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Melissa Donald elected RCVS junior vice-president
Melissa Donald.

Past BVA Scottish branch president will take up the role in July.

RCVS Council member Melissa Donald has been voted in as junior vice-president for 2021-2022. 

Melissa, who will take up the post during RCVS Day in July, succeeds Professor David Argyle, who announced his decision to resign from Council earlier this week.

Announcing the news on Twitter, Melissa wrote: “Delighted and humbled to have been voted in as Junior VP from July. Thank you, and as with everything I have done in my career, you the profession will see me put all my energy and commitment into the role.”

Melissa is chair of the RCVS Standards Committee and a past-president of BVA’s Scottish branch. A graduate of Glasgow University, she undertook a food animal internship at Iowa State University, USA, before joining a two-person traditional mixed practice on the Ayrshire coast. 

Over 25 years Melissa and her husband developed the business into a 4.5 vet 100 per cent small animal practice. She became the clinical coach for nurse training in 2004 and later RCVS practical OSCE examiner for the VN exams.

She is also a past president of the Ayrshire Veterinary Association.

Image (C) RCVS.

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.