Knowledge.
The series forms part of a new initiative from the college that is calling on veterinary professionals to help expand the diversity of the RCVS’ official archives.
RCVS Knowledge’s new podcast series, “For the Record”, launches today with a conversation between Amanda Boag and Mandisa Greene – the eighth and ninth female presidents in the college’s 175-year history – who discuss their careers, their journey into RCVS council, and their views on diversity and representation.
The podcast series aims to amplify various under-represented voices within the professions, and will also form part of the archive to inform future generations.
The charity also plans to expand the diversity of the professionals represented in the historical records of the RCVS – in particular, black, Asian and minority ethnic vets and VNs whose experiences and contributions to the professions are not well reflected in the current collections.
Vets, vet nurses and other allied professionals, from backgrounds traditionally under-represented in the official record, are encouraged to contact the archives team at RCVS Knowledge to share experiences and information about their veterinary careers, or the careers of their friends and families, both past and present.
Ms Boag, who chairs RCVS Knowledge’s board of trustees, said: “When I was the president of the RCVS, one of my main priorities was to open up, sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity within the professions.
“RCVS Knowledge understands the importance of providing under-represented individuals with a platform to share their experiences, and I know that this approach will be really valuable for the past, present and future of our professions.”
Dr Greene, president of the RCVS, added: “I am really happy to see RCVS Knowledge taking the initiative to open up space for people from diverse backgrounds to share their stories and experiences in working in the veterinary professions.
“As the president of the RCVS, I have a platform to lead discussions about the future of our professions, and I strongly encourage others to get involved in this initiative, to keep the conversation going and demonstrate to the younger generations looking up at our professions that their voices will be heard.”
