Head of Bristol veterinary school elected Junior Vice-President by RCVS Council members

Professor Tim Parkin FRCVS, Head of the University of Bristol Veterinary School, has been elected as the forthcoming Junior Vice-President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and will take up the post at the College’s Annual General Meeting this summer.

Tim, a Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology who has been a Veterinary Schools Council-appointed member of RCVS Council since 2021, was elected at the March meeting of RCVS Council which took place at the Royal College of Nursing on Thursday 14 March 2024.

At the same meeting, Linda Belton was appointed as RCVS President for 2024-25 and Sue Paterson as Senior Vice-President, subject to confirmation at the RCVS AGM which takes place at the Royal Institute of British Architects on Friday 5 July 2024. In terms of other appointments, Tshidi Gardiner was reappointed as RCVS Treasurer for a further year, while Kate Richards was reappointed as Education Committee Chair, Linda Belton as Standards Committee Chair and Sue Paterson as Chair of the Advancement of the Professions Committee.

Speaking of his election as Junior Vice-President, Tim said: “I would like to humbly thank my colleagues on RCVS Council for electing me to this role, it is a great honour.

“As a passionate advocate for veterinary education, one of my driving goals is ensuring that in 20 years’ time we will have veterinary professions that are more fit for purpose, working with a more recent Veterinary Surgeons Act and a make-up that is significantly more diverse and reflective of the society we serve.

“The discussions we’ve had at Council have reinforced in me the importance of change, and that change cannot come soon enough. Legislative reform which is clearly more required and hopefully closer than ever before; developing new, fulfilling career pathways to help with colleague retention and workforce shortages; and expanding and enhancing the ‘Team Vet’ ethos are areas I am looking forward to contributing to over the next 3 years. As the saying goes – the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, but the second best time is today. This is an exciting time for Council and the professions and I am very much looking forward to serving as JVP on the officer team and continuing to help push our collective ambition over the next few years.”

A graduate of the University of Bristol with degrees in Zoology (1992) and Veterinary Science (1998), Tim completed a PhD on the epidemiology of fractures in racehorses at Liverpool vet school in 2002 and continued his work in this area as a Post-doc, moving 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, being promoted to Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology in 2017.

Since November 2020 he has been Head of Bristol Veterinary School. He continues to work with racing jurisdictions around the world and the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), providing data-driven, evidence-based solutions to welfare issues faced by racehorses and sports horses alike.