MMI Campfire Chat: Tackling Loneliness in a Hyperconnected World

The MMI Campfire chats are back for series three! Join the MMI Team and our fantastic guests for an informal delve into themes and topics that matter to the veterinary community. Open to all, these free online panel sessions offer a chance to pause, reflect and learn from each other’s experiences of navigating life and work.

Tackling Loneliness in a Hyperconnected World

In this MMI Campfire Chat...

Loneliness is a key driver of poor mental health and affects millions of people in the UK every year and, according to The Mental Health Foundation’s Pandemic research, this has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness week is Loneliness, so join us for this campfire chat as we discuss why meaningful connection and having a sense of belonging matters, and how we as individuals and as a community can tackle loneliness in a hyperconnected world.

Panel Guests

Dr Freda Scott-Park FRCVS

Dr Freda Scott-Park is a Dick graduate (1979), with a PhD in canine cardiology. She worked for eight years in Glasgow in a mixed, mainly small animal practice. For over 20 years, she has read ECGs from studies into novel medicines with a view to detecting ECG abnormalities before they go into clinical trials in humans.

Freda's organic farm (Portnellan) is a teaching farm for Glasgow University Vet School (GUVS). Freda keeps her knowledge of veterinary practice current through her role with the Highland and Islands Veterinary Services Scheme and discussions with the members of the Veterinary Delivery Landscape Project Steering Group. As a portfolio assessor at GUVS, Freda can appreciate the calibre of the students in BVMS2-BVMS5 cohorts.

Freda is also a Past President of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association and the British Veterinary Association.

Lucy Taylor RVN

Lucy is an RVN from Derbyshire, who is based in referral hospitals when in the UK and has a keen interest in emergency and critical care, neurology and internal medicine. She spends a lot of her time abroad, working in veterinary care or doing seasonal work, as well as taking part in multiple volunteer projects around the world, including Spain, Sardinia, Morocco and South Africa.

Her main aim is to encourage more RVNs (and vets!) to travel and utilise their skills to help rescues abroad to control and care for stray populations through spay/neuter projects and vaccination projects!

Abigail Kimber

Abigail is a Client Development Consultant at social enterprise Mental Health First Aid England, working alongside a team of consultants that manage the organisation's training courses. MHFA England's training and new diagnostic service, Startwell, equip workplaces across industries such as construction, public health, and technology, including Skanska, NHS, Deutsche Bank and Samsung, with mental health knowledge, skills, and the tools to build a mental health strategy.

David Charles MRCVS

David graduated from The University of Bristol in Summer 2019, having previously studied biology at The University of Birmingham. After initially working at a mixed practice in Norfolk, David decided farm animal work was for him and joined the team at Scarsdale Vets in May 2020.

He enjoys all aspects of farm veterinary work, with a particular interest in post mortem, surgery, and flock health. David is an accredited BCVA Johne’s Veterinary Advisor and an MSD Flock Lameness Reduction Advisor. He is currently studying towards his CertAVP(Sheep).

Outside of work David regularly writes for the VetTimes and enjoys playing and watching sport, either live or in the pub! He’s also looking forward to getting out and exploring Derbyshire & the Peak District.

Programme timings and information

7:00 - 8:00pm

The interactive session will be held online, via Zoom.

This event counts towards your CPD.

Cost

There is no charge to attend this event.

Register here

Contact us

Should you have any questions, please email the RCVS Events Team.