Alisa Dean VN DipAVN(Surgical) MBVNA
Alisa Dean qualified as a veterinary nurse in 1996 whilst working in a mixed practice in North Wales. She spent the next five years working in private practices around the Northwest before joining the University of Liverpool, Small Animal Teaching Hospital in 2001, where she is the imaging nurse. Alisa gained the Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing in 2005.

Jackie Demetriou BVetMed CertSAS DipECVS MRCVS
Jackie Demetriou qualified from the RVC in 1996. Following a year in mixed practice, she completed a small animal internship and a residency in small animal surgery at the University of Edinburgh. She gained her Certificate in Small Animal Surgery during this time and her Diploma in Small Animal Surgery in 2002. She spent eight years as a lecturer in small animal surgery at the University of Cambridge before joining Dick White Referrals in 2012. She enjoys all aspects of soft tissue surgery and has a particular interest in surgical oncology and interventional radiology techniques.

Joanna Dukes-McEwan BVMS(Hons) MVM PhD DVC DipECVIM-CA(Cardiology) MRCVS
Joanna Dukes-McEwan graduated from the University of Glasgow and her initial career alternated between general practice (Hereford, Canterbury and Glasgow) and academia. She was a house physician in Glasgow and completed a residency there. A move to Edinburgh included successive roles as a lecturer, PhD student and then British Heart Foundation-funded post-doctural researcher into the genetics of dilated cardiomyopathy in Newfoundland dogs. She then returned to Glasgow as a senior lecturer in cardiology. Since 2004, she has worked as a senior lecturer in veterinary cardiology at the University of Liverpool. She has been an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology since 1994.

Kevin Eatwell BVSc(Hons) DzooMed (Reptilian) DipECZM(Herpetological) MRCVS
Kevin Eatwell has worked for first-opinion and referral exotic veterinary practices, zoological collections and wildlife hospitals, and for commercial clinical pathology laboratories. He currently works as a senior lecturer and clinical manager of the Exotic Animal and Wildlife Clinic at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh.

Brian Faulkner BSc(Hons) BVM&S MBA MSc(Psych) GPCert(SAM) GPCert (B&PS) MRCVS
Brian Faulkner has worked in over 100 veterinary practices as a clinician or a communication skills coach over the past 17 years. He set up, developed and sold a cluster of veterinary practices in the Woodbridge area of Suffolk between 2002 and 2009. He was voted the Petplan-UK Vet of the Year in 2008. Brian was awarded a Master’s in Business Administration from Nottingham University in 2001 and a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology in 2009. He is particularly interested in the psychology of fulfilment, achievement and success within veterinary practice.

Heidi Featherstone BVetMed DVOphthal DipECVO MRCVS
Heidi Featherstone graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1991 and worked in general practice in the UK and Hong Kong for seven years, prior to starting a residency in ophthalmology at the Animal Health Trust in 1998. Heidi now works at Willows Referral Service, West Midlands, where she is part of an ophthalmology team with a busy medical and surgical caseload. She is the Secretary of the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and is a visiting lecturer at the Nottingham Veterinary School. Her main interest is corneal surgery.

Luca Ferasin DVM PhD CertVC PGCert(HE) DipECVIM-CA(Cardiology) GPCert(B&PS) MRCVS

European and RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology
Luca Ferasin graduated with honours from the University of Bologna in 1992 and was awarded his PhD in 1996. Following three years as Assistant Professor at the University of Padova, he moved to the University of Bristol, where he taught cardiorespiratory medicine of the dog and cat for seven years. In 2006, Luca was appointed Associate Professor in Veterinary Cardiology at the University of Minnesota, where he practiced for two years before moving back to the UK in 2008. He is currently a visiting cardiology consultant in Southern England and Northern Italy.

