Confronting major issues facing the veterinary profession
BSAVA Summit is a new 2-day event that will tackle some of the contentious clinical and non-clinical issues facing the veterinary profession today.
Delegates will lead and shape discussions through a series of interactive workshops facilitated by experts, paired with a series of insightful keynote seminars delivered by key opinion leaders.
Shaping the future of veterinary practice
Day one focuses on ‘The Profession Today’ and topics will include workforce issues, telemedicine, specialism, the future of advanced practitioners and regulation of the profession.
Day two explores ‘The Profession Tomorrow’ with topics including communication, over-diagnosis, over-treatment and innovation.
Confirmed facilitators include RCVS CEO Lizzie Lockett, BEVA President Renate Weller, Director of Clinical Research and Excellence in Practice at VetPartners Rachel Dean and Small Animal Medicine Specialist and Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Cardiology Dr Kit Sturgess.
BSAVA Summit will address the rising demand for a space to debate important topics, challenge mindsets and question accepted benchmarks. Following feedback from our members and the profession, Summit will revolutionise veterinary conference norms with a free-flow approach to champion active debate, discussion and reflection.
Summit programme and booking your place
Who is Summit designed for?
BSAVA Summit is primarily designed for experienced small animal and equine practitioners, however all vets and nurses, including other large animal practitioners, are welcome to attend.
When can I book?
General sale has now opened, so both BSAVA Members, and non-members can book - click below to reserve your place today.
The delegates are the key to the event, and Summit should attract people who want to be involved, want to input, want to make a difference and want to help drive the profession forward.
Keynote Speaker, Day one
Dr Graham Easton
Dr Easton will deliver the Profession Today keynote - drawing comparisons and insights between the veterinary and human medical professions.
Graham is an academic GP and medical journalist with a particular interest in the links between veterinary and human medicine. Graham has presented several BBC Radio programmes exploring the One Health concept including The Vet Will See You Now (2015), and The Evidence: Should Vets and Doctors Work More Closely Together? (2017), as well as presenting Radio 4’s medical programme Case Notes, Pick of the Week, and being a regular guest on the World Service global health programme Health Check. As an editor at the British Medical Journal he also edited a special joint edition of the BMJ and the Veterinary Record on Human and Animal Health in 2005.
Graham is a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at Imperial College Medical School where he was a Programme Director for GP Specialty Training. He serves on the editorial board of the British Journal of General Practice, and has recently published a book for a general audience called The Appointment – the story of a morning surgery told from inside the mind of a GP, which was selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club.
Keynote Speaker, Day two
Alison McCourt, OBE ARRC QHN L/QARANC
Chief Nursing Officer (Army)
Alison will deliver the Profession Tomorrow keynote - with a talk titled 'Standing up for your profession.'
Alison will be sharing her experiences of leadership in very challenging situations where medical and humanitarian care were thrown into a political and media spotlight during the Ebola Crisis in Africa. The care delivered in the treatment centre she led, changed global protocols and improved care in Africa and Alison and her team pushed the boundaries to deliver it.
Colonel Alison McCourt joined the Army in 1988. Following nurse training and service within the ranks in the United Kingdom and Germany, Alison was selected for commission in the QARANC in 1994. She subsequently undertook specialist training in Emergency Nursing at Leeds University and since then has undertaken a number of Clinical, Regimental and Staff appointments. Alison has deployed to Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Sierra Leone. Following her deployment to Bosnia as the Senior Nursing Officer of the hospital she was awarded the honour of Associate Royal Red Cross for her work in that operational role.
Following a decade of promotions and staff appointments, Alison assumed Command of 22 Field Hospital in July 2013 and deployed the Unit to Sierra Leone on Op GRITROCK in Oct 14. She was awarded an OBE for the Unit’s performance on Op GRITROCK. On promotion to Colonel in Dec 2015, she was assigned as the principal AH in the newly established Senior Health Advisor Department within Army Headquarters. In addition to her primary role, she was appointed Chief Nursing Officer (Army) in 2018.
The Venue
BSAVA Summit is hosted at the Royal College of Physicians - a contemporary, attractive and accessible venue in central London.