Vice Chair of the Fellowship Board Election Candidate Information

Please find below the candidate statements for the electable position of Vice Chair to the Fellowship Board.

Fellows are able to vote for one candidate to be elected to the role of Vice Chair to the Fellowship Board from September 24 2024. A link to the voting software (Nemovote) will be emailed to Fellows in due course. Please contact the Fellowship Team on [email protected] if you have not received your link by September 25 2024.

Applicants for the Vice Chair of the Fellowship Board:

• Ian Battersby
• Rachel Dean
• Aoife Reid
• James Wood

Ian Battersby

During the 2023 Fellowship Day, whilst watching the new Fellows collect their certificates, I was reminded of my own pride when I collected mine. The subsequent presentations from colleagues working in diverse parts of the profession were fascinating and inspiring. I couldn’t help, however, but come away from the day feeling that there are opportunities and potential within the Fellowship yet to be exploited.  

The Fellowship combines a vast and diverse knowledge base, a wealth of experience and a richness of relationships, from both within and outside of the profession. It offers the perfect opportunity for cross-fertilisation of ideas and generative creativity. The Fellowship should be seen not just as recognition of individual contributions but as an opportunity for collaboration and continued contribution. In the area of One Health, for example, cross-disciplinary collaboration would allow us to share experiences, create veterinary specific initiatives and collaborate with non-veterinary institutions.

Whilst it is a great honour to join the Fellowship, is it not an even greater honour to collaborate and produce impactful work with like-minded colleagues?

Like others, I found self-nomination uncomfortable, and I would support changes to the process.  It is important that all MsRCVS have an opportunity to nominate colleagues and widen the selection criteria to increase the diversity of experience and perspectives within the Fellowship. 

I have been fortunate to have experiences of both clinical and non-clinical roles which has exposed me to a variety of different types of work, different challenges but also rewarding outcomes. If I am successful in the election, I believe that I can use those experiences to continue the development of the fellowship. An important part of that process is listening to ideas and views of my colleagues, and I look forward to having the opportunity to hear them.

Rachel Dean

My vision for the Fellowship is that we become an active, vibrant, independent community of scientists, practitioners and professionals who make a significant contribution to the profession through the advancement of the evidence base and the promotion of progressive veterinary healthcare. It is critical that we actively harness the expertise, experience and knowledge of the current fellows and grow the breadth, depth and diversity of the fellowship further. This action-orientated fellowship will create enhanced opportunities for effective collaboration, to ensure as a profession we work together to translate knowledge into practice, progressing care and improving outcomes for patients and clients.

Evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM) is focussed on decision makers and ensuring they have the information they need to effect change. EBVM is about transparency, dealing with uncertainty, and variation in healthcare. I have a deep passion for science, data, epidemiology, and research methods as well as clinical work. I am also a people person who enjoys working as a team with people that have different opinions and ideas. This, along with the skillset I have gained through my portfolio career will enable me to support the next steps that the Fellowship needs to take to have true impact.

I became a Fellow in 2022 on my second attempt once I was no longer a specialist or an academic. Since then, I have been curious about our Fellowship and been involved with the ‘Fellows of the Future’ initiative, joined one of the accreditation panels and listened to many fellow Fellows talk about what we need to do next. If I am successful, I look forward to listening to and working with you all to help bring the next phase of the FRCVS to fruition and help our profession face the many complex challenges we have in a positive, evidence-based way.

Aoife Reid

With over 20 years of experience in UK veterinary medicine, spanning clinical practice, education, and leadership, I am deeply committed to the Fellowship’s ongoing development. My practical mindset and pragmatic perspective focus on actionable insights and feasibility, which I believe will complement the Board's existing expertise to positively contribute to achieving collective goals.

If elected, my primary goal will be to expand and consolidate the Fellowship’s role within the veterinary community and beyond. Achieving this will require engaging key stakeholders and fostering collaboration across the profession. I am particularly committed to promoting diversity within the Fellowship, ensuring it reflects the richness and full spectrum of our profession. With diversity as a key focus, I am dedicated to increasing representation within the Fellowship and creating an environment where veterinary surgeons, regardless of background, feel valued and empowered to contribute to the Fellowship.
Collaboration is central to my approach and one of my core values. Working closely with the Board members, I will support initiatives that enhance the Fellowship’s influence through education, mentorship, and professional development. Implementing strategic initiatives to strengthen the Fellowship’s visibility, accessibility and impact across the profession, will be a priority.

My background in primary care practice, combined with previous committee work and a senior clinical leadership role has equipped me with the skillset to collaborate effectively and provide strong leadership. With your support, I believe I could make a meaningful contribution as Vice-Chair and I would be honoured to serve you in this role. Thank you for your consideration.

James Wood

I am standing for election for RCVS Fellowship Board vice-chair. I believe that the opportunities for the RCVS Fellowship have not been realized yet and am committed to working with the new chair to promote its effective development, reputation and role. The Fellowship is a critical element in the success of the Royal College (non-regulatory) functions of the College.

The Fellowship should, as in other Royal Colleges, play a significant role in leadership and academic direction of the College. Given its current scale, it is in a strong position to do this, although its potential has not been realised. The Fellowship includes many (but not all) outstanding individuals in the Profession; not everyone has yet seen its relevance. It has a strong base of individuals with great academic, clinical and professional achievements, but we are not collectively stronger than our component parts. This can be changed and the role of vice chair with identified responsibilities of improving the Fellowship’s influence, promoting diversity and collaboration to improve impact is something that I can make a significant contribution to.

Careful exploration of the context of the RCVS Fellowship with relevant professional and academic bodies is vital to explore the relevant (and to an extent potentially competing) roles that are already being played by individuals and other bodies in this space. Greater collaboration with the experts and specialists within strong Professional and species divisions, European colleges and more general scientific bodies can help promote the role of the Fellowship in a constructive and non-competitive manner. Improved diversity will of course need to be at the heart of that.

My experiences of leadership and high quality research, as well as professional profile provide a good background to work with the Fellowship Board and Chair to develop an informed and effective strategy for the Fellowship.