Derek Flaherty BVMS DVA MRCA FHEA DipECVA MRCVS
Derek Flaherty qualified from the University of Glasgow in 1988 and then spent six years working for the PDSA before returning to Glasgow to undertake a residency in veterinary anaesthesia. He holds the RCVS Diploma in Veterinary Anaesthesia and the Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, and is both an RCVS and European Recognised Specialist. Derek has also been accepted to membership of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. He is currently Professor and Service Chief of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia at Glasgow, with a special interest in total intravenous anaesthetic techniques.

Sam Fontaine BSc DipAVN (Medical) RVN
Sam Fontaine qualified in early 2002 and worked in a private small animal practice for two years before joining the oncology department at the University of Glasgow, Small Animal Hospital. She has been the sole oncology nurse at the University for over eight years, during which time she has gained the RCVS Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (Medicine) and a BSc in Veterinary Nursing. She has recently submitted an MSc in Veterinary Medicine, investigating a serum biomarker in dogs with lymphoma.

Peter Forsythe BVM&S DVD MRCVS
Peter Forsythe graduated from The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, in 1983 and worked in mixed practice for 14 years. He left general practice in 1998 and, following a two-year residency at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, gained the RCVS Diploma in Veterinary Dermatology in 2001. He started, and is currently a partner in, the Dermatology Referral Service, with centres in Glasgow and Aberdeen. He is an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology and an honorary lecturer in dermatology at the University of Glasgow. He has particular interests in otitis and bacterial skin disease.

Luke Gamble BVSc MRCVS
Luke Gamble graduated from the University of Bristol in 1999. He runs Pilgrims Veterinary Practice, a five-vet mixed practice in the New Forest. He is also the founder and CEO of the international animal charity Worldwide Veterinary Service and the founder and co-director of PetAir UK and PetAir SA, two companies in the UK and South Africa, which specialise in the transport of pets around the world. In 2010, Luke was awarded the BSAVA JA Wight Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to the field of companion animal welfare.

Alex German BVSc(Hons) PhD CertSAM DipECVIM-CA MRCVS
Alex German qualified, with honours, from the University of Bristol in 1994. After two years in mixed practice he returned to Bristol to undertake a PhD and then a residency in small animal internal medicine. He moved to the University of Liverpool in 2002, where he currently holds the position of Royal Canin Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine. He became a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2004, and an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Internal Medicine in 2006. His clinical and research interests include gastroenterology and comparative obesity biology.

Tobias Grave TA SAP MRCVS
Tobias Grave graduated from the TiHo Hannover in 1999, then spent three years working in a mixed animal practice and a small animal hospital in Germany before starting as an emergency vet in central London. He joined Vets Now in 2003, working as a senior vet in Stoke-on-Trent, Edinburgh and Glasgow. He successfully completed a Vets Now residency in Emergency and Critical Care at the University of Glasgow in 2012 and is now working as a referral clinician in emergency and critical care in the Vets Now Referral Hospital in Glasgow.

Edward J. Hall MA Vet MB PhD DipECVIM-CA MRCVS
Edward Hall is Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine and Deputy Head of School at the University of Bristol, School of Veterinary Sciences. A Cambridge graduate, he undertook postgraduate clinical research training in Philadelphia and Liverpool, and is a Diplomate of the ECVIM-CA. He has clinical and research interests in small animal gastroenterology. He is a past President of the BSAVA, and was a member of the WSAVA GI Standardization Group. He has co-authored the chapter on ‘Diseases of the Small Intestine’ for three editions of Ettinger and Feldman’s Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, and co-edited both editions of the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Gastroenterology.

Ben Harris MA VetMB CertSAM MRCVS
Ben Harris graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2002. He spent seven years in private veterinary practice in London, developing his interest and skills in internal medicine and attaining the CertSAM in 2008. In 2009, Ben founded a radiology film-reading group, funded by the RCVS Trust, to enable first-opinion vets to develop their radiology skills. Ben completed a small animal medicine residency at Cambridge in 2012 and has performed ongoing research into canine chronic hepatitis, collaborating with six referral centres. Aside from hepatobiliary disease, Ben’s interests include critical care, renal disease, haematology and immune-mediated disease.

