Dr Freda Scott-Park BVM&S, PhD, MRCVS
Freda qualified from the Royal (Dick) in Edinburgh, in 1979. Despite her best intentions to go straight into practice, she was persuaded to study for a PhD in canine cardiology and then she went on to work for eight years in Glasgow in a mixed, mainly small animal practice.
While completing her PhD, she married David, a dairy farmer at the south end of Loch Lomond, and during the first two years of practice, combined veterinary work with building a house on the farm.
Following a career break to have children (Chris 15 and Ginny 14) she kept her hand in as a regular locum at both PDSA branches in Glasgow. In 1994 she started to teach student veterinary nurses at Edinburgh’s Telford College and over those 5 years enjoyed some of the most satisfying times of her career, teaching anaesthesia, cardiology, reproduction and urogenital medicine.
For the past 7 years, Freda has read ECGs derived from studies into new pharmaceutical compounds with a view to detecting ECG abnormalities that could be a problem in their clinical use in humans.
Currently, her clinical work is confined to looking after the organic farm herd of Ayrshires, Friesians and Limousin-crosses along with the farm collies, a couple of cats and various rats and hamsters.
Freda was President of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association April 2003 – 2004 and President of the British Veterinary Association October 2005 – 2006
She is currently Immediate Past President of the BVA.
John Michael Hill MVB MRCVS
John qualified Trinity College Dublin July 1975. After spending four years in large animal and mixed practices in Northern Ireland and Lancashire, John bought a predominately large animal practice in Crumlin, Co Antrim in 1979. The practice now has three surgeries with six vets working mainly in companion animal practice.
John has also held the following posts:
1993: President of the Association of Veterinary Surgeons Practising in Northern Ireland.
2004: President of the North of Ireland Veterinary Association.
1996 to present: Chairman of Northern Ireland Veterinary Education Trust.
2005 to present: Board member of Veterinary Northern Ireland.
2006 to 2007: President Elect Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons.
Wendy Barnett DipAVN (Surgical) VN – Executive Director
Wendy qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in December 1992. She started in mixed animal practice in Cornwall before spending 2 years locuming in the UK. In 1996 she took a head nurse position in Sussex to pursue a Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (Surgical) which she gained in March 1999.
In 2000 Wendy moved into the emergency and critical care field eventually taking a position as clinical manager with Vets Now at their Bristol clinic. Wendy used her time off from the emergency shifts to train as a human phlebotomist for the National Health Service. This phlebotomy interest led to Wendy being given the post of pet blood bank researcher for Vets Now in January 2006 - the research has taken Wendy far and wide from the USA to Australia. Vets Now agreed to raise the funds to support the UK’s first Pet Blood Bank Charity on completion of the research programme. Wendy currently resides as a trustee and is the authorisation holder of the VMD licence for Pet Blood Bank UK.