23 Oct 2020
Mandisa Greene to appear on ITV documentary as part of busy schedule for college president during Black History Month.
Nigel Woodbine
Job Title
RCVS president Mandisa Greene.
RCVS president Mandisa Greene is set to appear in a special edition of ITV’s current affairs series Tonight celebrating Black History Month, and the achievements and contributions of people of African and Afro-Caribbean descent in the UK.
Due to be broadcast at 7:30pm on Thursday 29 October, the programme will see Dr Greene interviewed alongside a number of other prominent black Britons, including:
Dr Greene will also be delivering the prestigious Professor James McCall Memorial Lecture on Wednesday 28 October at 6pm – a biennial lecture organised by the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine on issues of importance and significance for the veterinary professions.
Her talk, entitled “Changing the face of the veterinary profession: adaptation and innovation”, will explore the significance of her being the first black person to be president of the college and her journey through the profession, and include a vision for an inclusive future veterinary profession, taking into account different protected characteristics, and intersectionality of race, gender and socio-economic background.
In addition to the McCall lecture, Dr Greene has also carried out a number of other Black History Month-related talks, including recording a podcast for the University of Liverpool, talks with staff at the General Pharmaceutical Council and the Ministry of Justice, and a presentation about veterinary careers to 220 pupils at a south London secondary school.
Furthermore, this month the college also held a joint round table with the Veterinary Schools Council on how to better support veterinary students from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.
The round table included representatives from major veterinary organisations (including the British Veterinary Ethnicity and Diversity Society); the eight UK vet schools offering an RCVS-accredited degree; the new veterinary school at Harper Adams-Keele, and Dublin and Utrecht; as well as student representatives.
Discussions included how to establish programmes to address issues around the under-representation of some groups within the profession and widen access.
Dr Greene said: “I am immensely honoured to be the first black president of the RCVS and to use this opportunity to speak to the black community, and indeed all communities, about my love of veterinary science, and the importance of the work we do in safeguarding animal health and welfare, and wider public health.
“I am a great believer in the phrase ‘if you see it, you can be it’ and I hope that my various talks this month – and particularly the upcoming ITV documentary – will help people recognise that veterinary professionals can come from a diverse range of backgrounds and that, provided they have the drive and the ambition, there should be no barriers to them meeting their dreams.”
The RCVS has also partnered with the official Black History Month campaign, which seeks to educate and celebrate the contribution people of African and Afro-Caribbean descent have made to the UK.
This includes having a dedicated page on the campaign’s Diversity Portal, and being recognised as a Diversity Champion for the College’s ongoing work to improve diversity, equality and inclusion in the profession in collaboration with a number of other organisations through its Diversity and Inclusion Group.
