As he was inaugurated as the 149th President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), Professor Tim Parkin FRCVS outlined his vision for how mentorship and respectful, constructive dialogue would help the regulator, and the veterinary professions as a whole, deal with some of the challenges ahead.
Now, an academic, Tim used to be an equine vet and epidemiologist and a member of BEVA so we're delighted to see him elected to the Presidential role at the RCVS. We share his enthusiasm for mentorship programmes and support him in his mission to implement more schemes similar to that of our Leg Up and Back in the Saddle programmes, into the wider veterinary profession.
Speaking of his ‘requests’ for the professions for the year ahead, Tim said: “Find a route to mentorship – pass on ‘your good’ to those who aspire to follow. We can all play our part in doing that – whether that be through chatting to school kids about the myriad of options available in our professions or more formally through work with veterinary schools or via VetGDP. Please reflect on how each of us can inspire and influence those who will do better than us in the future.
“There are clearly some very big on-going challenges we face – from the CMA [Competition and Markets Authority] investigation and workforce issues through to pushing for a new Veterinary Surgeons Act.
“If we think, not more than 10 years ago: EU-Exit had not yet happened, Covid was not a word (for most of us at least) and hybrid working was difficult to make work – trying to get more than one person onto a Skype call seemed to be beyond most. Our working lives have changed enormously over that period, but it is clear that further change is on the near horizon.
“So, as these changes crystalise - my second request is to be respectful in all forms of dialogue. Our professions should be a no-tolerance zone for abusive or aggressive words or behaviour.
“There will be many discussions to be had over the next few years – in particular related to legislative reform and much of our direction of travel will be taking us away from the modus operandi of the last 50 years – but we all have to recognise the need for change and that none of us will get everything we want. Please do not shy away from engaging – but please do so in a manner that is respectful of those working on your behalf.”
Tim, who is also Head of School at the University of Bristol’s Veterinary School and a Professor of Epidemiology, joined RCVS Council as an appointee of the Veterinary Schools Council in 2021. Since becoming a member of Council, he has chaired both the Education Committee and the Registration Committee, as well as serving on the Fellowship Board and the CMA Working Group, amongst other appointments.
Tim is a Bristol alumnus, completing undergraduate degrees in both zoology and veterinary science before completing his PhD on the epidemiology of fractures in racehorses at the University of Liverpool in 2002. He moved to the Animal Health Trust in 2005 and then to the University of Glasgow as a Defra Veterinary Training and Research Initiative Senior Research Fellow in 2007.
Between 2015 and 2018, he was Head of the Division of Equine Clinical Science and Clinical Director of the Equine Hospital at the University of Glasgow, and was promoted to Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology in 2017. Since November 2020, he has been Head of Bristol Vet School and continues to work with horse-racing governing bodies to provide data-driven, evidence-based solutions to welfare issues.
A full transcript of Tim’s speech can be found here.
Leg Up
Back in the Saddle