Claudia Hartley BVSc CertVOphthal DipECVO MRCVS

RCVS and European Specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology
After qualifying from the University of Bristol, Claudia spent three years in predominantly large animal practice in Devon. She then spent nine months working as a locum in both large and small animal practices across the country, and stayed on in a Cambridge practice as a permanent member of staff for five years, during which time she gained her RCVS Certificate in Ophthalmology. Claudia then spent a year as a clinician scholar at Cambridge Veterinary School, undertaking clinical research on the pre-ocular tear film of dogs. The following year, Claudia took up a residency at the Animal Health Trust in veterinary ophthalmology. She completed her residency in 2007 and in the same year successfully passed her European Diploma exams in Veterinary Ophthalmology. She currently works as Head of Ophthalmology Unit at the Animal Health Trust.

Peter Heathcote
Peter Heathcote currently holds the position of Managing Director of Budget Vets Ltd in South Wales. Having started the surgeries from scratch in 2005 with his wife Katherine, a veterinary surgeon, Budget Vets now cater for in excess of 50,000 consultations a year, with over 12,000 surgical procedures. With growth well above the industry average and over 700 new clients registering each month, they are delighted with their achievements to date.

Angie Hibbert BVSc CertSAM DipECVIM-CA MRCVS
Angie Hibbert graduated from the University of Bristol in 2000 and, after almost five years in general practice, returned to Bristol to take up the post of FAB resident in feline medicine. She became a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2009 and an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Feline Medicine in 2010. She is currently a staff clinician at the Feline Centre, Langford Veterinary Services (University of Bristol). Angie is a member of the FAB Feline Expert Panel.

Shelley Holden VN CertSAN CertCAB APHC MBVNA

Shelley Holden qualified as a veterinary nurse in 1997. She completed the Advanced Pet Health Counsellor Course in 2003, followed by the BVNA Certificate in Companion Animal Behaviour. After many years of setting up and running successful nursing clinics in general practice, Shelley moved to the University of Liverpool as the clinic nurse for the Royal Canin Weight Management Referral Clinic in 2004. She has lectured internationally on obesity and has written several articles on this subject area. In 2009 she also gained her Certificate in Small Animal Nutrition.

Richard Holmes BSc MA
Richard Holmes joined the Specsavers Board in 2007 as Marketing Director, where he is responsible for the development of the global brand and for marketing and PR activities in all countries. He previously worked for Boots, where he held a number of marketing roles over 10 years, including being responsible for the launch of their Advantage Card programme and the set up of boots.com. Before this, he spent 13 years working for consumer goods giant, Unilever, based in London, Paris and Milan, focusing on fast-moving consumer goods.

Pip Johnson BVSc CetVDI MRCVS
Pip Johnson graduated from the University of Sydney in 2005. She started her first job in rural mixed practice in Rotorua, New Zealand before moving to Beijing, China to work in small animal practice. She undertook a rotating internship at Great Western Referrals in 2007, where she developed an interest in diagnostic imaging. She obtained her RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging in 2010 and undertook an ECVDI residency at the Animal Health Trust from 2009 to 2012. She is currently a clinical veterinary radiologist at the Animal Health Trust.

Victoria S. Johnson BVSc DipECVDI BVSc DVR MRCVS
Victoria Johnson graduated from the University of Bristol in 1998. She then worked in mixed practice for two years in Kent. In 2000 she started a BSAVA PetSavers residency in diagnostic imaging at the University of Glasgow. In 2001 she obtained the RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Radiology and in 2003 the RCVS Diploma in Veterinary Radiology and the European Diploma in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging. Victoria then held positions at the University of Pennsylvania, Murdoch University, the Animal Health Trust and the University of Florida. She currently runs Vet CT, a telemedicine company based in Cambridge and specialising in CT and MRI interpretation.